• Explain the differences, similarities and relationships between the concepts of power, politics and conflict in the context of change
• Identify the power dynamics in an organization and the various sources of power
• Appreciate the role of change agents and change agency in change initiatives
• Identify key stakeholders involved in change initiatives and the power they hold

• Power is a dynamic variable that changes as conditions change.. Leaders and managers need to understand the difference between the different types of power and their characteristics in order to be able to use them appropriately. Understanding this can help in influencing and motivating people to do what needs to be done during change.
• Organizational politics are often described as a turf game involving a competition of ideas. There are two different perspectives on organizational politics. One views politics as a negative process that actively inhibits the effective running of an organization; the other sees politics in a more positive light. The latter view focuses on the waste of time and energy and the damage that politics can cause. Organizational politics can provide the stimulating force for change, and political forces can generate the energy for organizational change.
• Change can generate conflict. The Thomas-Kilman model provides a way for leaders and managers to understand how people react to and deal with conflict.
• Change is rarely dependent on the actions of a single key figure, whether it is a CEO or some other change agent, because change (like leadership) is a distributed phenomenon. The concept of change agency, therefore, is of more value that the notion of a single change agent. Change agency is emergent and fluid. The change agent is member of this cast, formally appointed or self-appointed, seeking to drive a change agenda. The change agents needs to ability to identify and manage the power, politics and conflict which may arise from organizational change.

In the Harvard Business Review article, Kotter and Schlesinger (1979) present, and then critique, six approaches to change and suggest the types of situation in which they are most commonly used. Ask student to read the article: Kotter, J. and Schlesinger, L.A. (1979) ‘Choosing Strategies for Change’, Harvard Business Review, 57(2). Then ask the students fill in the blanks in the table below with their summaries, but also their own thoughts on the merits and drawbacks of each strategy

• Critically assess the impact of power and politics on change in an organization. Use a case study to illustrate your answer.

Power: why some people have it and others don’t – Jeffrey Pfeffer is the Thomas D. Dee II Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University where he has taught since 1979. In this presentation he discusses why some people have power and some people don’t:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eFln_mdXGY

The best way to play office politics – Linda A. Hill and Kent Lineback, authors of Being the Boss: The 3 Imperatives for Becoming a Great Leader, describe the three types of networks you need to succeed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGdRyPN3IRk