Symbols of Managerial Power

Definition

Symbols of managerial power refer to the visible, tangible, and intangible cues that communicate a manager's authority, status, and influence within an organization. These symbols convey the manager's position, power, and ability to control resources and decision-making processes.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Symbols of managerial power can include physical office space, size of workspace, quality of furnishings, and access to technology and administrative support.
2. The ability to make decisions, allocate resources, and control information flow are important intangible symbols of managerial power.
3. Formal titles, corner offices, reserved parking spaces, and executive perks like company cars or expense accounts are examples of tangible symbols of power.
4. Managers may use impression management tactics, such as dressing professionally and speaking authoritatively, to project an image of power and competence.
5. The display of awards, accolades, and other visible signs of accomplishment can also serve as symbols of a manager's power and influence within the organization.

Review Questions

• Explain how the organizational hierarchy and reporting structure can serve as symbols of managerial power.
  • The organizational hierarchy, as represented through visual tools like organizational charts, directly reflects the formal authority and decision-making power of managers. Managers higher up in the hierarchy are typically granted more control over resources, personnel, and strategic decisions, which are symbolized by their placement and reporting relationships within the organizational structure. The ability to direct the work of subordinates and oversee their performance is a key symbol of a manager's power and influence within the organization.
• Describe how managers can use impression management tactics to project an image of power and authority.
  • Managers can strategically use impression management techniques to shape how they are perceived by others in the organization. This may involve dressing in a professional manner, speaking confidently and authoritatively, and maintaining a poised and composed demeanor. By carefully curating their appearance and behavior, managers can convey an image of competence, decisiveness, and control, which serves as a symbolic representation of their power and influence. Additionally, managers may leverage their access to resources, such as technology, administrative support, or private meeting spaces, to further reinforce their status and authority.
• Analyze how the display of tangible symbols, such as office size and executive perks, can contribute to a manager's power and influence within the organization.
  • Tangible symbols of power, such as the size and quality of a manager's office, the presence of administrative support, and access to executive perks like company cars or expense accounts, can serve as visible indicators of a manager's status and authority within the organization. These physical manifestations of power can shape the perceptions and expectations of both subordinates and peers, reinforcing the manager's ability to control resources and make decisions. Moreover, the display of such symbols can also influence the manager's own sense of power and self-confidence, further enhancing their ability to exercise influence and authority. By strategically leveraging these tangible symbols, managers can effectively communicate their position, status, and power within the organizational hierarchy.

Related terms

Organizational Hierarchy: The formal structure of authority and reporting relationships within an organization, which is often represented through visual symbols like organizational charts.

Status Symbols: Physical objects, perks, or privileges that signify an individual's rank, prestige, and access to resources within an organization.

Impression Management: The process by which individuals attempt to control or manipulate the impressions others form of them, often through the strategic use of symbols of power.