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.
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