You Can’t Play by Rules, Always
(Executive Brief with R.D. Prasad)

This video case study triggers an interesting discussion over power and politics, which are an integral and inevitable part of every organisation. This case study is meant for discussing the concepts of power, authority and politics in the Organisational Behaviour course. With regard to the same, real-time power and politics problems faced by an experienced executive are showcased through this video.

As a product manager with a reputed search engine marketing firm for more than 2 years, R.D. Prasad (Prasad) was both apprehensive and uncertain when the CEO offered him a new role. However, shouldering new responsibilities, without any explicit authority or power, was a tough ordeal. Making matters worse, Prasad was faced with defiance and non-cooperation from a senior and important member. Delivering targets under such testing conditions turned out to be a daunting task for Prasad. What measures should he take to handle these issues? Should he seek the CEO’s intervention in resolving these problems?

Pedagogical Objectives

• To understand the importance of power and authority in organisations
• To analyse how organisational politics can hamper the growth of an organisation
• To debate on the measures taken by Prasad to achieve his targets in the absence of formal power and authority.

This Executive Brief is best suited for:

• (A) Organizational Behavior Course
  • for understanding the difference between and Power and Authority, Power and Politics; how politics would shape individuals’ organizational behavior
  • for debating on the possible responses for getting things done when one is not having a formal authority
  • to debate on: Is Formal Authority = Power ; Informal Power = Authority
• (B) Organizational Development Module
  • for debating and deciding on the possible organizational development techniques for a non-confirmatory behavior

Part I: Executive Brief on Power and Authority

Nature: Sample
Duration: 3:07 min

Part II: Executive Response on Power and Authority

Nature: Sample
Duration: 2:57 min

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