Corporation A has many different ways that power and dependency is displayed through out its departments. The various displays of power help desired outcomes for either the manager or employee that exhibits the power in each situation. Corporation A has examples of all five bases of power which are coercive, reward, legitimate, expert, and referent power.

In the marketing department at Corporation A the marketing manager has legitimate power due to their position in the company allowing the manger to do yearly performance evaluations on the marketing employees. The marketing manager has reward power over Employee 1 because if Employee 1 does not receive a superior rating on their evaluation no bonus will be rewarded. The bonus that is being offered to Employee 1 is motivational because the money received from the bonus will be used for a vacation. The need for the bonus makes Employee 1 dependent on receiving the marketing manger’s superior rating. The marketing manager uses coercive power over the employees in the marketing department to work beyond the 40 hour work week by reminding them of the yearly bonus and the need of a superior rating on their evaluations. The combination of reward and coercive power make Employee 1 work on weekends and stay late to make sure work is complete and accurate.

In the accounting department at Corporation A the accounting manager is dependent on Employee 2. The need for the company’s financial statements to be completed has given Employee 2 expert power over the accounting manager. The accounting manager knows Employee 2 is the only certified public accountant at Corporation A. The expert power Employee 2 has gives them the leverage to get the accounting manager to approve a four day work week. The accounting manager allows this altered schedule to make Employee 2 happy because there is no alternative employee to prepare the financial statements.

In the sales department Employee 3 has referent power over fellow employees. The personality of Employee 3 has won over other employees despite the fact that Employee 3 has less than a year with Company A. During the sales meeting Employee 3 brought new ideals and was able to win over hesitant team members by the end of the sales pitch. If Employee 3 was not likeable and charismatic the sales pitch could of failed due to longer employed workers not liking the fit to the corporate culture.
Even with no team leading experience Employee 3 was given lead on the project due to the enthusiasm to work for Employee 3’s ideal. Without these personal traits Employee 3 would have no power in the sales department.

The relationship between dependency and power is that the person with power needs to have people dependent on the reward or personality traits they desire. The marketing manager has formal power over the marketing employees by being able to control their chances of getting a yearly bonus. Without this yearly bonus the marketing manager would have little power to make the marketing employees to work past the 40 hour work week. Employee 2 would not be able to get a four day work week if the accounting manager had more CPAs , this would take away the expert power. If Employee 3 was unlikable by the rest of the sales department, any ideal brought up by the new employee would likely be dismissed. There is a delicate balance when it comes to power and dependency, once slight change could cause a power shift between manger and employee. The examples in the assignment show how power is not only for those with legitimate power.

317.1.6-03: Define what should be evaluated in a performance evaluation.

317.1.6-04: Compare the relative value of common sets of evaluation criteria.

317.1.6-05: Explain how it can be advantageous to have supervisors, peers, and subordinates all participate in the evaluation process.

317.1.6-06: Explain how it can be disadvantageous to have supervisors, peers, and subordinates all participate in the evaluation process.

317.1.6-08: Compare and contrast common performance evaluation methods.

317.1.6-09: Give examples of errors and biases that commonly impact the accuracy of performance evaluations.

317.1.6-10: Select techniques that can be used to improve performance evaluations in a given situation