Leadership and Talent Management

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Leadership and Talent Management 3.

How is power acquired and maintained in organizations? How might individual factors

influence whether a person obtains and maintains power?

Power is important and getting things done in any given organization. However, for one to exercise it, he or she must first acquire it. There are several ways of acquiring power, including the following: Being Appointed Into a Certain Position One can gain power through appointment to serve in a particular position within the organization. According to Maesse (2021), this kind of power comes with the office that one hold or roles a person is assigned.

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For instance, a person appointed into the office of operations manager holds power in all areas that touch on operations of the organization. Employees who work under him and other subordinate units ought to respect his power. Also, a person appointed to chair a disciplinary committee wields power that includes but not limited to making recommendations on how the suspected offender can be punished. Positional power is maintained as long as an individual remains in the office he is appointed to serve. The power that came with a position is automatic and is determined by the scope of roles that come with it (Keltner, 2017). A finance manager can wield power over other departments because they rely on his docket for financial support. In this respect, he may wield more power than a logistical manager.

Reward and Punishment The ability of an individual to reward and punish other people within an organization can also be a source of power. People tend to react to rewards and punishments (Keltner, 2017). For instance, a person will do what is expected if he knows that there is a reward for doing the right or good thing. On the other hand, an individual will do what is expected or commanded to avoid being punished. Keltner (2017) affirms that reward and punishment as a way of acquiring and maintaining power work at leadership levels and the general employee population. An employee can acquire authority over his colleagues by rewarding their support for his ideas with free lunch.

In such a case, the receiver of free lunch would be inclined to be influenced by the giver on a number of issues that can be proposed. For persons in leadership roles, rewards can be in terms of bonuses and gifts for those who deliver excellent results. The rewards work as incentives to employee’s performance, hence a form of influence. Punishment by the leadership can include demotions, suspension, reprimand, and even job termination to gain influence over the

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employees (Maesse, 2021). It is important to note that punishment can be used as a form of deterrence to disobedience in an organization, hence a tool for acquiring and perpetuating power.

Referent Power can be acquired through the attributes and character of a person, such as the charisma of the leader and other good elements. People who are more attractive to others tend to have more influence over them than those who are unattractive (Toler, 2018). Charming persons can easily influence those around them to believe in their ideas and take some commands that they would otherwise not undertake. Referent power can be found in a leader or just an ordinary employee of the organization (Keltner 2017). For instance, a charismatic employee can convince striking employees to return to work, ending up exercising power to influence their actions and behavior.

Expertise Expertise can also be used to acquire and maintain power within an organization that depends on the input of experts. Each organization run with the help of experts in the various field (Maesse, 2021). For instance, for an organization that uses software to control its production, an expert in software engineering would enjoy power over how the technology is used. In case of an issue pertaining to the effectiveness and efficiency of the software, the engineer would wield much power in terms of advising and even making a decision on what the organization should do. He can advise when to suspend its use, and by extension, halt the running of the machine and production, underscoring his power. As long as the organization is dependent on the person's expertise, he will wield the authority to influence the decision in the area of interest (Bacon, 2011). However, if he loses his expertise or the organization develops other alternatives, his power will wane.

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How Individual Factors Impact Acquisition and Maintenance of Power Individual factors are some of the major contributors that might influence the acquisition and maintenance of power within an organization. Much of the influence one enjoys is determined by personal traits such as expertise, charisma, honesty, agreeableness, hard work, and style of leadership (Bacon, 2011). An individual who lacks expertise cannot acquire and maintain authority in an area that requires that he demonstrates expert knowledge. For instance, if one is expected to demonstrate engineering skills and fails in the role, his authority on matters concerning engineering is foregone.

Moreover, personal attributes such as being charming can help one acquire and maintain power in and organization. Keltner (2017) establishes that an appealing personality makes a person attractive to other people in terms of ideas and control. On the other hand, a person who is not amiable may scare away other people, making it hard for him to exercise influence on them at any given time. It is imperative to note that power implies influence over other people, without which one is deemed powerless.

In conclusion, power in an organization can be acquired and sustained through various ways that an individual can explore. One can acquire it by virtue of the position he holds, use of rewards and punishment, expert knowledge, referent, and hard work. Personal attributes are also important in shaping how one acquires and maintains power. The charming, agreeable, honest, hardworking, and general positive character trait can help one to gain influence within an organization and vice versa.

References Bacon, T. R. (2011). The elements of power (summary): Lessons on leadership and influence.

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Keltner, D. (2017). The power paradox: How we gain and lose influence. New York: Penguin Books.

Maesse, J. (2021). Power and influence of economists: Contributions to the social studies of economics. Routledge.

Toler, S. (2018). The power of your influence: 11 ways to make a difference in your world.

Harvest House Publishers.

