Organizational behaviour (SMO) and case report

Power, leadership and influence at Harpo Company
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Introduction
Creation of Harpo with Oprah Winfrey at the helm of the company is a unique case study in the communication and entertainment industry. The appeal exuded by Winfrey has increased popularity of the company to the masses, with Oprah gaining the power of influence. Consequently, this has led to various request for her to chair boards, but these offers have been rejected which has surprisingly elevated her status even more. With the company’s headquarters in Chicago Illinois, Winfrey has great influence on the company’s operations as the head of the organization (Colquitt et al., 2010). The over reliance on the power, appeal and influence of one person in making decisions is potentially harmful to the longevity and sustainability of the company.
Potential dangers of a single super powerful person
Power connotes that an individual has ability to influence the behavior and actions of other people (Colquitt et al., 2010). Placing too much power in the hands of one person presents many dangers in an organization (Lambert, 2008). There are possibilities of abuse of power by a leader because all major decisions cannot be made without their approval; often their viewpoints override that of others as they can exert excessive influence over others. Misuse and abuse of power may befall even the most powerful of leaders. For instance, powerful media mogul Rupert Murdoch the owner of News Corp suffered various lawsuits following allegations of phone hacking (Sabbagh, 2011).
With too much power on their hands, many organizational leaders do not adhere to regulations from oversight authorities or checks and balances. Thus, there is a need to place power to the management team where potential for power abuse is minimal. Abuse of power is more likely to occur in Harpo’s case as it less likely that decisions can be questioned by the employees, even when they appear to be wrong. The relevance of boards cannot be overemphasized, as they provide checks and balances through approval by team members. In addition, board members tend to have much experience in the business world and there decisions are more likely to be beneficial to improving
Overreliance on the power of one single person presents challenges to the succession and sustainability of an organization. Harpo industry seems to have Winfrey as the only recognizable ambassador of the company, and her actions have the potential to affect the appeal of the company’s brand. When many decisions come from one person there is uncertainty about sustainability of the company in the long term. In addition, the management structure of the company ought to have a clear designation of roles and responsibilities. In spite of her appeal, the management team and staff may not be motivated enough as major decisions come from one person. This creates problems during succession as there is no clear li...