By using a ThinkPad adapter converter bias voltage can be supplied to your microphone. In other cases where bias voltage is not supplied a bias voltage battery box which can be used to provide bias voltage for your microphone. In some cases where bias voltage is supplied is low, using the additional bias voltage battery box can increase the sensitivity of your microphone. Now we can all go down to Radio Shack and get all kinds of the adapters and connectors so that we can configure our microphones inputs correctly. Dynamic microphones do not require bias voltage or phantom voltage.
Some condenser microphones require a battery, which is generally in the hand set.
As you rise to more professional microphones, the literature supplied with the microphones generally answers all your questions. Phantom power is generally supplied by the microphone mixer, but sometimes by a separate source. Phantom power requires a balanced circuit. This powers a junction field effect transistor connected to the output of the electret condenser mike element. This provides a low impedance feed to the microphone amplifier or pre amplifier.