Question

Ali Nasser is the new content & media Manager at the Museum of Heritage &
Arts. He is working on the biggest assignment of his career: heading the event and
developing the website for the museum's forthcoming new show "Images & Exhibits
of Medieval & Contemporary Oman." Ministry of Heritage is underwriting
(guaranteeing payment in case of loss/damage) the exhibit, and museum curator
(one who manages or oversees, as the administrative director of a museum collection)
Basma Said has told Ali that the board of trustees is counting on the exhibit's
success to open the door to more corporate support. "If that happens we'll have a
shot at becoming a top-quality regional museum," Basma tells Ali. "I don't have to
tell you how important that is to the board of trustees and your career also. You
will have to put up more hours into this than ever before. If this doesn’t succeed,
consider a cut of 20% of the payment terms."
Basma Said, Ali’s boss, represents the museum's administration and board of
trustees. Along with Basma who oversees the team & Ali who heads the team, the
project team for the website includes other members.
Salma Hassan is the site's designer. Bringing San Francisco settled and educated
Salma onboard was a coup (achievement) for Ali. She has created sites for several
world-class organizations bringing enormous amount of experience, and she took
the museum job for a deeply discounted fee because of her ancestral roots tied to
Oman and desire to give something back to the community. Firas Ahmed, a history
professor at the local university, is the content expert on the exhibit and the accompanying website. His specialty is the study of Oman under modern
Renaissance and its influence on customs, arts, traditions and architecture. His recent
book titled Oman: Glorious Past & Grand Future has earned laurels. Khalid Omairi
is the corporate liaison officer of the Ministry of Heritage. He has made it clear
that the Ministry is glad to support the museum and it expects to be recognized for
doing so. "We would like this team to work on a big-scale project in Salalah too
next year, if this turns out to be a success. Doing well in this can help represent our
country at local, regional and international events, and this can lead us to greater
heights" he told Ali. The team would be incomplete without Maitha Riaz, the
Associate Director for Audience Engagement. Her chirpy, energetic and dynamic
attribute keeps the team on a vibrant note always. Maitha can get things done
quickly efficiently than anyone on the team. Moreover, with a followership of
15.3K on her twitter account, she knows very clearly what the community wants to
see with respect to the theme of the event. The project got off to a good start. But
lately, several problems have developed. On a practical level, it has proved
almost impossible to get all members to attend the last few meetings. Because
Salma is based in San Francisco and Khalid's office schedule is tight, it has been
difficult for both of them to squeeze in visits to the Museum for meetings. In
addition, Ali knows that Basma had been eyeing for his position in heading this
project for long time that has put him in a tight grip. Basma’s dominating and
talkative attitude during their several meetings has demotivated teamwork to an
extent. But Ali needs to get his game right, overcoming all the obstacles to open
the doors to the event that would enthrall audience all over the world and
embrace the cultural elements of his motherland. Therefore, he is planning to
conduct more e-meetings with his team but is not sure about how he’ll attain trust
amongst his team members.

Question: Choose any 5 member’s from the above case study and mention what
type of power (ONE TYPE ONLY) each team member possesses in the above
scenario. Cite reason(s) for your answer. Fill in your answers in the table below.

Answer 1

The 5 members from the case study with their type of power are discussed as follows:

• Basma: Coercive power

His power is because of his position as he represents the museum administration and board of trustees. Basma tells Ali that there will be a 20% cut on payment terms. He is using a threat to get his work done. He is forcing Ali to submit to his demands by creating fear of a cut in payment terms. He is using his power to push Ali and the team. His power is as long as he is in the position.

• Salma Hasan: Expert power

She is a site designer. She possesses the skills and qualifications and has created sites for world-class organizations. She has a good amount of experience in the field. She has taken on the project to give back to the community at a deeply discounted fee.

• Khalid Omairi: Reward power

He is the government-corporate liaison officer of the ministry of heritage. He would like the team to work on a larger project in Salalah if this project is a success. He is motivating the team by showing the option of a larger project as a reward for being successful in the current project.

• Firas Ahmed: Expert Power

He is the history professor at the local university and an expert on the exhibit and accompanying website. He has the skill and expertise on the subject.

• Maitha Riaz: Referent power

She is an associate director for audience engagement. She gets things done efficiently by her chirpy dynamic nature. She has a 15.3k followership on her twitter account. She knows what the community requires in terms of the theme of the event.