Introduction
Power and influence are vital aspects of a business organization since they dictate the prosperity of the particular company. Influential and powerful leaders usually lead the most successful companies around the world. According to French and Raven (57), authority originates from experts, legitimate, reward, and coercive. Principles of influence include commitment, reciprocity, social proof, scarcity, and authority (Seiter and Gass 208). This paper is a report on how power and influence played a role in the organizational structure of the Apple Company.
Power and influence
This section will discuss sources of power and principles of influence as evidenced in Apple Computer. The discussion will reveal how power and influence led to the current organizational structure. The key focus will be Steve Jobs, the founder and a long-serving CEO of the Apple Company.
Legitimate power is a situation where the manager of a particular company influences the actions of the employees due to his/her position. According to DuBrin (20) a director can exercise a position of power by demanding accountability from all new hires. In Apple Company, Steve Jobs exhibited legitimate power by demanding accountability from all workers. He would directly dismiss lazy and non-innovative employees. Additionally, employees at Apple Company are always keen to meet deadlines, a culture initiated by Steve Jobs. However, employees play a vital role in enabling a Business leader to exercise legitimate power. If the workers comply with the manager’s rules, the manager will use more and more power.
When a business manager is in a position to offer the employees rewards or incentives, then the manager will enjoy reward power. Rewards can be a salary increase, job promotion, paid offs or recognition. Steve Jobs was in charge of assigning key employees various positions in the Apple Company. Tim Cook was the Chief Operation Officer before becoming the CEO of the company. Tim Cook was Jobs appointed to an executive position since Jobs enjoyed reward power. Also, Jobs usually awarded cash gifts to employees and starts ups (The power, para 3).
Steve Jobs was a key person in Apple Company due to his expertise; the company couldn’t risk dismissing Jobs due to his knowledge. Steve Jobs was also a threat to other enterprises in the industry due to his expert power. Today, Apple Company tries to employ new and talented technicians so as to stay ahead of the competition. Final decisions in Apple Company come from the CEO due to the expert power which he enjoys.
Coercive power is a case where employees comply with set rules and guidelines due to fear of punishments. The punishments can be dismissal, relegate, pay cut, denial of off or admonish. The coercive power may vary from one business organization to another. Steve Jobs had full coercive power; he treated Apple Company like personal property. Mostly, Steve Jobs used to dismiss non-creativity, non-cooperative employees and those who weren’t driven by goals. In 2005, Steve Jobs banned the sale of his bibliography in Apple stores (Hafner para 1). That is an apparent show of the coercion power of the Apple Company's CEO.
Influence
Steve Jobs was an influential CEO with extreme abilities that saw Apple Company rise to a billion dollar company. The influential nature of Jobs was due to his commitment, authority, and scarcity. First, Jobs was very committed to building and growing of the Apple Company. He continued to work despite his healthy status. Second, Jobs was authoritative in the computer industry such that large companies like IBM sought his services. Third, Jobs build the iOS which is very scarce and different from what other computer companies offer. These three principals make products of the Apple Company outstanding in the market.
Conclusion
Power and influence are inseparable in a business organization, and they lead to the development of a stable company. Business leaders who possess power and influence establish firms that grow to billion dollars companies. However, for a leader to practice power and influence, the employees should comply. Apple rose to Billion Dollar Company because Steve Jobs was powerful and influential.
Works cited
DuBrin, Andrew J. Political Behavior in Organizations. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Pub., 2009. Print.
French, John R.P. and Bertram Raven. Bases of Social Power.” Studies in Social Power. Ed. Dorwin Cartwright. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor., 1959. Print.
Hafner, Katie. “Steve Jobs’s Review of His Biography: Ban It.” 30 Apr. 2005. Web. 28 Apr. 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/30/technology/steve-jobss-review-of-his-biography-ban-it.html>
Seiter, John S., and Robert H. Gass. Perspectives on Persuasion, Social Influence, and Compliance Gaining. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon, 2003. Print.
The Power to Influence - Flat World Knowledge 2016. Web. 28 Apr. 2016. <http://www.flatworldknowledge.com/beta-0.1/organizational-behavior/power-and-politics-within-orga/power-influence>
