Excessive use of power

Introduction

In the politics of social sciences, power refers to the ability bestowed some people and which allows the influence or control the behavior of people of a larger group  (Daft, 2014). In the same context, the term "authority" applies where it is used to refer to the power perceived as legitimate in the social scenery. Though in social contexts power is seen as evil or unjust, the exercise of power is acceptable and defined as endemic to humans as social beings (Sullivan & Gray, 2008). In various setups such as in business, power follows a downward direction that implies that the superior is in charge of influencing the subordinates. Various leaders apply different methods and styles of the rule. While some may get devoted to democratic methods, others become exotic and apply a demanding style that also involves inflicting some fear to their subjects. Excessive use of power has been poised in some leadership aspects of even the modern generation. Excessive use of power refers to the practice of using one’s position of power without limits or leadership styles that by-pass the acceptable limits as expected by a particular community. It can also be called extortion and can take many forms. A typical case is the taking advantage of someone, gaining access to information that should not be accessible to the public, or the manipulation of someone with the ability to punish them if they don’t comply.

The nature of excessive use of power

As aforementioned, excessive use of power means that the leader goes beyond democracy. The leader is thus not concerned with the welfare of the subjects (McCalley, 2012). In case of management, it means that the leader can demote employees, withhold their rewards without question. Due to the inferiority of the subjects, the subjects remain in constant fear that impedes their ability to complain about their rights. They remain ‘obedience’ of those steering the power. Excessive power sometimes approaches coercion (Sullivan & Gray, 2008). Threats and constant punishment in cases of diversion from the bounds installed by the leader are common tools of excess power. This kind of power also takes threatening approaches (Martin, 2005). Its exercises have a nature of threatening to fire, demotion, and making promises of denying privileges, or undesirable punishment in case a subject fails to go by the rules. Excessive power gives the leader the power to access confidential information and takes advantage of others (Martin, 2005). Extensive use of power is rarely appropriate in an organizational setting, and its application has been found to result in undesirable results like losing of reliable staff members.  It gets termed as cold, impoverished manner of leadership.

Forms of excessive uses of power

Daft (2014), writes that excessive power use picks various forms. It may involve preventing people from doing some things they wish to do, through withholding resources or by applying physical constraints (McCalley, 2012). For instance, excessive power enables states to imprison those who do not act by its legal mandates. It may also take a form of pushing one into a behavior in which one does not consider wise to engage. For example, a parent who physically takes his children to class appears excessively stern.

While not all of its forms are typically violent, excessive power is mostly associated with physical violence that may forcibly produce changes in the target (Sullivan & Gray, 2008). For instance, a slave who is whipped may return to work. Also, he/she will make an attempt of showing compliance while the overseer is watching to avoid additional lashes. A tortured prisoner may divulge sought-after information to end the torture. A warring enemy may sign a truce because it no longer has resources to continue the pursuit of its endeavor through fighting. 

Disadvantages of excessive use of power

The cost of excess power use in the extreme is succinctly a negative-sum game. On the first side of the coin is the leader who wishes to exercise power over people. First, there is the cost of the defining ways to make every head bow to the influence of one person. That step itself may involve making credible threats. In any case, much effort is applied in trying to champion for power over all (Daft, 2014. As a matter of fact, man is poor in reciprocating demands. It is a rough path to coil a way up the ladder.  To emerge at the top of everyone takes more than enough efforts. Second, when coercive power gets used, the cost goes beyond creating the way, implementing powerful gestures and maintaining such power over rebelling people. On the other opposite of the coin is the subject. Excessive power works to the total disadvantage of the subjects or junior staff. It leads to them facing tough times in the hands of non-caring superiors who sit at the top enjoying their submission of the subjects. It is stressing and leads to their heartbreak. In some vivid cases, excessive power has lead to rioting that has lead to unfair deaths of people. To sum it up, excessive power is retrogressive (McCalley, 2012).

References

Daft R. (2014). The Leadership Experience. London: Thorogood Publishing LTD

Martin, J. (2005). Organizational behavior and management. London [u.a.: Thomson Learning.

McCalley, R.  (2002). Patterns of management power. Westport, Conn: Quorum Books.

Sullivan E., & Gray D. (2008). Leadership and management skills for long-term care. New York: Springer Pub.

Sherry Roberts is the author of this paper. A senior editor at MeldaResearch.Com in nursing writing services. If you need a similar paper you can place your order from best custom term papers.