3m In The New Millennium

INTRODUCTION

Leadership, paradoxical in nature is both a function and a determining factor of the societal nature over which its exercises sway. Seen in this light, three dependant variables, power, politics and influence tactics form part of the leadership essential calculus (Fairholm 1993). We will be discussing power, politics and influence tactics of leaders, the similarities and differences of that with theory and Subsea7 and what are some of the problems and challenges they face.

POWER

Power is the ability to make people say "yes" to you and this applies perfectly into the context of leading. To lead, a leader is in the need of power. Leaders should be in possession of a certain level of power so as to influence the act of others to get things done the way he wanted. Many tactics for using power involve acting alone but many also involved acting in concert with others (Bacharach & Lawler 1993).

Similarly, Popejoy (2004) stated "power is often viewed as a function of formal authority, position, role, or control over resources." Being a leader of this group, it gives me the legitimate power to get my team members to get things done the way I want them to. For example, when an assignment is given, team members are expected to receive explicit tasks to be completed and I had to make sure they were on track by giving them specific instructions and by ensuring that they understood what was required of them.

In contrast, Bonaventura (2007) "perceived power as the obligation of will to influence others to carry out something that they usually would avoid. Therefore, it is shown that power of leaders can be used to influence others in doing what is required of them, bending on their will which makes them feel obligated. Also, it is important for leaders to know that they are a reflection of their subordinates. Being a leader is "about who you are, what you know, and what you do."

Power is set apart by a few main sources: Legitimate Power, Reward Power, Coercive Power, Information power and Expert Power. Reward power is when rewarding is use to motivate one's behaviour thus getting work done while coercive power sees that punishment is given when work is not done properly. Expert power is the power of knowledge and a leader can influence others through their relative expertise in particular areas.

Managers in Subsea7 generally hold legitimate power due primarily to their superiority over their subordinates. Orders are generally obeyed by the subordinates, unless it contradicts orders from a more senior manager. For example, if the Engineering Manager (EM) orders the draftsmen to work overtime, to complete a task in time to meet project schedule, this order is normally followed. However, if the General Manager (GM) has given prior order that no overtime is to be charged to the project, then the draftsmen will seek clarification from the EM and ask the EM to seek permission from GM to charge overtime.

Coercive power is seldom exercised in this company as it adopts the westernised and modern company culture, where Ð''pulling ranks' is unacceptable.

All managers hold some form of reward power, though the GM holds the most. Generally, annual appraisals are made by the respective managers over his charge. As the appraisal affects the subsequent pay review, the various departmental managers possess some level of reward power. During pay review, the GM will meet up with the various department managers to agree on annual increment for the employees. The GM will determine the percentage increment based on corporate guidelines and on the department manager's recommendations. Sometimes, he may overrule them if he does not agree with their recommendations. As such, he holds the ultimate reward power.

As all department managers are the top in their field, they hold expert and information power due to their level of knowledge, relevant information, and expertise in their respective fields.

Power of a leader can increase when shared with others. This irony can be explained in a situation whereby when a team member received more power (authority), he can accomplish more work.

In contrast to the theory, Thomas (2004) stated "power is held by those who know where to obtain it and how to share it with others." A leader should cultivate initiative and responsibility within oneself and in others. This can be attained by conferring with team members linking work activities to the goals of the organization and allowing them to choose from sets of methods before reaching a decision. Thomas (2004) also stated "The problem with many of us is this - we need to learn how to empower our skills, enhance our competence and energize our leadership power." Bier (2001) states the "Real authority is the ability to empower workers to accomplish with pride and self-respect in an atmosphere of real teamwork."

Information can be power. By possessing solid information, leaders will have the ability to provide followers with ample information and delegate respective tasks to the followers. A powerful leader is able to influence people, making them feel powerful so that they can accomplish tasks on their own. According to Thomas (2004), "Leaders must craft a vision of what hope will look like when it becomes a tangible reality. Your statement of hope should include something tangible, specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, hopeful, enthusiastic and empowering." Too much authority may lead to unnecessary flaunting of prowess, hostile treatment of others and impulsive decision making. Too little authority may prove higher difficulty to get subordinates to get things done. Bier (2001) also agreed that only in a balanced setting, the authority of leader is transformed into the "power to inspire, lead and provide healthy stewardship for the goals for the company."

Self-awareness has just been recognised as the most important capability for leaders to develop, in order to be powerful. This is where constructive or critical thinking happens. Self-awareness and self-confidence are directly related. The higher the self-awareness is, the higher the self-confidence is. When you understand yourself, you are likely to understand others (Simms 2007).

With high self-confidence a leader tends to feel more powerful and will be able to handle challenges faced more effectively.

Bullying is a significant workplace problem. Studies suggest that the interplay of relational powerlessness and organisational chaos give rise