Social Theory Degree

Question 3

This question is concerned regarding power or domination. It significantly looks into the atmosphere of power in an organization, which relates to employees. The word of power is used interchangeably in the society. Power can be simply defined as the authority whereby a person has a legal right to control or the ability to influence people behaviour. Clegg (1989) has supported this concept that people dominate dispositional power when they have the ability to influence people behaviour. The idea of power which spotted much of the literature on organizations remain the implicit of argument in early research on power is Dahl (1957). His imperative concept of power is that A has the power over B in the extent that A can get B to do something but B would otherwise not to do. Jackson and Carter (1991), Kahn (1964) suggested that the notion of organization might not exist if it were not for relations of power. There is astonishingly lack of studies of how power is exercised in actual social setting. Indeed, power may influence plays in organizational decision-making Pettigrew (1973). Numerous writers of organizations books that deal with power such as Korda (1975) indicate power as something that can be harnessed, and used for the benefit of the organization. In contrast the perspective with Foucauldian (1980) is only power when it is exercised and it only exists in action. There are two prominent theorists known as the fathers of sociology are Max Weber and Steven Lukes. They both came out with their own perspective about power.

Max Weber has contributed to the sociology of work lies down in numerous of fields such as theory of class and stratification, status, party or power, rationality and the nature of bureaucracy. Weber has defined power as the ability to give specific command to a person even against the will of others. Power is relevant to the capability to order resources in a particular domain Weber (1986). Weber argues that class, status and party can distribute to the sum of power within a community. As an individual class and status are sufficiently high then his power of controlling will be more. Economic power, then, is the ability to control material resources to monopolize accumulation, to direct production and o dictate consumption. However, the exercise of authority is domination. Weber had classified the hierarchy of authority into three types. Power of organizational is link to structure and authority s considers inherent in any hierarchy or bureaucracy. The three concept of domination are charismatic authority, traditional authority, and rational-legal authority.

The character of the leader is lies on charismatic domination. Weber indicates that charisma appear in times of social crisis. Charismatic leader will tend to take the opportunity during crisis when people lack of confident in existing forms of authority. Hence, Weber thought charismatic domination is the least stable due to it inspirational and motivational qualities disappear when the leader post is relinquishes. This is not considering a good option, as it is not so sustainable compare to the other two elements.