Influence of Politics and Power
In every organization, power and politics have a significant effect on the culture. As a result, the performance of a company is affected. Politics and power influence the decision-making process in the organization. A decision can be made based on the political influence and authority of the organizational members. Politics and power affect the employee interaction in the work surroundings. The importance of power on corporate activities depends on the way employees use it. An organization size does not change the impact of politics and power on the operations (Said, 2014). The decisions made by the executives of Ford Corporation are not implemented due to the influence of power and politics on the company activities. The employees of Ford Motor Corporation have misused power and politics which has led to the ineffectiveness of operations.
Lack of teamwork and communication in Ford Motor Corporation has affected the efficiency of conducting activities. It has been manifested through poor communication and relationships among the company’s employees. The managers and employees in Ford Motor Company do not interact. Further, managers and employees do not collaborate when conducting the company’s activities. Ford Motor Corporation has not established a strong relationship with international allies due to poor communication. Consequently, poor communication and low collaboration have influenced the company’s productivity. The managers implement their ideas due to poor communication with the executives. Poor communication has influenced the organizational structure of Ford Motors Corporation. The managers do not respect the orders given from the company’s headquarters.
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Sources of Power
Ford Motor Corporation management team is committed to motivate employees, improve the decision-making process, and social skills of the employees. To make the changes, Ford Motors must identify the different sources of power and their relevance to the improvement of the organizational performance. Power involves influencing other individuals. Also, power involves governing people's behavior or performance of activities. Ford Motor Corporation has discovered five sources of power which include legitimate, referent, expert, reward, and coercive.
Coercive power involves intimidating the employees for them to respect and obey the leaders. The consequences of disobeying and disrespecting the leaders include penalties, reprimand, or punishment. Coercive power can improve or limit different sources or benefits due to poor employee performance ("5 Sources Of Power in Organizations", 2018). Ford Motor Company can use coercive power to enhance compliance on the new incentive program. The management team can outline the consequences of non-compliance to the program. The results can include suspension from work, penalty, or firing the employees in case they do not change as directed by the management team. Ford Motors can implement coercive power when delegating activities to the employees but in a polite manner. It can enhance employees’ productivity when they comply with the orders.
Referent power is achieved by establishing relationships with the leaders in an organization. Referent power can also be achieved by creating interpersonal relationships with organizational members. People who embrace referent power are charismatic and friendly. They delegate authority after establishing interpersonal relationships ("5 Sources Of Power in Organizations", 2018). It is the best interest in Ford Motor Corporation to establish relationships with employees and other companies. The company has to set an excellent example by fulfilling the needs and interests of their employees. Ford Motor Corporation needs to establish relationships with its employees to delegate rules. The management team will interact with the employees and delegate rules regarding teamwork and improved performance.
Legitimate or positional power involves the delegation of rules and policies by the executives in an organization. The organizational members receive obligations from the management team. An illustration of positional power is a supervisor reporting to the company’s manager. The subordinate employees are accountable for sending reports to the managers. The managers respond by giving delegations which must be followed. Legitimate power is sufficient when the managers acquire the senior position positions due to their high performance ("5 Sources Of Power in Organizations", 2018). Ford Motor Corporation needs to promote and recruit their employees internally to motivate them. The company should ensure that their performance encourages employees. The employees will be motivated to increase their production to get promoted.
Expert power involves the delegation of policies by individuals with exceptional skills in a particular field. The individuals with extensive knowledge have authority over the others. Many employees have secured their positions in the workplace due to their outstanding skills. The organization has to retain employees because they are scarce in the labor market. The people with expert authority are responsible for essential roles in the organization and contribute to the decision-making process. It is critical for employees to seek help from individuals with outstanding skills to conduct company activities in the right manner. The company implements the recommendation made by experts. People with unique skills and knowledge get promoted easily as compared to the employees with common experiences ("5 Sources Of Power in Organizations", 2018). For example, an employee who knows to operate the sales software system is promoted to manage the information technology activities in the department. Ford Motor Company can use to choose employees who can increase the efficiency in the company. Consequently, the performance of subordinate employees will improve because the executive will become their role-models. Ford Motor Company can consult expert to make decisions. The corporation can promote employees with outstanding skills to high positions for them to influence the management of activities to improve performance.
Lastly, reward power involves the influence of employees’ behavior by giving rewards and incentives. The executives are responsible for selecting members who deserve rewards and incentives. The employees are motivated to work effectively to receive rewards or promotions ("5 Sources Of Power in Organizations", 2018). Ford Motor Company will reward their employees to improve their performance. Further, the company will introduce incentives to enhance employee productivity. Through the introduction of rewards and incentives, the employees will receive satisfaction.
