Power the Sources of Power

Power The sources of power within an organization can have a lasting impact upon what the organization accomplishes. Both corporations and public schools have various sources of power that are responsible for the manner in which the organization performs. The purpose of this discussion is to describing the various sources of power in the administration of a Corporation when compared to the Public School system. The discussion will describe the individual roles in each organization and specific powers they have in running the organization.

Sources of power in the Public School Environment Public schools are one of the cornerstones of American society. Public school administrators have a tremendous responsibility to ensure that students learning the appropriate material in a safe environment. In recent years the public school system has been under a great deal of scrutiny because many students are failing to receive the education needed to excel at the college level or in the workforce (Hochschild & Scovronick, 2003).

Within the public school system there are various levels of power and administrative duties (Hochschild & Scovronick, 2003). The United States Department of Education is the highest source of power as it relates to formulating general standards for public schools in America. The Education Department was formed in 1980 and combines several offices of federal agencies (Overview). The United States Department of Education employs 4,500 people and has a budget of more than $70 billion (Overview).

The primary purpose of the department is to encourage the achievement of American students and ready them for a world that is competitive on a global scale. Additionally the department is responsible for Establishing policies on federal financial aid for education, and distributing as well as monitoring those funds. Collecting data on America's schools and disseminating research. Focusing national attention on key educational issues.

Prohibiting discrimination and ensuring equal access to education (Overview)." In addition to the federal department of education, each state has a Department of Education that is responsible for ensuring that the regulations set forth by the federal government are implemented. States may differ slightly as it relates to the rules and regulations that are enforced. For instance, some states have higher standards as it pertains to the qualifications for teachers and curricula. One of the primary sources of power in the public school system is derived from the superintendents.

Superintendents exist at both the state and local/city level. The state superintendent of education is responsible for overseeing all of the city superintendents within the state and ensuring that the standards established by the state are carried out. The city superintendent is responsible for developing the curriculum policy of the local school system. Many localities also have associate and/or assistant superintendents who act as liaisons to the main superintendent (Gates et al., 2003).

This is often the case in larger cities in which there are many students for which a superintendent is responsible. According to Andero (2000) local school boards also play a significant role in assisting the local superintendent. The author explains, the Superintendent is the liaison between the school board and state educational leadership. Superintendent filters state curriculum policy mandates to the school board. School board, who is responsible for local education, acts in concert with the superintendent. Most school-boards are deficient in technical knowledge of education.

Therefore, school board affirms the professionally-based decisions of the Superintendent (Andero 2000). In addition to the aforementioned power of the superintendent and the school board, these individuals are also responsible for such things as health, nutrition and the safety of students in the case of an emergency. In most cases school superintendents have also served as teachers or school principals. Superintendents are often chosen because they have the ability to organize and bring people together.

Superintendents and school boards are absolutely necessary as it relates to ensuring that the public school systems are operating effectively. Additionally principals and assistant principals also serve as the immediate sources over power in each public school. Principals also act as overseers to ensure that the policies established by the superintendent and the school board are implemented. Principals are also responsible for carrying out disciplinary actions when school rules are broken.

In addition to principals, some schools have deans (usually at the senior high school level) who take care of disciplinary problems or issues with absenteeism. Some high schools have separate deans for male and female students. However, many have a single dean of students who is responsible for both the male and female students. Teachers are also a source of power as it pertains to the public school system.

Teachers have the most contact with students and as such they have a great deal of influence as it relates to the student/teacher relationship. Although the primary purpose or mission for teachers is to instruct students using the established curriculum, they also play an instrumental role in nurturing students and assisting them in seeing their full potential. Teachers also have an extremely strong union that has been very influential in the past as it pertains to several issues.

Parents, students and the community also serve as a source of power as it relates to the public school system (Gabbard & Ross, 2004). Because the school system is funded by tax payers, they are also stakeholders and they can influence the decisions that are made as it relates to the public school system. Parents, students and the community have the right to attend school board meetings and voice their opinions concerning school curriculum, health and safety issues and the activities that are available to students.

Parents and teachers also work together to formulate ways to better serve the needs of students. Although parents, students and the community may not get to vote on these particular issues, their objections and/or concerns are often taken into consideration when the final decision is made. Overall it is apparent that the public school system has established a clear structure of leadership and authority. This structure ensures some measure of accountability to guarantee the goals and purpose of the Department of Education are carried out.

