Sources of Power for Teams.

 

The difference between organizational and individual sources of power are not always obvious. Aside from the expertise of their members, teams have access to power in organizations mainly because of their control of resources and other things that are essential to the organization achieving its goals. These are called strategic contingencies.

 

Strategic Contingencies

• Coping with uncertainty: Based on the ability to reduce uncertainty for others.

• Centrality: Based on being central to how the organization achieves its mission and goals

• Dependency: Based on others depending on power holder to get their work done

• Substitutability: Based on providing a unique and irreplaceable service or product to others

 

Strategic contingencies suggest that individuals, teams or departments gain power based on their ability to address issues that are instrumental or strategic to reaching organizational goals. For example, if a team removes obstacles for others and helps them achieve goals, its leader and members will accumulate power.

 

Coping with Uncertainty

The first source of power for teams is their ability to help others cope with uncertainty. With the increased competition and constant changes in the political and economic environments facing many institutions, having information about the changes and alternatives for dealing with them is essential to performance. For example, the leader and members of a cross-functional team designed to provide an organization with market information regarding future products and competitors, will gain considerable influence by virtue of the fact that others need that information.

 

Centrality

Another organizational source of power is the centrality to the production or service delivery process. The factor relates to how a team’s activities contribute to the mission and goals of the organization. Teams closest to the customer, for example, will gain power. Or another example, a recruiting team that is responsible for enrolling new students, which are a primary source of revenue for the university, is central to the survival of the organization.

 

Dependence and Substitutability

A final structural source of power available to teams and their leaders closely resembles the reward and expert power of individuals. This source of power depends on the extent to which others need a team's expertise. If employees depend on a team to provide them with information and resources, the team’s power will increase. In addition, if the tasks performed by the teams are unique and not easily provided by others in the organization and if no substitutes are available, the dependence on the team and its power increases.