COURSE NUMBER: MBA254.1A
COURSE TITLE: Power and
Politics in Organizations
UNITS OF CREDIT: 2 Units
INSTRUCTOR: Cameron
Anderson
E-MAIL ADDRESS: anderson@haas.berkeley.edu
CLASS WEB PAGE LOCATION: https://bspace.berkeley.edu/portal
MEETING DAY(S)/TIME:
Tuesday/Thursday, 2:00-4:00PM during Fall A (first seven weeks, 8/27 – 10/10)
PREREQUISITE(S): MBA205
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:
There is one short (2-page) paper and a final (10-page) paper.
INSTRUCTOR STREAMING VIDEO:
http://video.haas.berkeley.edu:24874/ramgen/media-services/professors/anderson.rm
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:
Cameron Anderson received
his Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley. Before
coming to Haas, he taught at Kellogg School of Management (Northwestern
University) and at the Stern School of Business (New York University). He was
voted Professor of the Year by the MBA students at the Stern School in 2005 and
received the Cheit Outstanding Teaching Award at Haas
in 2008. His primary research interests involve power and status in
organizations, teams, and negotiations. His research has been published in
journals such as Psychological Review, Academy of Management Journal,
Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, the Journal of Applied
Psychology, the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, and the European
Journal of Social Psychology.