Personnel power persists regardless of economic cycles, unlike dismissal power
Evidence
This difference is connected with the fact that organizational power is to a much greater degree sensitive to cyclical conditions. In business recessions, the danger of dismissal grows, and with it the readiness to conform to norms and to be excessively obedient. An economy with full employment has the opposite effect. Personnel power remains relatively untouched by such ups and downs, because there is always a shortage of attractive jobs. — Niklas Luhmann, Trust and Power, 793
Categorization
Category: Causal Relationships
- XREF: Directly relevant to Stevens’s situation — as head butler he holds personnel power over servants but subordinates to Darlington’s membership power; connects to Luhmann-on-Giddens facework reading.
- ADDENDUM: Complements the sacrifice article — obedience in recessions parallels how institutions extract deference at vulnerable moments.
Related
- Economic cycles shape organizational power but not personnel power (similarity 0.93)
- Personnel power operates through subtle anticipatory sanctions rather than overt dismissal (similarity 0.80)
- Career ambition exposes one to personnel power (similarity 0.78)
Broader Connections
- Career ambition exposes one to personnel power
#exemplifies(0.60) — Niklas Luhmann, Trust and Power, 792