ABSTRACT

Power in organizations is analogous in simple terms to physical power: it is the ability to mobilize resources to get things done. This chapter examines that to discover the sources of productive power, one have to look not at the person – conventional classifications of effective managers and employees do – but at the position the person occupies in the organization. The effectiveness that power brings evolves from two kinds of capacities: first, access to the resources, information, and support necessary to carry out a task; and, second, ability to get cooperation in doing what is necessary. The traditional problems of women in management are illustrative of how formal and informal practices can combine to engender powerlessness. Historically, women in management have found their opportunities in more routine, low-profile jobs. Staff people tend to act out their powerlessness by becoming turf-minded. They create islands within the organization.