Organizations: Authority and Power

Abstract

There are countless ways of defining power in organizations and explaining its relationship to authority. In this article, some of these differences are explored in terms of three broad perspectives found in the literature. First, managerialist perspectives differentiate legitimate, formal authority from illegitimate, informal power. Authority is assumed to be rational and functional; while power is typically seen as 'political' and dysfunctional. Second, critical approaches directly challenge managerialist approaches. They see organizations, not as rational, neutral, and objective, but as tools designed to fulfill the interests of one group at the expense of another. Power is hidden behind ..