In Physics, power is simply work done per unit time. Comparing this idea to a workplace is very similar. In a workplace, the management has to use its power bases, which include coercive power, reward power, expert power, informational power, etc., to make its employees finish their tasks in a desired amount of time.
Sometimes, work done per unit time is not effective. This means that some employees will finish their tasks on time but the quality of work may not be standout. This may create a tension amongst the management of a company as they may lose potential customers, may get rejected from getting a loan or even on severe cases go bankrupt.
Now, anyone would use tactics to save their butts. These tactics may be ethical or unethical, depending on the performance of the workforce or situation the company is now in, for example, is the company going bankrupt or underperforming. Then comes the power of influence, where the boss says, “I know exactly what to do.” In most situations the management uses pressure and legitimizing tactics, which are often using demands, threats and claiming an organizational authority to make a request. These techniques do force the employees to work more sincerely and pay close attention to detail so that they do not make mistakes.
Many organizations think very differently in this modern workplace environment. Previously, I talked about the reward power, where bonuses on performance, promotions, preferred shifts can be earned by employees as they are provided with extrinsic motivation. So, organizations believe that to increase productivity, they can create incentives for employees using some sort of reward. My colleague Gaurav Varshneya’s blog post talks about a workplace is where people level up by completing quests and challenges. Completion of these tasks accurately also provide the employees with rewards. Gaurav mentioned that highly effective reward schedules can help individuals to do difficult task which were not possible previously due to the lack of motivation. I also agree on this idea as many people look for rewards in completing tasks which are difficult to complete.
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Works cited
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/power-influence-politics-workplace-19058.html
http://www.skillofstrength.com/putting-power-back-into-power-cleans/