Sociology Research

Introduction

Organizational change is a crucial factor in any organization. Every organization has to experience a variety of changes in either the business strategies or the composition of the management. In implementing changes in an organization set up, leaders and senior managers use their power and influence in trying to influence their subordinates into following their strategies. However, there is no defined way in which power associated with managerial positions influences organizational change processes. It matters in that there is a need to determine the impact of power on organizational changes.

Problem statement

There is a need to determine how power impacts organizational change in any organization. Personal political dynamics amongst leaders who know something is coming up increase in the months leading up to a key initiative’s public disclosure. Individuals and groups utilize their power to persuade others to help them achieve their goals. Even if a shift’s formal organizational structure is not well defined, uncertainty, risk, and power opportunities grow. When both covert and apparent power dynamics emerge, it can lead to turbulence, competitiveness, and even malevolent action. This is a regular occurrence in the business sector. However, past research does not explicitly indicate the impact of specific power on the success or failure of the organizational change process.

Qualitative sources

Ahlborg, H., & Nightingale, A. J. (2018). Theorizing power in political ecology: the where of power in resource governance projects. https://nmbu.brage.unit.no/nmbu-xmlui/handle/11250/2574182

Power and politics have always been fundamental to Political Ecology’s early days. Different and sometimes competing views of power exist in this discipline, which depicts power as a resource, personal trait, or relation at various points in time. The researcher’s goal is to contribute to the growing body of theoretical work on power by examining competing theories about how it affects social change and by outlining an alternative theory of power that draws on political ecology and sociotechnical approaches from the field of science and technology studies (S&TS). There are three tendencies in political ecology that have affected modern debates about power. The researcher’s conceptual discussion then progresses, and we ask specifically where power develops in the process of resource governance projects.

Lalancette, M., & Raynauld, V. (2019). The power of political image: Justin Trudeau, Instagram, and celebrity politics. American behavioral scientist63(7), 888-924. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0002764217744838

Canadian celebrity politics and digital eternal campaigning are examined along with how online image management affects leadership in this article. Visuals can have a significant impact on how the public views politicians, according to recent studies. In order to make a judgment about who to elect, voters are looking for specific qualities in political leaders including honesty, intelligence and kindness. In order to appear to have these qualities, politicians can employ image-management techniques. The usage of stunning images and videos on social media by heads of state has become the new normal. On October 19, 2015, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was elected to a four-year term. Using a quantitative-qualitative approach, this study explores how Trudeau and his party project a certain image to voters during an ongoing and increasingly personalized campaign.

Svarstad, H., Benjaminsen, T. A., & Overå, R. (2018). Power theories in political ecology. https://oda.oslomet.no/oda-xmlui/handle/10642/6587

The concept of political ecology is heavily influenced by the concept of power. Research in this discipline also tends to provide extensive presentations of diverse uses of power, including corporate and conservation initiatives that influence access to land and natural resources. Conflict and strife are the inevitable outcomes. There is, however, a dearth of theoretical explication on how power might be understood in political ecology. To fill this void, we begin by analyzing the various theoretical approaches to power that have dominated this discipline. From the 1980s onward, neo-Marxist and actor-oriented methodologies were applied, resulting in various mixtures of influences. Case studies of environmental initiatives at various scales, from the local to the global, are typically given. Processes and outcomes for various social groups have been the primary focus of these initiatives, as well as the actors involved. Environmental conflicts and governance can now be studied through the lens of three distinct methods (actor-oriented; neo-Marxist; and Foucauldian) that combine to generate a powerful synergy of power views.

Quantitative sources

Perugini, M., Gallucci, M., & Costantini, G. (2018). A practical primer to power analysis for simple experimental designs. International Review of Social Psychology31(1). https://www.rips-irsp.com/article/10.5334/irsp.181/

Useful in research design is power analysis. For the sake of this post, we’ll go over why power analysis is so important. The researchers go over some examples of when and how it can be put to use in practice. From two-group independent and paired groups to factorial designs one-way analysis of variance comparisons trends regression analyses analysis of covariance and mediation analyses after starting with simple two-group independently and paired groups are discussed. Moderators and predictors can be binary or continuous, and power analysis can be applied to both types of designs. The importance of increasing statistical power cannot be overstated. As the sample size and effect size rise at a given degree of statistical power, so does the power of the experiment. It’s easy to increase the number of people who take part in a study. To maximize an effect’s magnitude in the short term, the researchers concentrated on a few key concepts. The study’s unique design and the variable’s level of measurement both influence the choice of an effect size indicator.

Oreg, S., & Berson, Y. (2019). Leaders’ impact on organizational change: Bridging theoretical and methodological chasms. Academy of Management Annals13(1), 272-307. https://journals.aom.org/doi/abs/10.5465/annals.2016.0138

In recent years, the terms “leadership” and “organizational change” have been used interchangeably and in conjunction. We know a lot about leadership and change, but we don’t know nearly as much about how to bring the two together. In the literature on organizational change, managers and change agents are frequently referred to as change leaders because of their influence on organizations during periods of change. Despite this, the role of leaders in influencing change has not been researched in depth. It was found that there were major gaps in the literature on leadership and transformation across disciplines, methodological approaches, and levels of analysis through a comprehensive examination of the literature. A conceptual framework is provided to bridge these gaps and emphasize the primary mechanisms through which leaders generate organizational change and affect its beneficiaries. In order to effectively execute changes, leaders need to identify the essential leadership functions and the accompanying change management processes. In addition, we identify a number of potential research avenues. Many questions remain about how leaders’ strategic choices influence employees’ reactions to change and how context and time influence the effects of leaders’ actions during times of transition, to name just two examples.

Koeslag-Kreunen, M., Van den Bossche, P., Hoven, M., Van der Klink, M., & Gijselaers, W. (2018). When leadership powers team learning: A meta-analysis. Small Group Research49(4), 475-513. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1046496418764824

Adapting and acquiring knowledge at the level of the team is one of the most effective team processes, as evidenced by research showing the importance of team-level learning behaviors like sharing, discussing, and reflecting on knowledge and actions. A leader’s position as a catalyst is seen as vital when it comes to building an environment that encourages team learning. Team learning research has grown, but the link between it and individual learning has remained unclear. The relationship between team leadership behaviors, team learning behaviors, and the task type was investigated using a meta-analytic technique. 43 empirical research produced 92 different impact sizes. There is an 18% association between team leader behaviors and team learning behavior, according to the study’s findings. Results also demonstrate that leaders who focus on people help teams learn both for adaptive and developmental objectives, whereas leaders who focus on tasks only help teams learn for adaptive reasons.