HIERARCHICAL POWER IN PERSONNEL NEGOTIATIONS

Hierarchical Power (HP), a model for power asymmetry, is used in conju nction with other principles of personnel management to analyze the be havior of professionals during negotiations in an organization. Hierar chical Power involves the ability of a decision maker to choose in the knowledge of the opponent's choice. The methodology of HP is applied to a representative conflict in which a professional employee prefers to remain in the status quo position, and would rather leave the organ ization than accept a transfer to another position. An analysis of thi s conflict using HP is consistent with observed outcomes. HP is then u sed to study whether and how an alternate plan can help to eliminate t he possible deadlock between the decision makers.