Because of power inequities, sexual harassment by one’s manager typically creates
the greatest difficulty for the person being harassed. If there are no witnesses, it is the
manager’s word against the employee’s word. Are there others whom this manager has
harassed, and if so, will they come forward? Because of the manager’s control over
resources, many of those who are harassed are afraid of speaking out for fear of retali-
ation by the manager.
One of the places where there has been a dramatic increase in the number of sexual
harassment complaints is at university campuses across Canada, according to Paddy
Stamp, sexual harassment officer at the University of Toronto.^47 However, agreement on
what constitutes sexual harassment, and how it should be investigated, is no clearer
for universities than for industry.
While nonconsensual sex between professors and students is rape and subject to
criminal charges, it is harder to evaluate apparently consensual relationships that occur
outside the classroom. There is some argument over whether truly consensual sex is
ever possible between students and professors. In an effort to underscore the power
discrepancy and potential for abuse of it by professors, in the late 1990s Yale University
decided that there could be no sexual relations between students and professors. In
2003, the University of California, which includes Berkeley, implemented a policy that
went further, forbidding romantic relationships between professors and their students
as well.^48 Most universities have been unwilling to take such a strong stance. However,
this issue is certainly one of concern, because the power distance between professors and
students is considerable.
In concluding this discussion, we would like to point out that sexual harassment is
about power. It is about an individual controlling or threatening another individual. It
is wrong. Moreover, it is illegal. You can understand how sexual harassment surfaces
in organizations if you analyze it in power terms. We should also point out that sexual
harassment is not something done only by men to women. There have been several
cases of males reporting sexual harassment by male managers.^49 While there have been
no media reports of women sexually harassing either men or women in Canada, under
the framework of the law, it is certainly feasible.POLITICS: POWER INACTION
Both International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge and International Skating
Union president Ottavio Cinquanta paid a lot of attention to what the media had to say about
the figure skating controversy. The event had taken place in the United States, and Americans
made it clear that they were dismayed when the Canadians lost. As a result, the controversy was
discussed on a variety of talk shows and news programs, and in newspapers. This was a way
of keeping the controversy alive, and trying to persuade the Olympics head that the decision
needed to be changed. Rogge arguably was affected by the pressure, fearing that the negative
publicity surrounding the skating controversy was harming the rest of the Olympics. Thus,
when he decided to award the unprecedented second gold medal, it might have been less
about making the “right” decision and more about making a political decision to silence dis-
sent. So why is politics so prevalent? Is it merely a fact of life?Organizational behaviour researchers have learned a lot in recent years about how peo-
ple gain and use power in organizations. Part of using power in organizations is engag-
ing in organizational politics to influence others to help you achieve your personal
objectives. Lobbying others to get them to vote with you on a particular decision is
engaging in organizational politics.
When people get together in groups, power will be exerted. People want to carve out
niches from which to exert influence, to earn rewards, and to advance their careers.^50
When employees in organizations convert their power into action, we describe them as234 Part 3Interacting Effectively
7 Why do people engage
in politics?