Leadership Behavior and Culture
The sources of power reflect the leadership behavior and culture in Ford Motor Corporation. Ford understands the different sources of power and their effects on the performance. Ford Motors leadership team uses legitimate and coercive power to delegate policies and rules to the employees. The leadership team makes and exercises power over the subordinates in the company. Besides, the employees in Ford Motors Corporation are subject to suspension, firing, or punishment after they violate the rules and policies. The company has used intimidation to increase the performance of the employees. Ford has been controlling the behavior of the employees to meet the goals.
Ford Motor management team has realized that the powers have an adverse effect on their performance. The team has recognized that their powers have affected employees’ performance and their international relations. The employees in Ford Motors Company have strained relationships with the executives. Ford Motors Corporation has learned they can use rewards, expert, or referent power to improve the decision-making process, employee satisfaction, motivation, and performance. Rewarding the staff for good conduct will enhance their productivity. The management team will focus on rewarding employees rather than punishing the low performers in the organization. The company must budget for the incentives and rewards to the employees. The poor performers will improve their efficiency to receive rewards and incentives ("The Impact of Leadership on Organizational Performance", 2018). The company must use the powers appropriately to improve the employee behavior and performance.
Ford Motor Corporation will implement reward power by appreciating employees with high performance to attain respect. The management team will use referent power to establish good working relationships with the employees. The team will establish interpersonal relationships with the employees for easier delegation of the rules. Through embracing referent power the employees and managers will form teams where they can exchanges ideas to increase efficiency. The leaders will exercise reverent power to enhance relationships with the employees where they can influence their behavior. By creating relationships with the employees, it will improve job satisfaction. The managers will not waste time in supervising the employees after the establishment of working relations. Referent power will enhance communication in Ford Motors Corporation. The decisions will be implemented on time to meet the strategic goals. The management team will use expert power to encourage creativity and innovation in the company due to the frequent changes that take place in the automotive industry. Ford Motors Corporation can continue to use some of the powers such as legitimate power when delegating duties to the employees. The coercive power can be useful in the implementation of the decisions. The managers should exercise power politely, but it will improve the incorporation process in the company.
Leadership Influence
The leadership approaches are essential to the company's direction. The magnitude of leadership influence determines the organization's performance. The management’s ability to communicate the goals to the employees will influence the efficiency of the company. The demonstration of the management’s behavior influences the decision-making process, interpersonal relationships, and delegation of tasks ("The Impact of Leadership on Organizational Performance", 2018) for the leaders to earn trust and confidence from the employees they have to define the vision to the employees clearly. Further, the management team in Ford Motors Corporation must discover other complicated issues in the leadership. Self-management and controlling the employees can be a challenge that managers encounter. Managers should be multidimensional to manage their behaviors as well as those of the employees. Leadership is versatile, and there is a need for the manager to be flexible to adapt to the changes that can take place.
In Ford Motors Corporation, the employees’ behavior and performance will change. The expectations of the management team will determine the employees’ improvement in their performance and behavior. When the managers improve the working conditions, the employees increase their productivity ("4 Models to Break-Down the Complexity of Leadership", 2018). When the management team influences the work surroundings positively, it enhances the employees’ performance. Employees are motivated to work when the managers provide favorable conditions. The organizational members are encouraged to engage and contribute to the activities in a healthy workplace. Employees respect rules that managers set and are accountable to them. The organization members can manage and solve conflicts without affecting business activities when managers have a positive control. The leaders can influence employees’ perceptions to achieve the company’s goals leading to job satisfaction ("4 Models to Break-Down the Complexity of Leadership", 2018). After the employees embrace the organization’s vision, the leaders should create a favorable environment.
In conclusion, power and politics have a direct influence on organization culture. Subsequently, the performance of a company is affected by the changes in the culture. Power and politics also influence the decision-making process in a company. When managers in companies misuse their power, it affects the staffs' conduct and efficiency which influences the performance. There are various sources of power which include coercive, referent, legitimate, reward, an expert. An organization implements various types of power that influence the operations, employee behavior, and productivity. The leadership behavior has an impact on the culture of a company. The leaders influence the structure and performance of a company. A company should use the powers that are aligned with their mission to enhance employee behavior and productivity.
References
4 models to break down the complexity of leadership. (2018 ). Retrieved from https://www.peopledevelop.com.au/4-models-break-complexity-leadership/
5 Sources of Power in Organiz ations. (2018 ). Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/5-sources-power-organizations-14467.html
Said, E. (2014). Power, Politics, and Culture: Interviews with Edward W. Said . London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.
The Impact of Leadership on O rganizational Performance. (2018 ). Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/5-sources-power-organizations-14467.html