Although this system has been called into question in recent years, in many districts around the country it has been a successful model. There are currently growing concerns about the ability to sustain this model in the future because there is a decrease in the number of qualified candidates that can fill positions and many administrators are retiring (Rayfield & Diamantes, 2004).

Sources of power in Corporations Just as there are various sources of power as it relates to public schools there is also a hierarchy present in the corporate setting (Danaher & Mark, 2003). The sources of power may differ slightly depending upon whether or not the corporation is publicly held or privately held -- an issue that will be expounded upon later.

Just as with the public school system, the federal government regulates corporations and has established a set of rules that corporations must abide by if they are to operate in America. These rules are governed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and pertain to such factors as Financial Reports and corporate governance (What We DO). Within the context of the corporation Chief Executive Officers has the most substantial amount of power (Storey, 2004). The CEO is responsible for delegating authority as it relates to the senior management.

In many cases the CEO of a corporation may also be the founder or cofounder of the company. I many cases the CEO is an individual that has worked with the company since its inception, however many corporations hire CEO's from outside of the organization (Bigley & Wiersema, 2002). This is most often the case when the company is in financial trouble and requires the experience and expertise of a specific individual. CEO's of most well established corporations receive a large salary with substantial retirement benefits and other perks (Thomas, 2005).

In return for this significant pay the CEO is expected to use his/her power to yield positive results for the company's bottom line (Storey, 2004). In other words, they are expected to make sure the company is profitable. CEO's accomplish this by working with other sources of power within the organization including Chief Financial officers, Chief Information officers, and senior management. Another significant source of power within the corporate setting is the board of directors.

The board-of-directors of some corporations has more power than the board of directors of other corporations. The board-of-directors "is responsible for overseeing the operations of corporations and ensuring that assets of the corporations' owners -- that is, stockholders -- are protected from fraud, waste, and abuse (Holbrook, 2004-page 4)." In recent years the power of the boards of directors has been called into question. The questions arise because in many cases the people who sit on the board of directors have conflicting interests.

Holbrook (2004) explains in numerous corporations throughout the country the people that serve of the board of directors also have relationships with corporate management. In many cases these are people that serve as current or former CEO's and they often exchange favors (Holbrook, 2004). In addition those on the board of directors may have worked at the same accounting or law firms and had business dealings with one another in the past.

Even some college professors and ex-high ranking government officials who have conducted studies or have useful connections are board members (Holbrook, 2004). The author further reports that "These people with intertwined relationships with corporate management often sit on multiple boards, causing an even greater conflict of interest (Holbrook, 2004-page 4)." As was mentioned previously the sources of power for a corporation can differ slightly depending on whether or not the corporation is publicly or privately held.

Publicly held organizations are often beholden to shareholders (each of whom owns a percentage of the company) (Winkler, 2004). Publicly held corporations must make financial information about the company available to shareholders (per government regulations). Shareholders have a significant amount of power because they are a source of capital for the company. If the company is not profitable, the value of the stock decreases and a shareholder might decide to sell the stock and invest in another publicly held corporation.

As a result of this power, the reactions and opinions of shareholders as it pertains to the strategies of the company are always taken into consideration. In addition to shareholders, other stakeholders include customers and employees. Customers or consumers have a great deal of power particularly in certain industries. The power of the consumer is most often seen in the retail sector. Consumers can dictate the types of products that are sold and the price of the products.

Corporations have to pay a great deal of attention to the taste and the trends that exist amongst consumers to ensure their products will sell once they enter the market. Corporations that are privately held are quite often owned by a single family. In many cases it is the family of the original founder of the corporation. Privately held corporations have the same sources of power but the number of owners (or shareholders) in the company are more limited.

For instance, a publicly held company may have thousands of shareholders and a privately held company may have fifteen. The owners of the privately held company still have a great deal of power (more power in some cases) but the dynamics are different. Discussion and Conclusion When the power sources of public schools and corporations are compared the differences are obvious but so are the similarities. It is apparent that the ultimate goals of the two types of organizations are different.

The public school system wants to promote and realize academic achievement in American children, while the corporation wants to realize a profit. In both cases there is a hierarchy that exists as it pertains to the sources of power. Corporations and public schools are required to follow certain rules and regulations.