Identify and briefly discuss the factors that can give a group control over a strategic contingency.
What will be an ideal response?
Answers will vary. Three factors can give a group control over a strategic contingency. One is the ability to cope with uncertainty. If a group can help another group deal with uncertainty, it has power. One group that has gained power in recent years in most organizations is the legal department. Faced with increasing government regulations and fears of litigation, many other departments seek guidance from the legal department.Another factor that can give a group control power is a high degree of centrality within the organization. If a group's functioning is important to the organization's success, it has high centrality. The sales force in a computer firm, for example, has power because of its immediate effect on the firm's operations and because other groups depend on its activities.The third factor that can give a group power is nonsubstitutability-the extent to which a group performs a function that is indispensable to an organization. A team of computer specialists may be powerful because of its expertise with a system. It may have specialized experience that another team cannot provide. Please see the section "Forms and Sources of Power in Organizations" for more information.
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