Power Base Research Articles

Relational Expectations and Transactional Obligations: Incompatible Psychological Contracts and Triadic Employment Relationships

This research investigated the triangular employment relationship between organizations, temporary staffing agencies, and clerical temporary workers using the conceptual framework of the psychological contract. The rapid growth in triadic employment relationships is well documented; however, there is limited research into the interlocking psychological contracts between the three parties. This research advances our understanding of the mechanisms underlying triangular psychological contracts by drawing attention to the ways in which people’s beliefs concerning their own obligations toward others may be incommensurate with their expectations of other parties. Findings are based on semistructured interviews with 10 client organization representatives, 10 staffing agency consultants, and 20 female clerical temporaries working in Auckland, New Zealand. The interviews revealed that the three sets of participants held mutually incompatible expectations, which were shaped by their differing positions and power bases within the temporary labor market. Each group expected, or wanted, the other parties to behave toward them as if a relational psychological contract existed but perceived their obligations toward others in more transactional terms. In consequence, the expectations, goals, and actions of the three sets of participants often conflicted, creating a range of adverse outcomes, which were unintended by, and problematic for, each group within the triangular employment relationship.

The impact of social power and influence on the implementation of innovation strategies: A case study of a UK mega infrastructure construction project

Influence plays a key role in reaching consensus among multiple actors involved in project-based decision-making processes. While prior literature devotes considerable attention to describing influence, little attention has been paid to influence at the individual level of the strategic project manager within the context of megaprojects. This research intended to fill this knowledge gap by identifying and describing the influence strategies that a strategic project manager applies when implementing innovation strategies on megaprojects. A qualitative case study was used to examine the complex social processes involved in a major UK capital investment programme. The findings underline a critical subset of influence strategies, notably higher-management support, inspirational appeal and bargaining. The study proposes a utilitarian structure of social power comprising selective, supportive and executory power bases.

Sabah: breakthrough in the fixed deposit state

ABSTRACT The Malaysian General Election 2014 (GE14) was one of the most anticipated in Malaysia’s political history as it was to determine the fate of Barisan Nasional (BN) under the leadership of the scandal-hit Prime Minister, Najib Razak. As in the 2008 and 2013 general elections, the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak once again became the frontline – or ‘fixed deposit’ – states as their support was crucial for BN’s survival. There were multiple claims that BN would return to power in Sabah once again, albeit with a reduced majority considering the strong anti-BN sentiment that was felt across all strata of society. The chances of Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan), the key opposition party in the state, were downplayed as it was assumed that the party’s strength was only concentrated in the East Coast of Sabah. Hence, to comprehend BN’s defeat in the GE14, it is significant to turn towards the particular affinities and affiliations, particular commonalities and connections, particular stories and self-understandings, particular problems and predicaments of the socio-political dynamics in Sabah. Contrary to the claims that national politics were disconnected from Sabah, ‘problems and predicaments’ emanating from Peninsular Malaysia did indeed have a ‘connection and commonality’ upon the way they impacted people’s voting decision. The external factor of the strong tide of the anti-BN sentiment, fortified with the internal particularities of the political dynamics in the ‘stories and self-understandings’ of constituencies, illustrates how a jolt was caused in BN’s power bases.

Rebels, Revenue and Redistribution: The Political Geography of Post-Conflict Power-Sharing in Africa

AbstractDo rebel elites who gain access to political power through power-sharing reward their own ethnic constituencies after war? The authors argue that power-sharing governments serve as instruments for rebel elites to access state resources. This access allows elites to allocate state resources disproportionately to their regional power bases, particularly the settlement areas of rebel groups' ethnic constituencies. To test this proposition, the authors link information on rebel groups in power-sharing governments in post-conflict countries in Africa to information about ethnic support for rebel organizations. They combine this information with sub-national data on ethnic groups' settlement areas and data on night light emissions to proxy for sub-national variation in resource investments. Implementing a difference-in-differences empirical strategy, the authors show that regions with ethnic groups represented through rebels in the power-sharing government exhibit higher levels of night light emissions than regions without such representation. These findings help to reconceptualize post-conflict power-sharing arrangements as rent-generating and redistributive institutions.

