This Episode of the Television Show the Office Demonstrates Many of the Aspects of Power

COMS 205

Power Application Activity

SKIT:

One Activity I do is to have the student groups devise skits that demonstrate one of the power bases in a group setting. On the board I’ll write

In your groups create a short skit of a group interaction that

1)  Demonstrates one power base

2)  Shows how a group member would use that power base in a constructive way

MOVIE CLIP:

Another thing I have done is to use parts of the episode “Health Care” from the TV Show The Office (season one). Laura has a copy of the DVD that you can borrow if you’d like to show it. You could do this same activity with a wide variety of other TV shows or movie clips where there is a conflict.

I give them this worksheet (next page) after we’ve talked about the bases of power and the way power plays out in groups. They take notes during the clip, then work with a partner to complete their examples. Get students to provide examples for the class of each power base, then talk about how those are linked to the conflict that occurs in this clip.

This episode of the television show “The Office” demonstrates many of the aspects of power that are discussed in your course readings. As you watch this show, take some notes on the following.

What sources of power do the organizational members draw on during this episode?

Find examples of each of these and explain what the people in the episode communicated (including both verbal and nonverbal cues) that makes you choose this as an example.

·  Reward Power

·  Coercive Power

·  Legitimate Power

·  Referent Power

·  Expert Power

·  Informational Power