Topic > Power, authority and conflict - 1622

1) Power is a difficult concept to identify; it has been defined in different ways by many scholars. Hinings et al. (1967) state that power is analogous to bureaucracy, while Bierstedt (1950) and Blau (1964) state that it is pure coercion (Stojkovic et al, 2008). Furthermore, Hall and Tolbert (2005) identify that there are five types of power: reward, coercive, legitimate, referent and expert (Stojkovic et al, 2008). According to studies these five types of power are important and necessary in a criminal justice agency for greater effectiveness and efficiency. The five different power types cannot be implemented in every unit; instead, it is necessary to implement different policies within different units to achieve effective administrative power. According to Tifft (1978) different units of a police force allow different types of power to be developed (Stojkovic et al, 2008). Coercive and legitimate power can be observed in a patrol sergeant due to the unit's specific tasks, while a tactical unit displays extreme levels of reference, expert, and legitimate power due to structural design and unique activities (Stojkovic et al, 2008). For example, in a police agency investigative units would benefit greatly if sergeants had prior experience in the unit, as power and expert knowledge are essential to the sergeant's role (Stojkovic et al, 2008). Since knowledge of common crime methods provides the sergeant with necessary information that is valued and respected by subordinate detectives, it is essential that the police administrator brings people into the unit who have had experience as detectives (Stojkovic et al, 2008). Therefore, the social bases of power differ between organizations, and structural characteristics influence half of the paper anization. The last episode of conflict is the consequence of the conflict. At this stage, if the issues listed in the latent conflict episode are addressed satisfactorily, the conflict will be resolved (Stojkovic et al, 2008). This is the type of resolution managers and supervisors should seek to minimize organizational conflict. However, if the conflicts listed above are not addressed but only suppressed, then the conflict will re-emerge and the organization will enter the post-conflict phase (Stojkovic et al, 2008). The problem with this episode is that it could become serious and weaken the relationship between the two parties and can never be completely healed. For example, in prisons, if the conditions listed in the latent conflict are never resolved, the conflict will worsen until another disturbance occurs (Stojkovic et al., 2008)