Anioto and nebeli: local power bases and the negotiation of customary chieftaincy in the Belgian Congo (ca. 1930–1950)

ABSTRACTBy means of two case studies, this paper demonstrates how customary chiefs in Northeast Congo crafted their power position under colonial indirect rule. The first case discusses chiefs’ role in anioto or leopard-men killings to secure their authority over people, land and resources whilst circumventing colonial control. The second case concerns nebeli, a collective therapy characterised by the distribution of a medicine or charm used to protect, heal and harm in Northeast Congo and South Sudan. These case studies show that indirect rule designed customary chieftaincy too one-sidedly, based on patrilineal succession and land rights. It tried to cut chiefs off from spiritual and coercive power bases such as anioto and nebeli, which were part of local political culture. While colonial authorities framed institutions such as anioto and nebeli as subversive, and expected government-appointed chiefs to renounce them, they were clandestinely used by chiefs to retain their grip on local society whilst fulfilling their state-imposed duties. However, these institutions were not simply used to resist or by-pass colonial control, but also to support it. These historical cases help to gain insight in contemporary chiefs and militia leaders’ continued use of similar coercive, spiritual and remedial means to boast their power.

Impact of Technology Adoption on Manufacturer and Distributor Dyad: Exploring the Role of Power

Over 84% of global retail sales and 90% of Indian retail sales take place through the physical channel. In India, the distributor – wholesaler led channel further contributes to over 90% of this physical retail sale. This channel is facing numerous technology-led disruptions bringing it both threats and opportunities. However, research on technology adoption and its impact in this particular channel is scarce. We explore the impact of technology adoption in manufacturer – distributor dyad. Taking theoretical support from theory of relationship marketing, social bases of power and prior research on power and its application in marketing channels we posit that adoption of technology by the distributor, will impact manufacturer’s bases of power (reward, coercion and expert) which will further affect channel conflict and relational satisfaction in the manufacturer-distributor dyad. Utilising the research support of coercive/non-coercive dichotomisation of power sources, we also explore the impact of technologically induced altered power relationships on channel conflict & satisfaction.

Engineering non-ionic carbon super- and hyperbases by a computational DFT approach: substituted allenes have unprecedented cation affinities

DFT calculations reveal that allenes substituted by a cyclopropene or a methylenecyclopropene group, offer suitable scaffolds for tailoring powerful carbon bases. The protonation at C(sp) site provide superbases with PAs = 879–1218 kJ mol−1.

The Influence of Social Power on Knowledge Utilization

ABSTRACT Although many studies have reported that social power is a critical factor in facilitating or constraining social interactions among individuals, few studies have fully explored how social power influences an individual’s knowledge utilization within a work group. Social power in the workplace helps individuals recognize others’ knowledge and utilize it in a business context. By integrating the theory of social power with the volitional model, this study develops a theoretical model of how social power influences an individual’s positive affect, perceived transactive memory system (PTMS) levels, and knowledge utilization. The proposed model was tested using data from 320 individuals. The results show that social power significantly influences an individual’s affect and PTMS which in turn jointly influence their intention to utilize knowledge. Notably, this study reveals that different power bases have different effects on an individual’s PTMS levels within a work group.

The ecology of program director leadership: power relationships and characteristics of effective program directors

BackgroundProgram directors are often perceived as strong and independent leaders within the academic medical environment. However, they are not as omnipotent as they initially appear. Indeed, PDs are beholden to a variety of different agents, including trainees (current residents, residency applicants, residency alumni), internal influencers (departmental faculty, hospital administration, institutional graduate medical education), and external influencers (the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), medical education community, and society-at-large). Altogether, these agents form a complex ecosystem whose dynamics and relationships shape the effectiveness of program directors.Main bodyThis perspective uses management theory to examine the characteristics of effective PD leadership. We underline the importance of authority, accessibility, adaptability, authenticity, accountability, and autonomy as core features of successful program directors. Additionally, we review how program directors can use the six power bases (legitimacy, referent, informational, expert, reward, and coercive) to achieve positive and constructive change within the complexity of the academic medical ecosystem. Lastly, we describe how local and national institutions can better structure power relationships within the ecosystem so that PD leadership can be most effective.ConclusionKeen leadership skills are required by program directors to face a variety of challenges within their educational environments. Understanding power structures and relationships may aid program directors to exercise leadership judiciously towards fulfilling the educational missions of their departments.

