MHR 405 Chapter Notes - Chapter 10: Assertiveness, Machiavellianism, Job Satisfaction
25 Feb 2014
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The capacity of a person, team, or organization to influence others. It is not the act of changing someone"s attitudes or behaviour; it is only the potential to do so. Power is based on the target"s perception that the powerholder controls a valuable resource that can help them achieve their goals: dependence. Power involves asymmetric (unequal) dependence of one party on another party. Whatever the resource is, person b is dependent of person a (the powerholder) to provide the resource so. Person b can reach his or her goal. Although dependence is a key element of power relationships, we use the phrase asymmetric dependence because the less powerful party still has some degree of power called countervailing power over the power holder: countervailing power. Countervailing power is the capacity of a person, team, or organization to keep a more powerful person or group in the exchange relationship.
