2.2.1 Power Culture . Handy (1993) Alleges That A Power

‘Power’ culture (Handy, 1985) is described as a similar infrastructure to that of a spider’s web, where the “boss” is in the centre of an ever widening web of others involved in the organisation. Role culture (Handy, 1985) is best explained as an image of a pyramid of boxes, each box containing a job title and role. The boxes still stand and the structure remains secure, even if one of the individuals fulfilling a role departs. Role cultures are best operated by a manager at the top of the pyramid, as suggested by Ronald White (1988). Role cultures operate best in large organisations where roles are clearly defined, evaluation of their progress is continually assessed and feedback is given. Task culture (Handy, 1985) is predominantly used in a field where team work is of paramount importance to ensure a task is completed. People culture

According to Mukkins power means “power is a complex and dynamic concept control or influence over the behavior of other people with or without their consent.” (Mukkins 2010) In other words, Power traditionally associated with coercion, repression and exploitation (negative control of one group over another). However, more recent view of power “there are no social relations that are “free” of power, it is seen not just as constraining in its effects but also productive and positive.” Power is born from every person. People have right and ability to do what they can do. In term of management power can be an achievement of motivation. Power can make people control another people or thing more easily. It will encourage people use power. The people

4.The power culture has more acceptance in a singular person than a group working on a project because it can change very quickly.

If there is one word in leadership that gets leaders both excited and worried it is the word “power”. Leaders are excited by the word because it means they have to ability to make decisions and get things done. On the other hand, they are scared by this word because it has a negative connotation and there are many examples of leader who used their power for the wrong purposes. To use power correctly, one needs to examine the positives and negatives of power, as well as find a few ways to use power in a healthy, productive manner.

“Organisations need strong culture”. Consider this statement in relation to how we understand and make sense of culture in the post-bureaucratic era.

Furthermore, one should think of culture, structure and systems as a “whole system” (Goold & Campbell, 2002) instead of independent, individual elements. The conclusion must be that collectively, these three elements create the foundation of an organization.

It can be described as a part of an organization or as the organization itself. The first perspective describes the culture as leading the organization to the most positive effectiveness through a good management. On the other hand the second point of view describes the culture as the social interactions of people in an organization (Meek 1988, cited in Knight & Willmott 2007).

A person culture reflects a culture in which the business surrounds the importance of employees and key job roles are led by staff decision making where in which there is no hierarchy. The

Power in role culture is decided by their place in the organisation chart. “Role Culture” is from the Charles Handy - Models of Organisational Culture. “Organisations with a role culture are based on rules. They are highly controlled, with everyone knowing their roles and responsibilities. Power in a role culture is determined by a person's position (role) in the organisational structure.

The handling of power is also paramount in an organization. Boleman and Deal offer meaningful insight in this aspect. They observe the following,

A strong culture is important to today’s organizations in a fast pace environment affected by a diverse internal workforce (Baker, 2002 p. 4). Schein (as cited in Baker, 2002) defined organizational culture as an arrangement of shared beliefs that the group learned through problem solving, and adapting to internal and external environments (p.4). Culture is not only a means of bettering internal coordination, but is important in facilitating environmental adaptation (Baker, 2002 p. 4).

According to our text, Deal and Kennedy identified four dimensions of culture. Values, Heroes, Rites and Rituals, and Culture Network reflect how in a large part an organization makes decisions (Lester & Parnell, 2006). An organization’s culture is impressed upon staff beginning at the hiring process and continues throughout their tenure. For example, a Healthcare organization may have a culture that stresses patient safety and satisfaction beyond anything else. In this culture, any decision regarding process improvement or introduction of a new service line would be tailored to either safety or satisfaction. If a hospital were to start a patient lift team, the project team would ask how this departmental addition would impact patient safety

Holfsted (1989) goes on to look at a verity of different ‘four, largely independent, dimensions’ all of which have an impact on cultural. The first of which is ‘Power Distance’. Here Holfsted identifies a fear of superiority. Employees do not feel able to approach their suppliers ‘the degree of inequality among people’. For Mr. Crawford to allow for innovativeness within Spin he must not allow for power distance to be an issue. The more he talks to those in the organisation the more he learns. The second mentioned by Holfsted (1989) was ‘Uncertainty Avoidance’. This looks at a rule based culture, ‘the degree to which people in a country prefer structured over unstructured situations’. Taken this into account, if Crawford eliminated this from

“Coercive power relies on the fact that people fear you, and reward power is only effective so long as people value the rewards you have to offer. Legitimate power relies on your rank in the company hierarchy, and recent events

As far back as history can be told mankind has struggled between balancing culture, power and politics. Many wars have been fought and many people have placed their lives on the line in order to stand up for what they believe in. The combinations of culture, power and politics have spilled over into the workplace. In today’s business environment individuals have much more to worry about than just completing their assigned tasks. Organizational culture, power and office politics influence day to day operations as well as govern the atmosphere within the organization. The amount of impact that power and politics have in the workplace, directly reflect the organization’s culture formally as well as informally.