Nexus of School Principals’ Power Bases and Teachers’ Job Satisfaction in Secondary Schools

The aim of this study was to investigate the nexus between school principal power bases and teachers' job satisfaction in secondary schools of Wolaita Zone. A convergent mixed research method was used and a total of 167research participants were participated. Questionnaires and face to face interview were used to collect data. The descriptive result indicated that expert power (3.88) and work (5.04) were found to be the dominant power base and job satisfaction respectively. The correlation results also described that there is a positive link between school principals' legitimate, reward and information power and teachers' job satisfaction. The linear regression analysis result also revealed that legitimate power is the predictor variable of job satisfaction. Hence, from the results of the findings, one can conclude that teachers are more satisfied when school principals apply organizational power bases in secondary schools of Wolaita Zone.

Balance of Loyalties: Explaining Rebel Factional Struggles in the Nicaraguan Revolution

What explains the causes and outcomes of rebel factional struggles? Existing explanations focus on exogenous and material factors that disrupt rebel organizations’ internal processes. Yet rebel groups succumb to infighting and organizational splinters even in the absence of external shocks. In this article I present an endogenous and social theory of rebel factional struggles, in which leadership disputes result from a shifting balance of loyalties within a rebel organization. In my model, rival rebel leaders cultivate the loyalty of two types of networks, recruitment networks and operational networks, which serve as power bases to initiate leadership struggles, launch coups, or split organizations. I build my theory through a case study of Nicaragua’s Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (FSLN), which splintered into three factions in 1975–76. Drawing on an original network dataset of FSLN commanders, I trace how the organization’s network structure changed over time, spurring disputes over rank-and-file fighters’ loyalties that tore the FSLN apart.

Teacher Power in EFL Classroom: Associations with Classroom Interaction

Instructional communication is a field that studies behaviors that facilitate leaning in classroom communication. One among these behaviors is teacher power which refers to the transactional process where in teachers are granted different power bases. This study tried to investigate teacher power bases in terms of classroom interaction by involving a writing skills teacher and his 30 students in a first year writing classroom. The students responded to a questionnaire and the lessons were audio recorded and transcribed. Binary logistic regression was computed to see how the teacher power bases relate with classroom interaction permissibility while qualitative data is transcribed and thematically analyzed. The results indicated that the teachers’ major power originates from legitimate and expert power bases as well as reward sources and this is negatively associated with classroom interaction. Therefore, it is suggested that the teacher bases his lessons on alternative power sources that can permit students interactions. Keywords : teacher power, teacher power bases/ sources, classroom interaction& classroom interaction patterns DOI : 10.7176/JLLL/59-02 Publication date : August 31 st 2019

Determinants of HIV-risk sexual behaviors among Zambian adolescents: The role of gendered power

Sub-Saharan African adolescents account for a disproportionate share of the global HIV infection rates with adolescent females carrying the heavy burden. Vulnerability to negative sexual health outcomes have been attributed to varying life contexts and power differentials influencing adolescent sexual behaviors. Using social dominance theory and the four bases of gendered power, this study examines the relationship between gender based power and adolescent HIV-risk sexual behavior. Data was derived from the 2013‐14 Zambia Demographic Health Survey (ZDHS). We utilize gender stratified multivariate logistic regression to determine whether the four bases of gendered power are predictive of condom use and multiple sexual partnering among sexually active adolescents (N = 1908), ages 15–19. Findings highlight the significant effects of sexual abuse, resource constraints (low levels of education, condom access, poverty) and gender-unequal beliefs and values on the odds of adolescent HIV-risk sexual behavior. We found gender variant effects of these factors on sexual behavior. For males, beliefs in gender-unequal norms acted as a barrier to condom use. Among females, having no education facilitated multiple sexual partnering. Implications for policy and practice are provided.

On heeding the lessons of the past and adapting them to the present: a strategy for an effective Fifth International

ABSTRACTThe establishment of a Fifth International that would coordinate and provide support to progressive forces from around the world as proposed by the late Samir Amin is long overdue, but its effectiveness will hinge on its ability to heed the lessons of the past and adapt them to the present. This essay argues that an effective Fifth International should move beyond the simplistic and exaggerated interpretations of the capitalist ruling classes wielding absolute power over the world system that leave the revolutionary shortcut as the only viable path forward, and should instead embrace the path of incremental progress and focus on providing support in educating, organizing, and agitating with the specific aim of securing electoral gains. These activities should be oriented globally, but priority should be given to the core, as it is in the core that the key disciplinary structures of capitalist power reside, and without progress against them, progress anywhere else can only be limited. Finally, an effective Fifth International should be organized around a long-term agenda which is at once inspiring and ambitious, broad and flexible, but also safe and familiar, as well as a short and medium term agenda made up of specific policy objectives that not only noticeably improve the lot of the masses, but also undermine the ideological and material bases of power of the capitalist ruling classes.

