Transcript Power and Influence in the Workplace

Power and
Influence in the
Workplace
McGraw-Hill/Irwin
Copyright © 2013 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Power of Managing Your Boss
Managing your boss is the
process of improving the
relationship with your manager for
the benefit of both of you and the
organization. It includes
developing bases of power that
enable you to influence the
manager and thereby achieve
organizational objectives. Most
executives say it is a key factor in
everyone’s career success.
10-2
The Meaning of Power
Power is the capacity of a
person, team, or organization
to influence others.
• Potential, not actual use
• People have power they don’t
use -- may not know they
possess
• A perception, not necessarily
reality
10-3
Power and Dependence
Person B’s
countervailing
power over
Person A
Person A
Person A is
perceived as
controlling resources
that help or hinder
Person B’s goal
achievement.
Person B’s
Goal
Person B
Person A’s
power over
Person B
10-4
Model of Power in Organizations
Sources
of Power
Legitimate
Reward
Coercive
Expert
Referent
Power
over others
Contingencies
of Power
10-5
Deference to Authority:
Le Jeu de la Mort
French reality television recently
revealed how far people are willing
to submit to authority. Only 16 of
the 80 contestants refused to
administer the strongest shocks
(460 volts – enough to kill a
person) when another contestant
gave the wrong answers.
Fortunately, the other contestant
was an actor whose screams were
fake; he did not actually receive
the shocks.
10-6
Legitimate Power

Agreement that people in certain
roles can request certain
behaviors of others

Based on job descriptions and
mutual agreement

Legitimate power range (zone of
indifference) varies across
national and org cultures.

Norm of reciprocity – legitimate
power as a felt obligation to help
others who helped you in the past
10-7
Legitimate Power: Right to Control
Information Flow
Wheel
formation
This person has high
information control
All-channels
formation
These people individually
have low information control
10-8
Reward and Coercive Power

Reward Power
• Ability to control the allocation of rewards valued
by others and to remove negative sanctions

Coercive Power
• Ability to apply punishment
• Peer pressure is a form of coercive power

Reward and coercive power exist upward as
well as downward in hierarchies.
10-9
Expert Power

The capacity to influence others by
possessing knowledge or skills that they
value

Coping with uncertainty
• Organizations operate better in predictable
environments
• People gain power by using their expertise to:
- Prevent environmental changes
- Forecast environmental changes
- Absorb environmental changes
10-10
Referent Power

Occurs when others identify with, like, or
otherwise respect the person

Associated with charismatic leadership
10-11
Contingencies of Power
Sources
of Power
Power
over others
Contingencies
of Power
Substitutability
Centrality
Discretion
Visibility
10-12
The Power of Nonsubstitutability
Your personal brand improves career success when you
offer something that is valued and nonsubstitutable. “Be
unique about something. Be a specialist in something. Be
known for something,” advises Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu
CEO Barry Salzberg (center).
10-13
Increasing Nonsubstitutability

Few/no alternatives to the resource

Increase nonsubstitutability by controlling the
resource
• exclusive right to perform medical procedures
• control over skilled labor
• exclusive knowledge to repair equipment

Differentiate resource from others (i.e. be
unique)
10-14
Centrality

Degree and nature of interdependence
between the powerholder and others (reflects
the person’s importance to others)

Centrality is a function of:
• How many others are affected by you
• How quickly others are affected by you
10-15
Discretion and Visibility

Discretion
• The freedom to exercise judgment
• Rules limit discretion, limit power
• Also a perception – acting as if you have discretion

Visibility
• Make others aware of your presence –more face
time, locate office near busy routes
• Symbols communicate your power source(s)
- Educational diplomas
- Clothing etc (stethoscope around neck)
10-16
Power and Influence Through
Social Networks

Social networks – people connected to each
other through forms of interdependence

Generate power through social capital -goodwill and resulting resources shared
among members in a social network

Three power resources through social
networks
• Knowledge sharing
• Visibility
• Referent power
10-17
Social Network Ties

Strong ties:
• Close-knit relationships (frequent interaction,
high volume sharing, multiple roles)
• Offer resources more quickly/plentifully,
but less unique

Weak ties
• Acquaintances
• Offer unique resources not held by us or
people in other networks

Many ties
• Resources increase with number of ties
• Limits on number of weak/strong ties one can create
10-18
Social Network Centrality


Person’s importance in a network
Three factors in centrality:
A
1. Betweenness – extent you are located between
others in the network (i.e. information gatekeeper)
2. Degree centrality -- Number of people connected
to you
3. Closeness – stronger relationships (faster/plentiful
resources)

B
Example: “A” has highest network centrality due
to all three factors; “B” has lowest centrality
10-19
Influencing Others

Influence -- any behavior that
attempts to alter someone’s
attitudes or behavior

Applies one or more power
bases

Process through which
people achieve organizational
objectives

Operates up, down, and
across the organizational
hierarchy
10-20
Types of Influence
Silent
Authority
• Following requests without overt influence
• Based on legitimate power, role modeling
• Common in high power distance cultures
Assertiveness • Actively applying legitimate and coercive
power (“vocal authority”)
• Reminding, confronting, checking,
threatening
more
10-21
Types of Influence (con’t)
Information
Control
• Manipulating others’ access to information
• Withholding, filtering, re-arranging
information
Coalition
Formation
• Group forms to gain more power than
individuals alone
1. Pools resources/power
2. Legitimizes the issue
3. Power through social identity
more
10-22
Types of Influence (con’t)
Upward
Appeal
• Appealing to higher authority
• Includes appealing to firm’s goals
• Alliance or perceived alliance with higher
status person
Persuasion
• Logic, facts, emotional appeals
• Depends on persuader, message content,
message medium, audience
more
10-23
Types of Influence (con’t)
Ingratiation/
Impress. Mgt.
Exchange
• Increase liking by, or perceived similarity to
the target person
• Promising or reminding of past benefits in
exchange for compliance
• Includes negotiation and networking
10-24
Consequences of Influence Tactics
people oppose the behavior desired by the influencer
motivated by external sources
(rewards) to implement request
identify with and
highly motivated to
implement request
Resistance
Compliance
Commitment
10-25
Consequences of Influence Tactics
Hard Influence
Tactics
Soft Influence
Tactics
Silent authority
Persuasion
Upward appeal
Coalition formation
Ingratiation &
impression mgt
Information control
Exchange
Assertiveness
Resistance
Compliance
Commitment
10-26
Contingencies of Influence Tactics

“Soft” tactics generally more acceptable than
“hard” tactics

Appropriate influence tactic depends on:
• Influencer’s power base
• Organizational position
• Cultural values and expectations
10-27
Organizational Politics
Behaviors that others perceive as self-serving tactics for
personal gain at the expense of other people and
possibly the organization.
10-28
Conditions that Encourage
Organizational Politics
•
Scarce resources – to safeguard own resources
•
Ambiguous resource allocation decisions
•
Organizational change – due to uncertainty, ambiguity
10-29
Minimizing Political Behavior






Introduce clear rules for scarce resources
Effective organizational change practices
Suppress norms that support or tolerate
self-serving behavior
Leaders role model organizational
citizenship
Give employees more control over their
work
Keep employees informed
10-30
Power and
Influence in the
Workplace