Contextualizing social power research within organizational behavior

Although there has been tremendous scientific interest in social power, much of this recent research has relied on experiments in context-poor settings. However, organizations – a context in which power differences emerge naturally – are more complex and dynamic. The current review discusses whether...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: SCHAERER, Michael, LEE, Alice J., GALINSKY, Adam D., THAU, Stefan
Format: text
Language:English
Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2018
Subjects:
Online Access:https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lkcsb_research/5782
https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/lkcsb_research/article/6781/viewcontent/Schaereretal_SIOPChapter_Contextualizingsocialpower_sv.pdf
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Institution: Singapore Management University
Language: English
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Summary:Although there has been tremendous scientific interest in social power, much of this recent research has relied on experiments in context-poor settings. However, organizations – a context in which power differences emerge naturally – are more complex and dynamic. The current review discusses whether and how defining organizational features at the intrapersonal level (multiple dimensions of hierarchy, dynamics over time, attentional demands), interpersonal level (interdependence, repeated interactions), and organizational level (accountability, culture, virtual work) moderate the effects of power. We also discuss ways to systematically incorporate organizational complexities into the study of social power and recommend fruitful avenues for future research.