IST 614: MANAGEMENT OF LIBRARIES AND INFORMATION CENTERS

EMPOWERMENT STRATEGIES AND DEPENDENCY SITUATIONS

Managers frequently find themselves dependent upon:

When a manager is dependent on someone else, that individual has power over him/her.

Dependency creates a power imbalance. When managers find themselves dependent, they are vulnerable and powerless and try to employ empowerment strategies to restore the balance of power. By taking action to empower themselves, managers are able to gain control over the situation.

Which strategies might an individual employ to restore the balance of power? The use of a particular strategy will depend on the situation and the choice made by the manager.

Some typical strategies are:

The exercise of influence is a fundamental activity for all managers. Some of the responses that managers use with superiors:

With subordinates, managers used:

One group of researchers (Kipnis, et al, "Patterns of Managerial Influence: Shotgun Managers, Tacticians, and Bystanders." Organizational Dynamics (Winter 1984) 58-67) identified three categories of manager is based on a study of influence attempts.

Managers categorized as tacticians were found to be highest on organizational power, were most successful in achieving their objectives, and most satisfied with their jobs. Shotgun managers were generally inexperienced, while bystander managers were the most dissatisfied.

To see what kind of influence strategies you might be inclined to use in various situations, take the Dependency Situation Questionnaire and score your answers.

Created by Evelyn Daniel,
Mar. 27, 1998.