Professional Documents
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David Mechanic
This paper explores various factors that account for the power of
secretaries, hospital attendants, prison inmates, and other lower partici-
pants within organizations. Power is seen as resulting from access to
and control over persons, information, and instrumentalities. Among
the variables discussed affecting power are normative definitions, per-
ception of legitimacy, exchange, and coalitions. Personal attributes
related to power include commitment, effort, interest, willingness to
use power, skills, and attractiveneses. Finally, various attributes of
social structure are discussed which also help to account for the power
of lower participants: time spent in the organization, centrality of
position, duality of power structures, and replaceability of persons.'
David Mechanic is assistant professor of sociology, Department of
Sociology, University of Wisconsin.