COURSE NUMBER: MBA254.1B
COURSE TITLE: Power and
Politics in Organizations
UNITS OF CREDIT: 2.0
INSTRUCTOR: Cameron
Anderson
E-MAIL ADDRESS: anderson@haas.berkeley.edu
MEETING DATES: Meets in Spring
B, 3/13-5/3
PREREQUISITE(S): MBA205
CLASS FORMAT: Cases,
exercises, lectures, guest speakers, films
REQUIRED READINGS: Course
reader and Jeff Pfeffer's POWER: WHY SOME PEOPLE HAVE
IT AND OTHERS DON'T
BASIS FOR FINAL GRADE:
There will be small assignments including a short (2-page) paper, as well as a
final (10-page) paper; participation is also graded.
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.
CAREER FIELD: This course
is useful for all career paths.
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,
Psychological Bulletin, 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.