Power, Authority, and Influence, Essay Example

The issue of professional success to many African-American has been a real dream due to insensitive corporate cultures, racism and issues related to social economic factors. To many these stabling obstacles has shuttered the possibility of excellence. These do not involve the high profile elites or those people who are already on the field of success and highly ranked in leadership positions. These bring the difference in carrier opportunities among many raising issues of where the advantaged get their support and strategies used to excel in certain well developed organisations. Following such shortcomings, several guidelines have been developed to facilitate more opportunities to all stakeholders. They include proper management of relationships that will be vital in securing meaningful and influential positions in business. Developing the sixth sense that aids the game apart from reading the written rules. The power to overcome isolation, not only in the place of organisation but also raising a voice that will be heard and respected by all will help address the problem of under privileges. The other thing is owns trustworthiness and potentiality in managing any present issue of racism that comes along in business. Similarly, understanding what true power is and how to compete and acquire that power not forgetting to translate it into substantial leadership. Pioneering these great changes will form a route for other future generations facilitating them to achieve even greater returns. (Cobbs, Turnock 2003 pg1-6).

According to Cobbs & Turnock, (2003), these issues of power, authority and influence confines within workplace. It focuses mostly on issues pertain to leadership. In some instances Paul Banks was forced to sacrifice important activities in favour of others but several circumstances that had to be met to accomplish the mission or hit the target of interest was not be that appealing thus an option of quick withdrawal from the deal followed. These happened in a case of job positions where she was promised of advancement or high rank if only she could waits for more than eight years, considering her objectives and goals on target, that was beyond reach and refusing it was the only way to avoid humiliation. The fact that she was a female could have been the reason. (Academic recourse centre inc. 2009 par 2).

The ability to exert influence over one’s environment is the power and an active role that affects ones control and social discipline in business. Social and self discipline is part of supportive processes that determine social justice by offering a unifying model that can optimize all uses of power and authority. Therefore, through maximizing of social engagement by being active in community building and reactive response to wrong doings was one of solutions to getting corporate power and influence. Use of force to establish social discipline by the authority to ensure that people do the right is applied and fear of punishment keeps the subordinate under control.

As stated by Kim & Mauborgne (1997)Punitive cultures suppresses the discussion of who has power and how it is exercised, instead of community being involved in discussion of social goals and social discipline those privileges are left to elites. They generate resentment resistance and concentrate social power at the top where problems are solved closed doors, plans made inside managerial spheres. Decisive participation from other sources or people whose their lives are determined by those issues are left out in a state of disempowerment and distrust of authorities hence both active and passive resistance. Following such allegations a punitive power solving approach that involve zero tolerant is adopted. These is a positive response to misbehaviour that include punishment and use of criminal charges that exiles subordinates from social folds to positively impact their behaviours. Practices like effective statements and questions encourage direct and emotional communication between members. Informal meeting helps to resolve problems or share positive experiences while learning about one another, building relationships and trust hence setting behavioural standards and problem solving. The voices of underground personels are clearly brought out in the way in which they participate in communal conversation allowing them to tell their stories. Therefore, some simple processes like participatory decision making in a family and in the community to collectively plan for certain undertakings plays a great role in developing power and influence in business.

Since justice restoration plays a vital role in creation and building of social capital, it is vital to implement it in any social institution including even micro-levels of the family. These processes of formal and informal using high levels of control and support have the potential to transform the use of authority in the society. The presence of power can never be ignored instead requires a creative approach with such restorations radically changing how we talk about power and authority and who are included in our conversation hence in these restorative conditions the individuals and community can get adequate social potential to suppress the punitive manifested by authority (Bailie 2009 par1-7).

Works Cited

Academic recourse centre inc. Papers on “Power and Authority at Work” and similar term paper topics Retrieved on August 2, 2009 from<http://209.85.129.132/searchq=cache:dEcPsQSXtIwJ:www.academon.com/lib/paper/94183.html+How+Frank+Fountain+and+Paula+Banks+acquired+corporate&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk> (2009) par 2.

Bailie J “Power, Authority and Restorative Practices” Retrieved on August 2nd 2009   from<http://209.85.129.132/search?q=cache:bpO8l3iPZs0J:www.iirp.org/r ealjustice/library/power_authority.html+Power,+Authority,+and+Influence+Discipli          ne+in+Business&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk>( 2009) par1-7.

Cobbs P M, Turnock J L “The Revealing Success Stories of 32 African-American Executives,” A Book on Cracking the Corporate Code, Retrieved on August 2, 2009 from <http://www.amacombooks.org/book.cfm?isbn=9780814407714> (2003)par 1-7.