Abstract
Several authors have argued that academic decision-making can be viewed as a political process. This implies that under certain conditions, academic decisons are most likely to be resolved through the use of influence strategies (Baldrigeet al. 1977; Pfeffer 1981). One issue that can be raised from this theoretical perspective concerns the types of influence strategy that can be found in that kind of process. This article presents, discusses, and illustrates a typology that can be used as a descriptive instrument for dealing with this issue. The typology is based on the assumption that influence strategies can be described along two independent dimensions, namely, mode of influence and power resources. A critical review of the literature led us to distinguish two basic modes of influence (pressure vs legitimation), and seven types of organizational resources (expertise, monetary resources, information, time, rules, coalitions, language and symbolic actions). The assumption is that each of these organizational resources can be associated with either mode of influence, which gives 14 possible types of influence strategy. The typology was applied in the study of a case of decision-making process in a university. This case study provided illustrations of some of the types of strategy identified by the typology.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Allison, G. T. (1971).Essence of Decision. Boston: Little, Brown and Company.
Baechler, J. (1978).Le pouvoir pur. Paris: Calmann-Levy.
Baldrige, J. V. (1971).Power and Conflict in the University. New York: J. Wiley.
Baldridge, J. V. (1983). ‘Organizational Characteristics of Colleges and Universities,’ in J. V. Baldridge and T. Deal (eds),The Dynamics of Organizational Change in Education. Berkeley, CA: McCutchan, 38–59.
Baldridge, J. V., Curtis, D. V., Ecker, G. P. and Riley, G. L. (1977). ‘Alternative Models of Governance in Higher Education.’ in G. L. Riley and J. V. Baldridge (eds),Governing Academic Organizations, 1–25. Berkeley, CA: McCutchan.
Biersted, R. (1950). ‘An Analysis of Social Power,’American Sociological Review, 15.
Blau, P. M. (1964).Exchange and Power in Social Life. New York: J. Wiley.
Boudon, R. and Bourricaud, F. (1986).Dictionnaire critique de sociologie. Paris: P.U.F.
Bourdieu, P. (1984).Homo Academicus. Paris: P.U.F.
Bourgeois, E. (1993). ‘Organizational Conditions and Strategies for Widening Access to the University. A Belgian Case Study’.International Journal of University Adult Education. In press.
Bourgeois, E. (1993). ‘Dependence, Legitimation, and Power in Academic Decision-Making’,Higher Education Policy, 4(4), 21–24.
Bourgeois, E. (1990). ‘University Politics: Adult Education in a Belgian University.’ Ph.D. thesis. Chicago: The University of Chicago.
Chazel, F. (1974). ‘Pouvoir, cause et force’.Revue française de sociologie, 15(4), 441–457.
Clark, B. R. (1977). ‘Faculty Organization and Authority,” in G. L. Riley and J. V. Baldridge (eds),Governing Academic Organizations. Berkeley, CA: McCutchan.
Clegg, S. R. (1989).Frameworks of Power. London: SAGE.
Crozier, M. (1963).Le phénomène bureaucratique. Paris: Le Seuil.
Crozier, M. and Friedberg, E. (1977).L'acteur et le systéme. Paris: Le Seuil.
Cyert, R. M. and March, J. G. (1963).A Behavioral Theory of the Firms. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall.
Dahl, R. A. (1957). ‘The Concept of Power.’Behavioral Science, 2, 201–215.
de Bruyne, P. (1981).Modèles de décision. Les rationalités de l'action. Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium): Centre d'études praxéologiques.
De Coster, M. (1987).Introduction à la sociologie. Brussels: De Boeck.
Emerson, R. M. (1962). ‘Power-Dependence Relations.’American Sociological Review, 27, 31–41.
Etzioni, A. (1961).A Comparative Analysis of Complex Organizations. On Power, Involvement, and Their Correlates. Glencoe, Ill.: The Free Press.
Exiga, A., Piotet, F., Sainsaulieu, R. (1981). ‘L'analyse sociologique des conditions de travil. Paris: Anact.
French, J. R. P., Jr., and Raven, B. (1968). ‘The Bases of Social Power,’ in D. Cartwright (ed),Studies in Social Power. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 150–167.
Gergen, K. J. and Gergen, M. M. (1984). ‘Psychologie sociale. Saint-Laurent: Etudes vivantes.
Heller, F., Drenth, P., Koopman, P., Rus, V. (1988).Decisions in Organizations. A Three-Country Comparative Study. London: SAGE.
Hickson, D. J., Hinings, C. R., Lee, C. A., Schneck, R. H. and Pennings, J. M. (1971). ‘A “Strategic Contingencies” Theory of Intraorganizational Power.’Administrative Science Quarterly, 16, 216–229.
Hickson, D. J., Butler, R. J., Gray, D., Mallory, G. R., Wilson, D. C. (1986).Top Decisions, Strategic Decision-Making in Organizations. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
Hirschman, A. O. (1972).Exit, Voice and Loyalty. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.
Lawrence, P. R., and Lorsch, J. W. (1967).Organization and Environment. Boston. Graduate School of Business Administration, Harvard University.
March, J. G. (1962). ‘The Business Firm as a Political Coalition.’Journal of Politics, 24, 662–678.
March, J. G. and Olsen, J. P. (eds.). (1976).Ambiguity and Choice in Organizations. Bergen, Norway: Universitetforlaget.
Maroy, C. (1988). ‘Formation professionnelle et professionnels de la formation.’ Ph.D. thesis. Louvainla-Neuve (Belgium): Université Catholique de Louvain.
Millet, J. D. (1962).The Academic Community. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Mintzberg, H. (1982).Structure et dynamique des organisations. Paris: Les éditions d'organisation.
Mintzberg, H. (1983).Power In and Around Organizations. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall.
Moore, W. L. (1979).Determinants and Outcomes of Departmental Power: A Two-Campus Study. Berkeley, CA: University of California. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation.
Pages, M., Bonetti, M., de Gaulejac, V. and Descendre, D. (1979).L'emprise de l'organisation. Paris: P.U.F.
Pettigrew, A. M. (1972). ‘Information Control as a Power Resource.’Sociology, 6, 187–204.
Pettigrew, A. M. (1973).The Politics of Organizational Decision-Making. London: Travistock.
Pfeffer, J. (1981).Power in Organizations. Marshfield, MA: Pitman.
Pfeffer, J. and Salancik, G. R. (1978).The External Control of Organizations. New York: Harper and Row.
Pfeffer, J. and Salancik, G. R. (1974). ‘Organizational Decision-Making as a Political Process: The Case of a University Budget.’Administrative Science Quarterly, 19, 135–151.
Reitter, R. and Ramanantsoa, B. (1985).Pouvoir et politique. Paris: McGraw Hill.
Salancik, G. R. and Pfeffer, J. (1974). ‘The Bases and Uses of Power in Organizational Decision-making: The Case of a University.’Administrative Science Quarterly, 19, 453–473.
Scott, W. R. (1981).Organizations: Rational, Natural, and Open Systems. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall.
Stroup, H. (1966).Bureaucracy in Higher Education. New York: Free Press.
Thompson, J. D. (1967).Organizations in Action. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Van Parijs, Ph. (1991). ‘Le trilemme de l'éthique des affaires.’La Revue Nouvelle, XCIII(1), 36–43.
Weber, M. (1946). ‘Bureaucracy,’ in H. H. Berth and C. Mills (Eds and Tr),From Max Weber: Essay in Sociology. New York: Oxford University Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bourgeois, E., Nizet, J. Influence in academic decision-making: Towards a typology of strategies. High Educ 26, 387–409 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01383735
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01383735