Module 1 - BackgroundPower Tactics and Sources of PowerRequired Material
A good place to start is this interactive tutorial that will introduce you to the main power tactics covered in this module. You might want to hold off on taking the quiz at the end of the tutorial though until you've finished reading the rest of the required material:
Power tactics. (2014). Pearson Learning Solutions. New York, NY.
Now take a closer look at power tactics in the following four readings. Note that you don't have to read the entire book chapters, only the pages that focus on power tactics. In addition to the book chapters, the article by Anderson (1998) is short but very relevant article that is important to review:
Nair, S. (2010). Chapter 14: Power, realpolitik, and ethics. Organisational Behavior. Global Media, Mumbai, pp. 358-368 [Available in Ebrary. Note: You only have to read the first section in this chapter on power. The section on organizational politics will be covered in Module 2.]
[Note: When looking up books in Ebrary don't copy and paste the entire reference into the search engine. Instead, only include the name of the author and title of the book. For example, to find the above book enter the following search terms into the search engine: Nair Organisational Behavior]
Anderson, D. A. (1998). Using power and influence tactics for better results. Marine Corps Gazette, 82(12), 37-38. [Proquest. Note: This is a journal article rather than a book chaApter in Ebrary so it is most easily found by typing the title of the article. Enter the following search term into the search engine: Using power and influence tactics for better results]
Aswathappa, K. (2010). Chapter 14: Power and political behavior. Organisational Behavior, Global Media, Mumbai, pp. 331-341 [Available in Ebrary. Note: You only have to read the first half of this chapter regarding power. The remainder of the chapter on organizational politics will be covered in Module 2.]
Flood, P. (2013). Chapter 7: Change politics and change levers. Change Lessons from the CEO: Real People, Real Change. John Wiley & Sons, Somerset, NJ, pp. 189-202. [Ebrary. Note: You don't have to read the whole chapter, only up to page 202.]
Required Case Assignment Reading
Schulman, D. (2014, Jul). Koch vs. Koch. Mother Jones, 39, 16-27,64,2
Tomsho, R. (1989, Aug 09). Blood feud: Koch family is roiled by sibling squabbling over its oil empire: Fired by his brother, William sues often, helps feds to probe Koch Industries, haling mother into court. Wall Street Journal[Proquest]
Optional Material
Seperich, G., & McCalley, R. (2006). Chapter 3: Overview of the power sources. Managing Power and People. M.E. Sharpe, Inc., Armonk, NY, pp. 14-29 [Ebrary]
Pedler, M. (2010). Chapter 7: Practice 3: Power. Manager's Guide To Leadership: An Action Learning Approach.McGraw-Hill Education, Berkshire, UK. [Ebrary]
Pfeffer J. (2010). Power play. Harvard Business Review, July-August, Vol 88 Issue 7/8, p. 85-92.
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Module 1 - CasePower Tactics and Sources of PowerCase Assignment
Koch Industries is one of the most profitable privately held corporations in the country. In spite of being owned primarily by four brothers, it has not been immune from intense internal power plays and intrigue. A decades-long dispute between CEO Charles Koch and his younger brother Bill Koch led first to an internal battle for control of the company and ended with a lawsuit between the brothers.
Carefully review the background materials regarding sources of power within an organization and power tactics. Examples of sources of power include reward power, coercive power, legitimate power, and expert power. Examples of power tactics include forming coalitions, pressure, and exchanging favors. Make sure to understand the main power sources and tactics and know the vocabulary and definitions from the background materials before starting the assignment.
The epic battle between two of the Koch brothers tested the limits of both of their power bases within Koch Industries. Both used multiple tactics before Charles Koch ultimately secured his position of almost unrivaled power within the corporation. Do some research about this power struggle using the Trident Online Library and online news sources. Here are some articles to get you started:
Schulman, D. (2014, Jul). Koch vs. Koch. Mother Jones, 39, 16-27,64,2
Tomsho, R., (1989, Aug 09). Blood feud: Koch family is roiled by sibling squabbling over its oil empire: Fired by his brother, William sues often, helps feds to probe Koch Industries, haling mother into court. Wall Street Journal[ProQuest]
Once you have finished your research, write a 4- to 5-page paper addressing the following issues:
- What were Charles and Bill Koch's sources of power within Koch Industries? Did they have reward power, coercive power, legitimate power, or expert power? Any other sources of power? Refer to Anderson (1998) or Nair (2010) in your answer, as you should demonstrate a solid understanding of these readings as part of your answer.
- What power tactics did each of them use in their battle for control? Refer to Anderson (1998) or Nair (2010) in your answer.
- Ultimately what do you think led to Charles Koch's victory in this battle, and what do you think are the most important lessons on organizational power that you learned from reading about this power struggle?
Assignment Expectations
- Follow the assignment instructions closely and follow all steps listed in the instructions.
- Stay focused on the precise assignment questions; don't go off on tangents or devote a lot of space to summarizing general background materials.
- Make sure to cite readings from the background materials page. Rely primarily on the required background readings as your sources of information.
- Include both a bibliography and in-text citations. See the Student Guide to Writing a High-Quality Academic Paper, including pages 13 and 14 on in-text citations.A