Abstract
A political subsystem of organizations is articulated. Specification of the political subsystem includes discussion of three principal subjects. The first is the theoretical context of the subsystem: the negotiated order. The second is the role of the political subsystem and the organizational areas addressed by it. The third subject is the components and configuration of the subsystem. It is argued that the study of organizational politics in the theoretical context of a political subsystem can reconcile past theoretical differences and provide coherence to future work.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Alba, R. (1982) Taking stock of network analysis: A decade’s results. In: Bacharach, S. (ed.), Research in the Sociology of Organizations. Greenwich, CN: JAI Press, pp. 38–74
Ashforth, B. E. (1989) Political and Apolitical Action: Reconciling Disrepant Models of Organizational Behavior. Presented at the August meetings of the National Academy of Management.
Bacharach, S. B. & Lawler, E. (1980) Power and Politics in Organizations. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
Benson, J. K. (1975) The interorganizational network as a political economy. In: Administrative Science Quarterly, 20: pp. 229–249
Beyer, J. M. (1981) Ideologies, values, and decision making in organizations. In: P. C.
Nystrom & W.H. Starbuck (eds.), Handbook of Organizational Design, Vol. 2, pp. 166–202, New York: Oxford University Press
Beyer, J. M., Dunbar, R. M., & Meyer, A. O. (1988) Comment: The concept of ideology in organizational analysis. In: Academy of Management Review, 13: pp. 483–489
Bierhoff, H., Cohen, R. & Greenberg, J. (1986) Justice in Social Relations. Plenum, New York
Brass, D. J. (1984) Being in the right place: A structural analysis of individual influence in an organization. In: Administrative Science Quarterly, 29: pp. 518–539
Bristor, J. M. (1987) Buying Networks: A Model of Positional Influence in Organizational Buying. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, University of Michigan
Burns, T. & Stalker, G. M. (1961) The Management of Innovation. London: Tavistock
Burt, R. (1982) Toward a Structural Theory of Action: Network Models of Social Structure, Perception, and Action. New York: Academic Press
Cobb, A. T. (1986) Political diagnosis: Applications in organizational development. In: Academy of Management Review, 11: pp. 482–496
Cook, K. S. & Emerson, R. M. (1978) Power, equity, and commitment in exchange networks. In: American Sociological Review, 43: pp. 721–739
Cyert, R. M., & March, J. G. (1963) A Behavioral Theory of the Firm. Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice-Hall
Eisenhart, K. M. & Bourgeois, L. J. Ill (1987) Power, Politics, and Performance of Top Management Teams: A Study in the Micro Computer Industry. Unpublished working paper
Emerson, R. M. (1962) Power-dependence relations. In: American Sociological Review, 27: pp. 31–40
Etzioni, A. (1961) A Comparative Analysis of Complex Organizations. New York: Free Press
French, J. R. P., & Raven, B. (1959) The bases of social power. In: D. Cartwright & A. Zander (eds.), Group Dynamics. New York: Harper & Row
Georgiou, P. (1973) The goal paradigms and notes toward a counter paradigm. In: Administrative Science Quarterly, 18 (3): pp. 291–310
Harsanyi, J. C. (1962) Measurement of social power, opportunity costs, and the theory of two-person bargaining games. In: Behavioral Science, 7: pp. 67–80
Hickson, D. J., Hinings, C. R, Lee, C. A., et al. (1971) A strategic contingencies theory of intraorganizational power. In: Administrative Science Quarterly, 16: pp. 216–229
Knoke, D. & Kuklinski (1982) Network Analysis. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage
Laswell, H. (1958) Politics: Who gets what, when, and how. Meridian, N.Y.
Laumann, E. O. & Marsden, P. V. (1979) Analysis of oppositional structures in political elites: Identifying collective actors. In: American Sociological Review, 44: pp. 713–732
Laumann, E. O. & Pappi, F. U. (1976) Networks of Collective Action: A Perspective on Community Influence Systems. New York: Academic Press
Lawler, E. & Bacharach, S. B. (1983) Politcal action and alignment in organizations. In: S. B. Bacharach (ed.), Research in the Sociology of Organizations. (Vol. 2) Greenwich, CT: JAI Press, pp. 83–107
Lewicki, R, Sheppard, B. & Bazerman, M. (1986) Research on Negotiation in Organization. JAI, Greenwich, CN
Lincoln, J. (1982) Intra- (and inter-) organizational networks. In: S. B. Bacharach (ed.), Research in the Sociology of Organizations. Greenwich, CN: JAI Press, pp. 1–38
Lind, E. A. & Tyler, T. R. (1988) The Social Psychology of Procedural Justice. New York: Plenum Press
Madison, D. L., Allen, R. W., Porter, L. W., et al. (1980) Organizational politics: An exploration of managers’ perceptions. In: Human Relations, 33: pp. 79–100
March, J. G. & Simon, H. (1958) Organizations. New York: John Wiley
McClelland, D. & Burnham, D. H. (1976) Power is the great motivator. In: HarvardBusiness Review, 54: pp. 100–110
Miller, J. (1986) Pathways in the Work Place. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press
Mintzberg, H. (1983) Power in and around Organizations. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall
Pfeffer, J. (1981) Power in Organizations. Marshfield, MA: Pitman Publishing Co
Pfeffer, J. & Salancik, G. (1974) Organizational decision making as a political process: The case of a university budget. In: Administrative Science Quarterly, 19: pp. 135–151
Pfeffer, J. & Salancik, G. (1977) Organizational context and the characteristics and tenure of hospital administrators. In: Academy of Management Journal, 20: pp. 74–88
Porter, L. W., Allen, R. W. & Angle, H. C. (1981) The politics of upward influence in organizations. In: B. Staw (ed.), Research in Organizational Behavior. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press, Vol. 3: pp. 109–149
Provan, K. G., Beyer, J. M. & Kruytbosch, C. (1980) Environmental linkages and power in resource-dependence relations between organizations. In: Administrative Science Quarterly, 25: pp. 200–225
Rogers, E. M. & Kincaid, D. L. (1981) Communication Networks: Toward a New Paradigm for Research. New York: Free Press
Salancik, G. & Pfeffer, J. (1977) Who gets power — and how they hold onto it: A strategic contingency model of power. In: Organizational Dynamics, 5: pp. 3–21
Scott, W. (1988) The management governance theories of justice and liberty. In: The Journal of Management, 14: pp. 227–298
Stevenson, W., Pearce, J. & Porter, L. (1985) The concept of coalition in organization theory and research. In: Academy of Management Review, 10: pp. 256–268
Strauss, A. (1978) Negotiations. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
Thompson, J. D. (1967) Organizations in action. New York: McGraw-Hill
Tichy, N. & Fombrun, C. (1979) Network analysis in organizational settings. In: Human Relations, 32: pp. 923–965
Tyler, T. R. & Caine, A. (1981) The influence of outcomes and procedures on satisfaction with formal leaders. In: Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 41: pp. 642–655
Weiss, R. M. & Miller, L. E. (1987) The concept of ideology in organizational analysis: The sociology of knowledge or the social psychology of beliefs. In: Academy of Management Review, 12: pp. 104–116
Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1993 Betriebswirtschaftlicher Verlag Dr. Th. Gabler GmbH, Wiesbaden
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Cobb, A.T. (1993). A Systems View of Organizational Politics. In: Dlugos, G., Dorow, W., Farrell, D. (eds) Organizational Politics. Gabler Verlag. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-322-89832-6_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-322-89832-6_2
Publisher Name: Gabler Verlag
Print ISBN: 978-3-409-19097-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-322-89832-6
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive