The Power of Organization or the Organization of Power?

This article presents some of the problems that need to be resolved if organization is to be developed to its full potential. Our central argument is that both management and staff typically act on the basis of a false understanding of the nature of power. Power is typically treated as if it were an individual possession, rather than as a relationship between people. Consequently, managers ignore or attempt to deny their ultimate dependence on staff, and use their power coercively. Staff respond with various coun tercoercive strategies. The result is a series of vicious circles which seriously undermine the productive potential of the relationship between management and staff.

[1]  Roderick Martin,et al.  The Theory of Power and Organization , 1980 .

[2]  Veljko Rus,et al.  Positive and Negative Power: Thoughts on the Dialectics of Power , 1980 .

[3]  D. Morgan,et al.  Sociological Paradigms and Organizational Analysis. , 1983 .

[4]  Graeme Salaman,et al.  Work organisations : resistance and control , 1979 .

[5]  A. Giddens.  Central Problems In Social Theory , 1979 .

[6]  D. Wrong.  Power: Its Forms, Bases and Uses , 1979 .

[7]  L. Coser,et al.  Class Inequality And Political Order , 1979 .

[8]  A. Giddens.  NEW RULES OF SOCIOLOGICAL METHOD , 1980 .

[9]  A. Bradshaw.  A Critique of Steven Lukes' `Power: A Radical View' , 1976 .

[10]  U. Renker.  [Motivation for work]. , 1975, Zeitschrift fur die gesamte Hygiene und ihre Grenzgebiete.

[11]  J. Eldridge,et al.  Beyond Contract: Work, Power and Trust Relations , 1975 .

[12]  H. Braverman.  Labor and Monopoly Capital , 1974 .

[13]  Andrew Tymowski,et al.  Toward a Rational Society , 1971, Telos.

[14]  J. Pennings,et al.  A Strategic Contingencies' Theory of Intraorganizational Power , 1971 .

[15]  J. Child,et al.  The Business Enterprise in Modern Industrial Society. , 1971 .

[16]  C. Levitt.  The Coming Crisis of Western Sociology , 1970, Telos.

[17]  Peter Bachrach,et al.  Power and Poverty: Theory and Practice , 1970 .

[18]  J. Habermas,et al.  Knowledge and Human Interests , 1972 .

[19]  N. Carter.  General and Industrial Management , 1986 .

[20]  P. A. Losty,et al.  A Behavioural Theory of the Firm , 1965 .

[21]  N. Polsby.  Community power and political theory , 1964 .

[22]  P. Bachrach,et al.  Two Faces of Power , 1962, American Political Science Review.

[23]  R. Likert,et al.  New Patterns of Management. , 1963 .

[24]  D. Mcgregor.  The Human Side of Enterprise , 1960 .

[25]  J. R. French,et al.  The bases of social power. , 1959 .

[26]  E. Goffman.  The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life , 1959 .

[27]  Robert Dubin,et al.  Power and Union-Management Relations , 1957 .

[28]  A. Gouldner.  Patterns Of Industrial Bureaucracy , 1954 .

[29]  J. Schumpeter.  Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy , 1943 .