Sources of Power

Please refer to: Livvarcin, O. (2007). "An Exploratory Study on Strategy Direction And Strategy Magnitude in Organizations: The Strategy Vector Model", PhD Thesis Dissertation, Yeditepe University, Turkey.

Power affects organizations (Mintzberg, 1983a) in a variety of ways as Morgan (1997) suggests. The following areas are the most important sources of power:

1. Formal authority
2. Control of scarce resources
3. Use of organizational structures, rules and regulations
4. Control of decision processes
5. Control of knowledge and information
6. Control of boundaries
7. Ability to cope with uncertainty
8. Control of technology
9. Interpersonal alliances, networks and control of informal organizations
10. Control of counter organizations
11. Symbolism and management of meaning
12. Gender and management of gender relations
13. Structural factors that define the stage of action
14. The power one already has

Some scholars believe that organizational processes place individuals "in power", but this does not mean that they really have it; instead, that they have a license to take it. (Berle, 1969, p.54)

References:

Livvarcin, O. (2007). "An Exploratory Study on Strategy Direction And Strategy Magnitude in Organizations: The Strategy Vector Model", PhD Thesis Dissertation, Yeditepe University, Turkey.