Power And Politics

Power and Politics


Abstract

Power and politics it is said there cannot be one without the other. Power can be both formal and informal, and can be used for the good of the organization or solely for the good of an individual, therein is where power became corrupted and turns into politics.  

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary the definition of power is "possession of control, authority, or influence over others." (2009) While many feel that politics and power are synonymous, in fact, politics by definition deals with influencing how a government is run,   while a person in politics may have power,   just being in politics does not guarantee power.   Unfortunately politics, is more often than not corrupt while it influences how something is run, there is no longer altruism in the actions but selfishness.   As organizations grow and expand, so do the unsavory aspects of politics. As politics come into play in the workplace, the ability for an employee to perform outside the box becomes prohibitively restricted.   Many people with power do not need the power in itself, but need the power as a means to achieve and end goal. First we will look at the different types of power and what each means.

Power can be either formal or informal, a title may give a person power, but that does not mean that the person with the power has the power, whereas a person my inherently have power not based on title or job but who that person is.   Power can be either used or abused,   in the case of Steve Jobs with Apple,   he has both formal and informal power,   not only does he have the power from the position he holds within the company,   he has power because it is who he is,   he instills confidence in those around him to follow his lead.   Steve Jobs wants to make sure that the people around him are empowered to do the best that they can do,   Mr. Jobs quoted in an article with Fortune magazine "When you hire really good people you have to give them a piece of the...