UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MARSHALL SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
MOR 472 – POWER, POLITICS, AND INFLUENCE
FALL 2010
(D R A F T)
Instructor: Robert B. Turrill, PhD
Class time: M & W, 4:00 to 5:50 pm
Office: Bridge Hall 303D
Office hours: Tu/Th, 11:00 to noon and by appointment
Office phone: (213) 740-0732
Fax: (213) 740-3582
e-mail: robert.turrill@marshall.usc.edu
Required books: WORKING WITH EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE, Daniel
Goleman, Bantam Books, 2000.
COURSE READER (in bookstore) – Articles and Cases
Introduction: The major theme of this elective course is understanding the nature, sources, uses, and development of power and influence within formal organizations. It addresses both formal and informal sources of power, and how power is used to accomplish both organizational as well as personal goals. While this course focuses primarily at the organizational and managerial levels of power, understanding power and influence requires understanding one’s personal relationship with power issues, skills, behavior, and values. Understanding one’s own ability to influence others and organizational outcomes complements understanding the expression of power organizationally.
Objectives:
1. To understand the nature, sources, and uses of organizational power.
2. To understand how managers use power and influence to attain organizational goals.
3. To learn how to observe and analyze organizational situations that involve the use of power and organizational politics.
4. To understand issues of power at the individual, interpersonal, team, intergroup, and organizational levels within an organization.
5. To understand one’s own view of power, power motives, values, and skills, and to develop one’s ability to contribute more powerfully to organizational success, in various organizational contexts.
6. To understand how to create and share power and influence for organizational effectiveness.
Course Format: To achieve these objectives, we will use multiple formats for learning: some self-assessment, actual organizational cases, videos, experiential exercises, team
MOR 472 Course Syllabus – p. 2
projects, lectures, and guest speakers. Learning how to observe, diagnose, and intervene into actual case situations will be a major part of the course structure.
Cases: In most weeks, there will be a major case discussion of the sources and uses of power. A major objective in using cases is to begin to develop a sensitivity to “power opportunities” and how to use influence to achieve goals while maintaining the integrity of the organization and the participants in the situation. We will look at the abuses, misuses, and unintended consequences of the use of power as well as the appropriate development and effective use of power. For each case discussion, you will turn in two pages of typed notes (double spaced) responding to questions posted for each case weekly. You will prepare one case formally, for evaluation (seven to ten pages double spaced) during the semester. Both exams will be case-based. Your small team will also write-up and present one of the assigned cases to the class on the day the selected case is assigned. It is important, therefore, that you get deeply into each case in preparation for our class discussions and practice perceiving and analyzing situations in terms of power and influence.
Teams: Students will select their own teams early in the semester. The teams have dual purposes: To produce two team products and to act as a study team throughout the semester. High performance teams are powerful! They can achieve more than just the sum of the individual contributions to the team. Collaboration and shared influence will be discussed as key methods of creating and expressing power. Each team will select one of the cases assigned to analyze, write-up, and present to the class (seven to ten pages double spaced) based on the questions posted for that particular case. Each team will also complete a team project and present it to the class at the end of the semester. The project can be either a community service based project that engages someone or some organization within the community or an organizational analysis where the team presents their understanding of the power and influence patterns and outcomes of an actual organization the team visits. (An assignment instruction sheet will be distributed later in the semester.)
Self-Assessment: There will be several self-assessment opportunities throughout the semester, with the purpose of developing a personal profile of one’s power orientation, skills, and development. At the end of the semester, each student will write a short paper (five to seven double-spaced pages) based on their self-assessment of their power and influence capabilities, as well as their progress toward achieving their developmental goals during the semester.
Use of laptops, cell phones, and other electronic devices: During case discussions and presentations of material and cases, laptops should be closed and electronic devices and cell phones should be turned off.
MOR 472 Course Syllabus – p. 3
Course Requirements and Evaluation:
Exams: Mid-term exam (case) 20%
Final exam (case) 20%
Team projects: Team case presentation and write-up 10%
Team organizational/community project 20%
Individual: Self-assessment profile and summary 10%
Individual case write-up 10%
Participation and preparation 10% 100%
Each graded assignment will be evaluated on a 10-point scale where 9-10 is an excellent exam, project, or case analysis. Final course grading will follow the Marshall School guideline which is approximately a 3.3 GPA for the class (not a rigid target). Make-up exams will not be scheduled unless there is a confirmed emergency or illness, and this is also true of written assignments. Course requirements are designed to keep you prepared and involved in the daily content and case discussions and other activities of the class. Your attendance, preparation, and participation are essential to contribute to the success of the course for all students. Attendance will be recorded each day, and you are expected to be here for the entire class. Excessive absences (more than three) will negatively affect your final grade in the course by reducing your course grade by one-third for each absence over three, e.g., from a B to a B-.
