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, 8/26 – 10/9)
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.