Power & Politics

Haas School of Business, University of California Berkeley United States
This course is about the art and science of influence in organizations. Many people are ambivalent, if not disdainful, of those who seek to wield power and influence at work. But organizations are fundamentally political entities, and power and influence are key mechanisms by which things get done. For those considering careers in management, it is important to be able to diagnose organizational politics in order to form and implement new strategies. The other side of the coin is that managers are usually on the receiving end of these processes as well. An astute manager knows how to anticipate moves that others will make, how to block or avoid them when they have consequences that are undesirable, and how to help these moves succeed when their consequences are beneficial. After taking this course, you will be able to: (1) diagnose the distribution of power in organizations, (2) identify strategies for building sources of power, (3) develop techniques for influencing others, and (4) understand the role of power in building cooperation and leading change in an organization. These skills will be invaluable to you throughout your career.

The content and objectives will be nearly identical to the “in-person” version of the course, but this online course will present information through multiple media and provide you with more flexibility in when and how you learn the material. Much of the course will be accessible “anytime” from “anywhere” (known as asynchronous learning). There will also be “live” online session with Professor Anderson and smaller, group sessions, both over video conference (known as synchronous learning).

About the instructor

Cameron Anderson is the Lorraine Tyson Mitchell Chair in Leadership & Communication at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. He received his PhD in psychology from the University of California, Berkeley and taught at Kellogg School of Management (Northwestern University) as well as the Stern School of Business (New York University) prior to Haas. Dr. Anderson was voted Professor of the Year at the Stern School and has won the top teaching award at Haas. He teaches in the Center for Executive Education and at companies around the world in addition to the MBA programs. His teaching focuses primarily on leadership, power and politics, teamwork, negotiation, and conflict management. Dr. Anderson’s primary research interests involve power and influence in organizations and he has over 60 published articles and presentations. His research has been covered by numerous media outlets such as Time magazine, Businessweek, The Economist, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and Psychology Today.

Course Date & Time

Tuesdays, 6:05 - 7:35 pm (Pacific Standard Time)