Principals’ conceptions of teachers’ power basis: a phenomenographic study

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe the various ways in which a group of principals conceptualize the power basis of teachers within teacher–principal interactions.Design/methodology/approachThe present study takes power as a potential to influence people as it was conceptualized in the taxonomy developed by French and Raven (1959/1968) and Raven (1993). This taxonomy was also used to discuss the conceptions emerged in the interview data. A total of 16 principals, 8 from public schools and 8 from private schools, were interviewed.FindingsThe phenomenographic analysis of the interviews with the 16 principals revealed five ways of understanding teachers’ power basis. These conceptions (in the form of categories of description) were: (a) the principal’s sense of reciprocity, (b) teachers’ field-specific knowledge, (c) teachers’ administrative experience, (d) teachers’ union affiliation and (e) teachers’ legal rights. Categories (a) and (b) were common to all the study’s participants. Category (c) was unique to participants from private schools, while categories (d) and (e) were unique to participants from public schools.Research limitations/implicationsThree topics – the subtler forms of legitimate power, the issue of teacher tenure and the influence of unions on the educational system – appeared to have potential for interesting future studies in the field of educational management.Practical implicationsThere is an apparent need to include social power as a course component in preparatory programs for educational administrators. The revised power taxonomy, which took its final form after the revisions made by Raven (1993), appeared to be an adequate explanatory theory to understand the teachers’ bases of power, and as such, it can be used to structure the content of the course about power interactions in school settings. In addition, the Turkish Ministry of National Education should handle the issue of unions’ improper influence over the educational system and take necessary measures in order to maintain the effective functioning of public schools.Originality/valueTo date, subordinates’ bases of power as a research subject has apparently been ignored. The present study is the first to reveal variations in the ways that school principals conceptualize teachers’ basis of power. Although the study data were collected in one city in Turkey, the research implications drawn from its findings can inspire interest in this neglected field of study all around the world.

Investigating power styles and behavioural compliance for effective hospital administration.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of power tactics by hospital administrators in order to gain employee compliance. It attempts to understand the influence of power bases of hospital administrators on the employee compliance using an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) technique. The study adopted a mixed method technique and was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, qualitative analysis was carried out through content analysis of the anecdotes collected from the employees working in tertiary hospitals. Content analysis of responses aided in obtaining a list of criteria and sub-criteria affecting employee behavioural compliance. In the second phase, quantitative analysis was carried out using the AHP technique. While applying AHP, the issue pertaining to employee behavioural compliance with hospital's policies, procedures and related instructions was formulated in form of a hierarchy of one objective, two criteria, six sub-criteria and five alternatives established through literature review and content analysis. Furthermore, the subject matter experts were asked to conduct pairwise comparison wherein priority rankings were achieved. The results indicated that reward power (25 per cent) is the most significant power style exercised by effective hospital administrators in achieving employee behavioural compliance followed by expert (24 per cent), referent (22 per cent) and legitimate powers (17 per cent). As coercive (12 per cent) came out to be the least preferred power style, it should be cautiously exercised by hospital administrators in the present day scenario. The major limitation of this study is that the sample was drawn only from three tertiary hospitals in Jammu district that limits the generalizability of the findings in all the hospital settings across different regions. No attempt is made in this study to understand the variations with regard to demographics of the respondents that can be taken as a future research study. This study is cross-sectional in nature and provides the perspective of specific time. A longitudinal study could further provide insights into different time variations and the comparison and henceforth can be more comprehensive, thus supporting the generalizability of this study. The study empirically identifies the relative importance of exercising power styles in order to gain employee behavioural compliance. The study helps in understanding the complex problem of behavioural compliance in hospital setting by examining the intensity of each factor affecting employee behavioural compliance. This knowledge is very critical in effective hospital management and getting the work done. The priority rankings obtained for power styles can be used for developing selection batteries and performance records of hospital administrators. As the behaviour of the employees is not static, there may exist the inherent limitations of adopted cross-sectional design for the present study. Furthermore, longitudinal study can be conducted at different time periods, to understand the variations in the patterns of employee's compliance behaviour and associated practiced power styles by hospital administrators. This is perhaps the first study that has scientifically attempted to integrate the power styles and analyzed their effective use in hospital administration. This research study has attempted to develop an elementary base for academicians, scholars as well as management practitioners on the effective use of power styles for achieving employee behavioural compliance in hospitals.

