The powerful and the powerless: Unwritten rules

Author/s: Susan P. Shaver

Edition: Volume 50, Number 1, April 2010

Summary: Many people giggle when asked to define power. Other people tell me power corresponds with position title. They believe the higher you are on the organisation chart dictates how much—or how little—influence you have, over anything. I’m not convinced this is true. I believe that power is not always indicative of position, and power tactics are not limited to people in more senior positions. Power and politics are all about competing interests and control strategies that ultimately influence workplace relationships.

Keywords: power, workplace, position, power tactics, relationships

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 50_1. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.