Read Debate Time below and, in a 500 to 750 word paper, answer the following questions:
1. When is power useful?
2. When is the use of power not acceptable?
3 .What are some of the unintended consequences of power?
4. Why is the use of power, even to achieve positive, beneficial outcomes, considered a
High risk option? Provide an example or two to support your views.
Requirements
•Responses to the questions should be written in a clear, detailed manner and observe the conventions of Standard American English (correct grammar, punctuation, etc.).
•Double spaced, 12 point, Times New Roman font.
•The minimum response to each question should be approximately 125 words.
•Include at least one reference
DEBATE TIME
For those who possess some level of professional or organizational power, it can be difficult to know when and how to use that power in situations that might benefit the organization's customers. As the chapter notes, not all power use is bad. In fact, the use of power is necessary and productive in situations where the customer stands to benefit in the form of a higher-quality or more efficient service provided to them. Often, the carefully planned use of power can help overcome organizational inertia regarding the best decision to implement, resolve infighting between internal stakeholders that may hold up appropriate decision making, and produce needed decisions quickly in situations where time is of the essence. However, knowing the precise moment and manner in which to begin using one's power, regardless of the reason for it, is a challenging task for any health care manager or professional.
When would you use power within an organization? Several considerations should likely guide your decision making. First, consider the type of outcome toward which your use of power would contribute. Is it ethical? Does it benefit the organization as a whole? Would it help produce an outcome that improves the efficiency or quality of services provided, or directly benefit the customer in some meaningful way? Can it be done in a manner that does not undermine other important organizational goals or objectives? The answers to these types of questions are critical for establishing the prerequisite rationale for using power, a rationale that, at some point, others in the organization or external stakeholders may need to hear. Once these questions have been answered, the second consideration is to assess the type of actions required for using power and how disruptive such actions might be for the rest of the organization. For example, using power in a strictly covert, highly political manner that masks its true nature as a control or influence mechanism may not be appropriate, regardless of the type of outcome such a use of power is aiming to achieve. In short, this step requires understanding the right ways to exercise one's power. What should be the level of transparency in using power? Should everyone know that the use of power is guiding organizational action in the given situation? Are certain actions "out of bounds" with respect to how power will be used?
A third consideration involves assessing the potential unintended negative consequences the use of power might cause within an organization. Such consequences may result even if power use is determined to be necessary and the actions taken to use power are appropriate. These types of unintended consequences are important. They may include workforce effects like decreased job satisfaction, productivity, morale, and turnover; organizational outcomes like decreased profitability or client dissatisfaction; increased short-term conflict between different organizational stakeholders or constituencies; and cultural shifts within the organization that might undermine worker or management cohesiveness. Predicting which types of negative consequences might occur is not easy. However, it is imperative to at least discuss openly the probability that some of these could happen, and what could be done to limit the damage done to the organization.
Finally, the use of power, even in an appropriate, required circumstance should be short-lived. Clear consideration must be given to the time frame within which power use will occur, when it is no longer appropriate to use power in a given situation, and agreement on the boundaries within which power will be used and when it will no longer be used, regardless of whether or not all the desired outcomes are achieved. This consideration is important precisely because the use of power takes a toll on the organization, especially the longer its use occurs. Therefore, this dynamic must be used sparingly, strategically, and with careful attention paid to whether or not it is working effectively.
With these things in mind, power may be exercised by individuals and groups within organizations, as well as by organizations themselves. This notion moves us beyond the idea that all power is bad, that its use is immoral, and that the organization never benefits from its employment as a tactical device to achieve particular outcomes. That said, it remains a higher-risk, more unpredictable approach to managing, and must always be assessed within that regard.