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35 6 If Only the Boss Really Had Power; or, It’s Not So Lonely at theTop One of the reasons we want to move up the organizational ladder is that we can finally be in a position to decide important issues. No more having to do what the boss says or looking for opportunities to smuggle in a thought. Even if we are aware that we don’t always do what our boss says, we think that if we get to the pinnacle of the organization, then we will be in a position to do good work.That is, of course, true and, disconcertingly, not true. CEOs do have more positional authority, and that is a source of power. Real power must be gathered from diverse sources and can be difficult to exercise. Under the best of circumstances, it must be marshaled and wielded carefully. Systems, private as well as public, constrain all of us, even those at the top. In this section Chandler provides a glimpse into the odd experience of feeling trapped inside a seemingly powerful position. Being the chief executive officer of a large state agency seems like it would enable you to have a lot of power, and in some ways it does. But in many other ways, you really are simply riding a horse in the direction it wants to go. Most staff employees of public agencies do jump when asked to complete tasks. However, it is often necessary for the boss to say, “This is a mandate,” in order to ensure compliance.“This is an order” is a phrase not used a lot by social workers or professors.Though using it is not considered acceptable management style, at times it was required. Sometimes, supervisors would play the “director said” game.This was a strategy in which they would tell their subordinates that the director said they should do this or not do that. Frequently, the only way I learned this was by being at a meeting where I heard that a unit was doing something (or not) because “the director said so.” Often I had never even heard about the issue. Organizationally, the director’s office seemed powerful since all outgoing ideas about legislation,budget requests,position redescriptions,contracts,and so forth needed my authorization. However, the director must rely on the advice of her staff since it would be impossible to conduct business if the director and deputy director were required to review every decision being made.The agency would come to a screeching halt. Exceptions included the 36 | Backstage in a Bureaucracy legislative agenda and budget, which were top priorities: every piece of legislation and every budget request were carefully and painstakingly reviewed in the director’s office. There is power in not signing a bill or budget request. Even asking for more information, justification, and explanation is power. However, as discussed in the next section, procuring and contracting for services is a complex process in which other state agencies, such as DoAG, human resources, B&F, and accounting and general services all exert heavy influence over DHS and its director.Power is shared across many state agencies and also with the governor and the legislature.These agencies function as staff agencies to those like DHS and DOH, and often their directors’ signatures are required for hiring, budget changes, leases, contracts…all from the petty to the sublime. ...

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