Power from What? A Reexamination of Its Relationships with Structural Conditions

The results show previous power position to be the main predictor of subsequent power, whereas control of conditions or intertemporal changes therein were found to have no significant effect on subsequent subunit power, casting doubt on the commonly assumed determinant-outcome relations between control over contingencies and sub unit power.

Abstract

Power is an elusive concept that has a variety of meanings and definitions and has been measured in different way. Subunit power within organizations is defined as the capacity of a subunit to influence the behavior of other subunits. The strategic contingencies theory proposes that subunit power is derived from control over contingencies that are strategic for the activities of other subunits and the organization as a whole. Thus, a subunit&s;s ability to cope with organizational uncertainties, its centrality in the workflow, and nonsubstitutability are considered sources of power. This chapter focuses on a study of nine healthcare clinics that are part of a publicly owned network organization of thirty clinics in the southern region of Israel. The clinics are small interactive systems, internally divided into three major subunits: the medical subunit, the paramedical subunit, and the administrative subunit. Work dependence among subunits can be described as reciprocal.