Management is helpless without the power to direct and control the pursuit of well-defined corporate goals. McCalley identifies six distinct patterns of power within organizations, arguing that management can and must use all of them creatively and ethically for the organization's benefit. Top-down position power is familiar, but not the only option. McCalley identifies others along with their sources, patterns of development, and common use—often abused—in recognizable management situations. Managers need to use their authority and power to drive the energy of dynamic organizations, asserts McCalley, but they must learn to do it without creating factionalism and conflict, and without subjugating subordinates.
Surprising insights into the mystery of why otherwise competent managers often fail are mixed with practical wisdom for executives, teachers, and students who will one day assume positions of power. Among the book's special characteristics is McCalley's comprehensive discussion of the impacts that every type of power, authority, influence, and leadership can have, what their basic sources are, and how their structural and functional effects impact the ability to manage.