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POWER TO THE PRACTITIONERH. B. Karp
Of all the constructs used in the practice of human resource development (HRD) and organization development (OD), none is more controversial or misunderstood than power. The inability or unwillingness on the part of many HRD practitioners and managers to deal with "power" as valid HRD construct paradoxically renders that practitioner or manager powerless. Practitioners must come to grips not only with the issue of the use of power in organizations but also with the issue of individual comfort with the use of power. Unless practitioners are comfortable with their own power, they will not be able to deal effectively with issues of power in organizations. It is time that practitioners and managers begin to deal with the issue of power freely and with confidence in order to build stronger individuals and organizations and, where needed, to effect positive change in systems. THE DEFINITION OF POWERA universal definition of the word "power" implies agreement about the word that does not change according to varying values, theories, or personal philosophies. To that end, this author defines power as: "the ability to get all you want from the environment, given what is available." This definition can be applied to power in any context (e.g., military, organizational, political, personal, intimate, etc.). The definition is composed of three parts, each of which requires a brief explanation. First, power is cast in terms of a single human dimension, the individuals ability. This places total responsibility for obtaining what is wanted on the shoulders of the person who wants it. To the extent that you have gained an objective, you will be regarded as having been powerful. If, however, you have been less than successful in your attempt, rather than asking, "Why won't these people cooperate?," it is far more appropriate to ask, "How did I stop myself from getting what I wanted?" For example, if all members of a group suddenly become unresponsive in the middle of a team-building session, it is much more productive for the facilitator to look for clues that he or she may have missed, rather than to castigate the group members for being low risk-takers or "betrayers" of the intervention. Second, the object of power is not focused on other people, but on obtaining something of value to you. This could be a personal desire such as being successful or being attractive, or it could be a successful outcome for a client or an organizational problem to be solved. Power is not an end in itself, but a process that has relevance only in terms of gaining results or achieving objectives. It is the outcome that is important. In this light, power can be measured objectively in terms of "track records,", i.e., number of things attempted against number of things gained. Power is an intrapersonal phenomenon. You cannot empower or disempower someoneelse; nor can anyone else empower or disempower you. Although power can be viewed as the ability to gain compliance or support from other people, this is not a necessary element. The pursuit of power for its own sake has little to recommend it as a healthy or productive pastime. Without a clear objective in mind, the pursuit of power for its own sake makes as much sense as the pursuit of oats when one owns neither a horse nor an oatmeal factory. The third element in the definition of power relates to the last phrase: "given what is available." One of the most important premises underlying the effective use of power is that each individual has responsibility for, and control of, himself or herself. To exercise power effectively, you must first ascertain what you want. Next, you must be willing to take full responsibility for getting it. However, you must also be able to determine whether what vou want is available from the environment. Although you are totally responsible for the desire for something and for its pursuit, you have no responsibility for its availability. This is a very Important distinction. For example, suppose that you want a particular expert to work with your group. You call this person and find out that he simply is not available. From that point on, any further pursuit of this particular objective is not an exercise in power but a venture in futility. That is, the limiting factor is not an overestimation of your power but, rather, an inaccurate assessment of what is available at this time. This point has a great deal of relevance for the HRD practitioner or manager, particularly in working with interpersonal relationships in an organization. For example, although it is almost always worth exploring, sometimes people are not going to like or trust others any more than they do at any given time. It usually is far more productive to honor such feelings as they are and to work with them, rather than to attempt to better the relationship. Finally, although attempting something and not achieving it reflects a lack of power in that situation, to want something and not to attempt to achieve it is the ultimate in powerlessness. THE NATURE OF POWERPower has several identifying characteristics. They are as follows.
