Managing People Organisations

Power, as a multifaceted concept, is indeed a necessary aspect of organisation. It is when this power is abused, however, that negative consequences often result. It also raises the questions of accountability and who should bear the responsibility of negative consequences. Thus, employees should challenge the perceived obligation to “simply” accept management’s exercise of power and question their true intentions. Essentially, a balance between the economic objectives of the organisation and the welfare of the people who represent it must be met. In reality, however, this is not always feasible.

In the first section of my essay, I will draw upon Parsons (1967: 237), Knights, D and Roberts, J. (1982), Roberts (1984) and Morgan. G (2006) to explore the various types of power and discuss their relevance to the fundamental functioning of an organisation. I will argue that power is necessary to an organisation, but that it should be limited due to the potential for abuse. In section two, I will cite Morgan. G (2006) and Milgram (1974:5) in exploring the extent to which employees should adhere to management’s instructions. I will explain that despite efforts to make objective decisions for the corporation, all people in positions of power are subject to emotions and human flaws that will ultimately influence their managerial style. Therefore, it is at an employees’ own peril that they blindly accept without questioning all decisions and actions by management. In section three I will utilise the work of Knights and Roberts (1982) and Morgan (2006) in exploring the idealistic balance between the wellbeing of the organisation and that of its employees. Finally, I conclude by suggesting that a balance in all arenas of work is ideal in the functioning of an organisation, but is not always practical.

Section One: Power as a feature of organisation
The purpose of an organisation is to combine the skills of many and allocate resources accordingly in order to achieve a