Paper Summary:

The paper discusses Zimbardo's prison experiment which highlighted the significant impact expectations and roles have on people. The paper then explores how power and politics is also a significant dynamic within a business, with the ability to use power effectively a key attribute of a good leader. The paper also addresses the effects of positive reinforcement of organizational norms and also looks at the expectation states theory. The paper concludes that expectations play a pivotal role in how an individual, or a subunit of an organization, performs.

From the Paper:

"Expectations form an important role in any group, organization or business, the power that expectations has on our performance cannot be underestimated. So with whom does the responsibility lie for underperformance of an organization or an individual within an organization when this underperformance stems from low expectations? Is it our ethical responsibility to perform to our best in any given situation even if this is above what is expected of us? The definition of pragmatic imperative is that we ought to do the right thing because it is very often true that good ethics equals good business (Davis, 2000). In this respect it follows that we should indeed perform to our utmost even if what is expected of us is below our abilities."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Davis, D. (2000). Why Ethics in 2000? [Electronic version]. Circuit January/February issue
• Deutsch M & Gerard H B. A study of normative and informational social influencesupon individual judgment. Social Psychology. P629-36, 1955.
• Bales, R. F. (1950). Interaction Process Analysis: A Method for the Study of Small Groups. Cambridge, MA: Addison-Wesley Press.
• Haney, C., Banks, W. C., & Zimbardo, P. G. (1973). Study of prisoners and guards in a simulated prison. Naval Research Reviews, 9, 1-17.
• Schneider, J. (1999). Strategic Leadership and Decision Making: Leveraging Power And Politics: Practical Implications

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