Sources and Uses of Power in the Boardroom
- 1 June 1998
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis in European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology
- Vol. 7 (2) , 197-214
- https://doi.org/10.1080/135943298398871
Abstract
This article reports novel empirical findings on the conduct and behaviour of the boards and directors of the top 500 UK firms by capital employed. The particular focus of the article is the relative power and influence of part-time board members (chairmen and non-executive directors) compared with full-time board members (chief executive officers and executive directors). The empirical data are interpreted by a four-part conceptual framework examining the interactive effects of context, structure, power sources, and will and skill in using power to deliver intended effects. The conceptual approach to power is illustrated by two case examples of the mobilization of power to dismiss board members with the greatest positional power.Keywords
This publication has 22 references indexed in Scilit:
- The Social Organization of Boards of DirectorsBritish Journal of Sociology, 1995
- Company Responses to CadburyCorporate Governance: An International Review, 1995
- CEO DUALITY AS A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD: HOW BOARDS OF DIRECTORS BALANCE ENTRENCHMENT AVOIDANCE AND UNITY OF COMMAND.The Academy of Management Journal, 1994
- Corporate Governance Changes in UK Companies Between 1988 and 1993Corporate Governance: An International Review, 1994
- POTENTIAL POWER AND POWER USE: AN INVESTIGATION OF STRUCTURE AND BEHAVIOR.The Academy of Management Journal, 1993
- Agents without Principles? The Spread of the Poison Pill through the Intercorporate NetworkAdministrative Science Quarterly, 1991
- The Composition of Boards of Directors and Strategic Control: Effects on Corporate StrategyAcademy of Management Review, 1990
- Agency Theory: An Assessment and ReviewAcademy of Management Review, 1989
- Upper Echelons: The Organization as a Reflection of Its Top ManagersAcademy of Management Review, 1984
- Risk Reduction as a Managerial Motive for Conglomerate MergersThe Bell Journal of Economics, 1981