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5. A large corporation wants to improve the diversity of the graduate employees they recruit every year. The company typically receives 1000s of applications for their roles. What are some of the evidence-based practices their recruitment team might use to improve diversity outcomes?

Diversity in an organization can be increased through a number of evidence-based practices that are effective in enhancing inclusivity. The following are some of the practices that the corporation in question can explore: Make the System for Reporting Complaints of Harassment and Discrimination More Effective An effective reporting system cultivates trust in the organization by the minority groups that are not widely employed in the company. People tend to avoid seeking employment in organization that discriminates against people from their backgrounds (James & Sajjad, 2014).

The net effect of this issue is the reduced number of job applications from graduates coming from victimized groups. Furthermore, by making the discrimination and harassment complaint reporting system more effective, the company is likely to address possible bias in the recruitment exercise. The company is likely to note any forms of discrimination against minority groups and solve the problem (Byrd & Scott, 2014). A fair recruitment exercise that is devoid of discrimination is likely to produce a more diverse labor force.

Enhance Transparency and Accountability in Recruitment Exercise Lack of or low level of transparency and accountability in the process of hiring employees contributes to discrimination, corruption, and lack of fairness to some of the applicants. Increased transparency enhances fairness in recruitment and also makes the recruitment team more responsible for its actions (James & Sajjad, 2014). In an open system of

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recruitment, minority groups stand a better chance to get employment than in a closed system that does not allow for close monitoring of each aspect of the recruitment process (Byrd & Scott, 2014). It is evident in most organizations that diversity issues in the composition of employees can be resolved through a transparent and accountable system of recruitment.

The Use of Technology to Enhance Fairness in Recruitment Exercise Technology is tested and proven to help reduce biases in employment that have dominated the traditional system of hiring. It has been established from various studies that resume from candidates for the same job who have similar qualifications are usually treated differently based on their names, area of origin, where they studied, and other factors (James & Sajjad, 2014). Technology can be leveraged to avoid this kind of discriminations that are common in the hiring process.

Moreover, technology can also be explored to ensure that potential candidates for employment from diverse origin can be reached out to apply for advertised vacancies. For a corporation that receives about 1000 applications, the number should be big enough to encourage diversity. However, if there is extremely limited diversity in the number of applicants, it simply means that most of the applications come from people from the same background. This implies that the advertisement for jobs should reach people from new areas that hold the potential of enhancing diversity (Roberson, 2014). In this respect, adverts can be posted online or using other technologies to reach the targeted people from their diverse backgrounds.

Affirmative Action The corporation can also resort to affirmative action as part of enhancing diversity in the recruitment exercise. The option for affirmative can be embraced where there is a dire need for diversity (Roberson, 2014). The recruitment team would be required to employ a certain

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percentage of minority groups at each hiring moment. The use of affirmative action allows for prioritizing applicants from minority groups before looking at the majority (Byrd & Scott, 2014).

Therefore, this is a tested practice that has been used across the world to deal with issues such as improving gender diversity in employment.

Furthermore, in the case where high qualifications do not favor minority groups, affirmative action can require lowering of qualifications for applicants from minority groups. For instance, if long term experience and additional academic qualification put particular groups at a disadvantage, affirmative action would require that a particular set of applicants be only required to possess the basic qualification to be considered for employment. Summers-McGee (2016), this is a common practice when dealing with minority groups that are highly disadvantaged in areas of education and employment. Affirmative action is effective in increasing diversity in corporations and government institutions.

Increasing the Number of Applications The number of applicants for an advertised job can determine if diversity can be enhanced or not. A huge number increases the chances of hiring people from a diverse origin than when the number of application is small (Gupta, 2021). The corporation would acquire enhanced diversity if it received 2000 applications than if the number remained around 1000 applications per year. To increase the sample size for applicants, the organization can choose to prolong the recruitment period, especially the window for applications to be sent. Also, methods of sending applications can be diversified to allow more people to send in their resumes and letters of interests in advertised positions.

In conclusion, diversity in the corporation can be improved by the use of various evidence-based practices to enhance changes in hiring people from minority groups that are not

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well represented in the labor force. The practice includes affirmative action, enhanced transparency and accountability in the hiring process, establishing an effective system for reporting discrimination and harassment, using technology in the recruitment exercise, and increasing the number of applications.

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References Byrd, M.Y. & Scott, C.L. (2014).Diversity in the Workforce: Current Issues and Emerging Trends. Routledge.

Gupta, M. (2021). Management practices for engaging a diverse workforce: Tools to enhance workplace culture. Apple Academic Press.

James, D. & Sajjad, M. (2014). Inclusion Recruiting: The 12 Secrets to Recruiting a Diverse Workforce. Createspace Independent Publishing.

Roberson, Q. M. (2014). The Oxford handbook of diversity and work. Oxford University Press.

Summers-McGee, S. (2016). Change the workgame: Building and sustaining a diverse workforce. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.