Course information, announcements, and assignments will be posted weekly on BlackBoard (blackboard .usc.edu) under MOR 472, section 16675.
Academic Integrity: The use of unauthorized material, plagiarism, communication with fellow students during an examination, attempting to benefit from the work of another student, and similar behavior that defeats the intent of an examination or other class work is unacceptable to the University. Academic integrity policies, the description of prohibited behavior, and the appropriate sanctions are described in the 2008-2009 SCAMPUS Guidebook for Students. If there are any questions concerning any of the assignments, please ask the instructor in advance of the assignment due date.
Return of Graded Paperwork: Returned paperwork, unclaimed by a student, will be discarded after four weeks, and, therefore, will not be available should a grade appeal be pursued by a student following receipt of his/her course grade.
Students with Disabilities: Any student requesting academic accommodation based on a disability is required to register with the Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure that the letter is delivered to the instructor well in advance of the first exam. DSP is located in STU 301 and is open 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. The phone number for DSP is (213) 740-0776.
MOR 472 Course Syllabus – p. 4
Course Outline and Assignments
Students are expected to have completed the assigned reading and the cases on the dates scheduled below. Assigned notes (N) must be turned in the day the case is discussed as these notes represent preparation for that day’s class discussion. Late notes, therefore will not be accepted. Questions will be assigned for each case to direct your analysis, understanding, and your notes. There is no standard format for your case notes except to respond to the questions.
Week Date Topic Readings & Cases
1 Aug 23 Introduction to the course
25 The nature of power and influence Read “Power Dynamics in
Organizations”
2 Aug 30 Personal Power
(Meet in the ELC)
3 The power of emotional intelligence Read Goleman, Chs 1-6
“Bob Knowlton”Case
3 Sep 6 Labor Day holiday
8 Asserting oneself Read “Asserting Yourself:
How to Say No and Mean It”
“Erik Peterson” Case (A)(B) (N)
4 Sep 13 Interpersonal influence Read “Influence Tactics”
“Erik Peterson” Case (C)(D)
15 “Interpersonal Influence Inventory” “Karen Leary” Case (A)(B) (N)
(Handed out in class)
5 Sep 20 Social skills and empathy Read Goleman, Chs 7 – 9
(Meet in the ELC)
22 Managing conflict Read “Some Aspects of Problem-
Solving and Conflict Resolution in
Management Groups”
“Sturdivant Electric Corp” Case (N)
6 Sep 27 Team process skills Read “A Note on Team Process”
Guest speaker – Dean Jim Ellis
29 Managing short-term teams “Overhead Reduction Task Force” (N)
7 Oct 4 Organizational EQ Read Goleman, Chs 12, 13
6 Mid-term exam
MOR 472 Course Syllabus – p. 5
8 Oct 11 Managerial influence Read “What It Really Means to Manage”
(Meet in the ELC) Read Goleman, Ch 11
13 Abuses of managerial power “Jeffrey Smith” Case (N)
9 Oct 18 Developing mutual influence Read “Enhancing Power Through
(from above) Mutual Influence”
20 Barriers to influence “Jensen Shoes: Lyndon Twitchell’s Story”
Written case due Jane Kravitz’s Story” Case
10 Oct 25 Power of persuasion Read “The Necessary Art of Persuasion”
(Meet in the ELC)
27 Principles of persuasion “Cialdini” – video in class
11 Nov 1 Influence without authority Read “Exerting Influence
Speaker – Accenture Consultant Without Authority”
Nov 3 Building coalitions Read “Building Coalitions”
“Jack Thomas” Case (N)
12 Nov 8 Managing Up Read “Managing Your Boss”
(Meet in the ELC)
10 Mutual Influence “Lisa Benton (A)” Case (N)
(from below)
13 Nov 15 Power of networking Read “Managerial Networks”
17 “Network Assessment Exercise” “Heidi Roizen” Case (N)
(Handed out in class)
14 Nov 22 Power of social capital “How to Invest in Social Capital”
24 Team project time
15 Nov 29 Team project presentations
Course evaluation
1 Team project presentations
Dec 3 Team projects (written) due
8 Final exam – 4:30 – 6:30 pm
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