WHAT POWER IS NOTOne of the major problems in working comfortably with power is that power is frequently confused with, or mistaken for, other concepts. These concepts are: authority, leadership, manipulation, intimidation, and domination. It is important that HRD practitioners and managers distinguish between these concepts and power. Authority Power is the ability to obtain what you want, whereas authority can be defined as the organizational right to attempt to obtain what you want. Power and authority differ in several ways. The function of power is to obtain specific objectives, whereas the function of authority is to protect the integrity of the organization. For example, authority determines who reports to whom, areas of accountability, rules and regulations that are responsive to the needs of the organization, and so on. Authority is used only as a last resort to get things done. Whenever a manager relies on authority rather than power (e.g., "Do it because Im the boss and I said to do it!"), that manager has disempowered himself or herself even if he or she attains a shortterm objective. Power originates in the individual; authority originates in the charter of the organization. Thus, there is no such thing as "position power." Power can be exerted anywhere, whereas authority is limited by position. (I can tell my subordinate what to do, but I cannot tell your subordinate what to do.) Finally, although one's power cannot be affected by anyone else, one's authority can be increased or decreased by someone who holds a position of higher authority. Leadership Leadership ca n be defined as the art of getting people to perform a task willingly. It differs from power in that it focuses solely on compliance from others, requires an organizational identity of some kind (e.g., production department, scout troop, or military unit), and is in service to task completion for the common good. Power is not dependent on others, requires no special identity, and is in service to one's own wants or objectives. Manipulation Manipulation simply means "to handle"; however, in regard to power it usually connotes the secret use of powerthe implication being that another person is being used without that person's full awareness of what is happening. It implies such things as ulterior motive, withheld information, and/or using another person without any regard for that persons views or welfare. Power, in contrast, is open, does not necessarily involve another person, and implies no ill will or disregard for others. Intimidation Intimidation is an extreme case of disempowerment because it is self-generated. Regardless of how aggressive or invasive someone else is, if you think or say, "That person intimidates me," you have made the other person dominant and have rendered yourself powerless. Once you have done this, vou are generaliv incapable of doing anything to change the situation. On the other hand, if your initial response to the other person's aggressiveness is, "I am feeling intimidated bv this person. How am I doing that to myself?," you are taking responsibilirv for your own feelings. Having done that, you can begin to generate some options. Domination Domination is the concept most frequently confused with, or mistaken for, power. First, the objective of power is to gain an end; the objective of domination is to bend someone else to your will. Second, power is an attribute of one person, whereas domination, like the other concepts, requires a minimum of two people: the "bender" and at least one "bendee." Third, the function of power is to strengthen or better oneself; the function of domination is to weaken others. Fourth, power is measured against ones past performance; domination requires only that one be stronger than another person. Finally, the end result of power is freedomone obtains what one wants and then moves on. The end result of domination is slavery. The dominator continually must expend effort and energy making sure that the subordinates are still subordinate. THE USE OF POWER IN HRDWith a clear understanding of what power is and what it is not, an HRD practitioner can help a client to use power more comfortably and appropriately in a number of ways.
CONCLUSIONProbably no word in the lexicon of HRD conjures up more myth and fervor than does the word "power." In reality, there is nothing awesome or evil about power. It is just one of the essential forces in maintaining and developing strong, productive organizations and positive working relationships. Power is the foundation of organizational effectiveness and HRD practice, regardless of the specialty in which an HRD practitioner or manager works. It is part of the everyday life in the work setting, and nothing can be accomplished without it. The problem lies in its ownership; many managers who are powerful deny their power or disavow it for fear of being seen as "not people oriented." The solution is for HRD professionals to start asking the question, for themselves and for their clients, "How am I stopping myself from doing what I have the ability to do?" H. B. Karp, Ph. D., is the principal of Pcrsonal Growth Systems in Norfolk, Virginia. He provides training and consulting services, public seminars, and in-house programs. His specialties include team building, supervisor /Icadership dcvclopmcnt, motivation, conflict managemcat, and dealing with resistance. Dr. Karps background is in the areas of organizational psychology, organization deuelopmcnt, human motivation, and Gcstalt applications to individual and organizational growth. His book on personal power was released in 1985. - Adapted , by permission of the publisher, from Personal Power: An Unorthodox Guide to Success by H.B. Karp, c 1985 AMACOM, a division of the American Management Association, 135 W. 50th St. , NY, NY 10020. All rights reserved.
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