Impact of substantial wind farms on the local and regional atmospheric boundary layer: Case study of Zhangbei wind power base in China

The environment-friendly development of wind power is complicated as the atmospheric impacts of wind farms are difficult to measure. Wind power has made contributions to emission reduction, but it is undeniable that the substantial wind farms (SWFs) have had a non-negligible impact on the local ABL. This paper aims to provide a reliable methodological scheme and practical data for human beings to objectively understand the development of wind power. Based on the data from one of the Chinese gigawatt-scale wind power bases in Zhangbei County of Hebei Province, the mesoscale simulations were conducted to explore the impacts of substantial wind farms on the local and regional atmosphere. The results show that: (i) the impact of substantial wind farms on the local area is significant and sustained, while this impact on the regional area is slight and occasional; (ii) it can bring about the seasonal and diurnal differences in the local ABL property; (iii) it can not only induce the horizontal turbulence directly caused by wind turbine wake flow, but also produce the vertical mixing in the near-surface ABL. A systematic analysis of wind power potential and its atmospheric impact is urgent to ensure sustainable development of wind power.

The Impact of Institutional Power on Higher Degree Research Supervision: Implications for the Quality of Doctoral Outcomes

This paper examines the impact of power in the supervision process as experienced by the PhD students, the institutional influence upon this, and implications for the quality of the doctoral outcome. This research paper is based on findings of a larger, recently completed PhD with the aim to develop a participant-driven theory of the lived experience of being a PhD student. This was done by analyzing the reported experiences of 23 PhD students in various disciplines and stages of their PhD studying at Australian Universities over a period of 12 months. Participants were given the freedom to choose and prioritize the experiences to report on and how they reported on them. Core to the supervision findings was the issue of power and how institutional influences distort the power relationship between the supervisor and the supervisee. Adopting French and Raven's (1959) Bases of Social Power, the institutional power sources that play on the PhD candidate are enacted through 'actors' in the institutional process including the supervisor who are presented. The findings support the need for institutions to systematically review their practices to meet their duty of care to their PhD students to provide high quality HDR supervision and improve doctoral outcomes. This research addresses a gap in contemporary supervision literature by addressing the impact of institutional power and institutional practices on the academic supervisor and how these play out in the utilization of power on and over the PhD student and the doctoral outcome.

Generation of Airy vortex beam arrays using computer-generated holography.

We report on the generation of diverse arrays of Airy vortex beams (AiVBs) with normal or deformed structures by employing computer-generated holography. The intensity distributions and evolution of the arrays containing four AiVBs with different topological charges are theoretically and experimentally studied. The generated AiVBs are converged due to the self-bending characteristic independent of the sign and topological charges of the AiVBs. The experimental and numerical results agree well with each other. These novel arrays are expected to be used for multiple capture or manipulation of particles at the same time but at different positions, providing powerful theoretical and experimental bases for improving the efficiency of optical manipulation.

The Effect of Aerobic Exercise on Occupational Stress of Female Nurses: A Controlled Clinical Trial.

Objective. This work sought to determine the effectiveness of an aerobic exercise program on the occupational stress of nurses.Methods. Prevention-type controlled clinical trial carried out with the participation of 60 nurses working in hospitals affiliated to Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences in Iran. Randomly, the nurses were assigned to the experimental group or to the control group. The intervention consisted in an aerobic exercise program lasting three months with three weekly sessions one hour each. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) questionnaire measured occupational stress with 35 questions, each with five Likert-type response options, which can have a maximum score of 175 points; higher scores meant lower levels of occupational stress. The HSE was evaluated during three moments: upon registering, after finishing the exercise program (week 8), and two months after terminating the intervention (week 16).Results. The level of occupational stress was the same in the experimental and control groups during registration (86.2 vs. 86.3). Upon finishing the aerobic exercise program (week 8), the experimental group showed a higher score than the control group (119.7 vs. 86.2, p<0.01), with this score diminishing after two months of having ended the intervention (91.4 vs. 85.8, p=0.061).Conclusion. The aerobic exercise program was associated to decreased work stress of nurses in the experimental group compared to the control group at eight weeks, but this difference did not persist when the experimental group did not continue with the program.