Transfer of power as a function of direction and mental model : a field experiment

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Date
2003-03
Authors
Lo, Pei Shih
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Publisher
Universiti Sains Malaysia
Abstract
The present study examines the transfer of power across two levels of organization, which are the individual and the group. It examines whether the transfer of power has taken place from an influential group to a non-influential individual and from an influential individual to a non-influential group. This study also analyses whether the perceptions of an insider and outsider will create a gap in the transfer of power. Some of the critical conditions necessary for power identity and reputation to be developed and transferred effectively between individuals and groups in organizations are also described. This experimental study was conducted on a sample of 227 working executives and managerial personnel from the semiconductor manufacturing industry in the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone in Penang, Malaysia. The independent variables are direction, which was divided into upward and downward transfer, and power mental models with two categories: identity and reputation. The dependent variable is transfer of power. A series of paired-samples t test was performed to test the four hypotheses for main effects of the power transfer, from the dimension of direction and mental model. The findings reveal only partial support for the hypotheses developed and suggest that transfer of power occurs at relatively smooth levels in both the upward and downward directions from the reputation and identity perspectives. The findings also suggest that increased communication between insiders and outsiders as well as promoting team member's sense of belonging play a significant role in further facilitating the transfer of power. This study adds to the limited literature of cross-level power transfer between individual and group, especially in the Malaysian context. The implications of this study and suggestions for future research are also discussed.
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Transfer of power
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