COURSE
NUMBER:
EWMBA 254-1
COURSE TITLE: Power & Politics
UNITS OF CREDIT: 3 units
INSTRUCTOR: Sameer Srivastava
EMAIL: srivastava@haas.berkeley.edu
MEETINGS DAY(S)/TIME: Wednesdays, 6:00PM-9:30PM
PREREQUISITE(S): EWMBA205
CLASS
FORMAT: Cases,
exercises, lectures, guest speakers, films
REQUIRED
READINGS: Course reader
and Robert Cialdini's INFLUENCE: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF
PERSUASION
BASIS
FOR FINAL GRADE: You will be evaluated on three types of work: (a)
the quality of your contributions to class discussions (35%); (b) your
performance on a final paper (35%); and (c) three brief memos (30%).
ABSTRACT
OF COURSE'S CONTENT AND OBJECTIVES: This course is about the art and science of
influence in organizations. Many people are ambivalent, if not disdainful, of
those who seek to wield power and influence at work. But organizations are
fundamentally political entities, and power and influence are key mechanisms by
which things get done. For those considering careers in management, it is
important to be able to diagnose organizational politics in order to form and
implement new strategies. The other side of the coin is that managers are
usually on the receiving end of these processes as well. An astute manager
knows how to anticipate moves that others will make, how to block or avoid them
when they have consequences that are undesirable, and how to help these moves
succeed when their consequences are beneficial. After taking this course, you
will be able to: (1) diagnose the distribution of power in organizations, (2)
identify strategies for building sources of power, (3) develop techniques for
influencing others, and (4) understand the role of power in building
cooperation and leading change in an organization. These skills will be
invaluable to you throughout your career.
BIOGRAPHICAL
SKETCH: Sameer Srivastava received his PhD in Organizational Behavior and
Sociology from Harvard Business School / Harvard Graduate School of Arts and
Sciences. His research examines how people in organizational settings mobilize
social resources – such as novel information and political influence – through
workplace networks and considers the consequences of these choices for career
success. A separate stream of research examines how organizational leaders can
actively shape workplace networks to achieve desired outcomes. Before joining
the PhD program, Sameer worked for twelve years at Monitor Group, a global
management consultancy, where he served dozens of clients across a range of
industries on issues of business and organizational strategy. He was a partner
and co-founder of the firm’s Organizational Strategy practice. Sameer also
holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he took a version of Power and
Politics as a second year elective, an AM in Sociology from Harvard’s Graduate
School of Arts and Sciences, and an AB magna
cum laude in Economics from Harvard College. He has taught a variety of
courses to undergraduates, graduate students, and business executives, twice
earning a Certificate of Distinction in Teaching from Harvard’s Derek Bok
Center for Teaching.