Influence of Politics and Power
Politics and power play has a significant influence on the culture of an organization. Credibility gaps can be created if the managers of a company make decision-based on rationalistic terms leading to a sense of disbelief. Organizations are political structures that establish the stage for exercising power by distributing authority. Power plays a critical role in motivating individuals as well as establishing organizational relationships. Organizations are also political structures that create an environment for individuals to develop their career and express individual interest and motives. Career development at the professional and high managerial levels of Verizon depends on power as a driver for transforming the interest of the individual into activities that can influence others.
The politics and power play in the company and its influence on the culture can be seen in the recent industrial action where over 36,000 workers protested the decision by the company to outsource cheaper labor and the hiring of low wage and non-union contractors. According to the employees the company is taking good jobs from the Americans. The company was also not willing to negotiate with employees working in the stores in addition to closing call centers. Despite recording an impressive performance the company was determined to control the employees and micromanage all activities including getting rid of highly paid employees. Targeted employees are monitored by associate directors, supervisors, and quality and any mistakes can lead to the termination of employment or the employee is forced to leave the company once they are unable to take it anymore. The organizational culture promotes quality products by establishing the principles, beliefs, and values that affect the behavior of the employees. The function of the corporate culture is to enhance the performance of the employees and to integrate the entire organization. The culture focuses on quality and reliability which is the most significant, customer-centrism, teamwork, excellence and value-driven foundation.
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Sources of Power
There are six major sources of power in Verizon Wireless. Legitimate power arises from the position held by the management, supervisors and quality assurance giving them an opportunity to assign tasks to their subordinates. Reward power arises due to the ability to offer a reward like pay increase or promotion or even hiring. Coercive power at Verizon arises from the ability of the managers to punish the employees for not complying. The holder of such power instills fear in the employees forcing them to do something that they could not ordinarily do. Coercive power played a significant part in the strike experienced by the company. Another source of power is an expert power which arises from the knowledge and skills of the holder of such knowledge (Bauer & Erdogan, 2009) . Verizon Wireless has many experts in technology that gives them an opportunity to wield such power. The company can also access information power due to the various sources of specific information that provide a competitive edge over other companies. The wide market and the social network enhance such information throughout the company (Jackson, Meyer & Wang, 2012) . The last source is referent power which arises from individual characteristics of the people holding different positions. The managers and associate directors wield this power.
The management can use the sources of power to influence the different departments throughout the company. Managers can use their power to reward and punish the performance of the employees. Similarly, such managers will be respected and their instructions will be obeyed even though they will not actually punish or reward the employees. Some of the managers earn power from the six sources and are likely to influences the performance of the entire organization by exercising their power. However, the majority of the managers have legitimate power due to the position that they hold in addition to coercive power since they have the ability to appoint employees to different position throughout the company.
The managers can use their power to obtain compliance and commitment from the employees in the different departments. Some of the approaches that can be used include rational persuasion which includes the use of facts logic argument and data to convince the employees of the company (Higgins, Judge, & Ferris, 2003). Another technique that can influence the performance of the employees is the use of inspirational appeals by trying to tap into the values, beliefs, and emotions of the employees to gain their support of a desired course of action. Similarly, the management can use consultation, ingratiation, making personal appeals, and exchange and coalition tactics.
Leadership Behavior and Culture
The study of power and politics could influence leadership behavior and improve the culture of Verizon Wireless. Individuals seek power to control and also to determine the future of the organization and its departments. Similarly, power influences the outcome of personal security, interpersonal conflicts, and prosperity. A disorganized organization, for example, will require mo=re power than one that is well organized. The hunger for power can lead to the exploitation of fear which will be detrimental to the development of the organization. Excessive use of power can lead to undesired consequences like absenteeism and employee turnover (Byrne, 2007; Singh, 2009) . Similarly, it can lead to the dissatisfaction of the employees and a decline in their performance.
The desire for power can be sought for purposes of influencing others to enhance their performance for the good of the company. Understanding the influence of power and politics on the leadership behavior and culture of the company can be useful in developing leaders who are effective in their work, well adjusted and motivated (Singh, 2009) . The leaders can, therefore, wield the power to control the entire organization and chart its future direction. Knowledge of politics and power can help the management to develop appropriate techniques and criteria that can be used to execute the activities of the entire organization.
Power can be gained through a sense of efficacy, achievement, and usefulness. The leadership of the company develops confidence and feels that they are contributing to the growth of the company. Similarly, they feel that the actions are making a difference and enhancing the culture of the company. The management, therefore, develops self-worth and self-esteem which enhances its ability to influence the employees and enhance a culture of teamwork, quality products and customer focus (Jackson, Meyer & Wang, 2012) .
Power is desired in the running of the key activities of a company. It is therefore critical to recognize that power is a prerequisite for success and is not affected by the inner needs of the organization. Power can keep the entire organization in check. It can also spur it to fame and growth. However, power can destroy the organization as well. The exercise of power, its magnitude and direction can break or make Verizon Wireless. The intentions of the power holder will determine the direction of the company and its culture (Singh, 2009) . Organizational power should be a management resource of Verizon Wireless just like the technical expertise held by the company.
Organizational power can be used to enhance participative management styles that rely on referent power and expert power. Such styles can lead to motivation, enhance communication, promote interactions throughout the organization and promote decision making. Similarly, it can ensure that appropriate goals are set and the company controls its activities while enhancing its overall performance. The leadership behavior adopted by the company can influence the culture of the entire organization (Byrne, 2007) . The management must, therefore, be careful about the influence of power on their behavior and how it affects the rest of the company.
Leadership Influence
The importance and complexity of the leadership behavior can significantly affect the structure and performance of the organization. Any organization needs to be responsive to a changing environment. Such capability can only be achieved if the leadership can make an informed decision and select the best course of action in the shortest time possible. It is therefore critical to understand the complexity of leadership behavior and how it can enhance or affect decision making in the company. A complex structure, for example, makes it difficult to make timely decisions since the entire process must be exposed to the consultation which can be time-consuming. Similarly, such consultation can result in additional challenges if other courses of actions are identified that is likely to shift the focus of the company from its core business.
The performance of the company can be affected by the complexity of its leadership behavior since information flow is reduced and the employees are not aware of the next course of action until adequate communication .is received from the top management. The situation is worsened by the size of the company and its geographical distribution. Some decisions might affect the performance of some of the branches if adequate consultation was not done. Similarly, it is difficult to involve all employees in decision making which might lead to the feeling that the management is not engaging them and therefore leading to a decline in their performance. Employees are also likely to have different goals and might not be interested in the decision-making process of the company.
References
Bauer, T. & Erdogan, B., (2009). Organizational Behavior. 1st ed. Flat World Knowledge, Inc.
Byrne, J. (2007). Leadership power plays . New York: McGraw-Hill.
Jackson, T., Meyer, J., & Wang, X. (2012). Leadership, commitment, and culture. Journal Of Leadership & Organizational Studies , 20 (1), 84-106. doi: 10.1177/1548051812466919
Singh, A. (2009). Organizational power in perspective. Leadership and management In Engineering , 9 (4), 165-176. doi: 10.1061/(ASCE)lm.1943-5630.0000018
