Understanding and Using Power

Casey Nottingham Caldwell College

Sources

• Bailey & Burch (2010) • Harvard Business School Press (2005) • YouTube

Presentation Outline

• Power • Power in behavior analysis • Sources of power • Symptoms and sources of powerlessness • Dependencies • Your Personal Power Profile • Questions

Power

• • • Negative connotations • Business  potential to allocate resources and make decisions

Power

have = something you

Influence

do = something you Bailey & Burch (2010)

“We have learned that power is a positive force if it is used for positive purposes.” -

Elizabeth Dole

Power

• Negative connotations – Sneaky, abusive, etc.

“We have learned that power is a positive force if it is used for positive purposes.” -

Elizabeth Dole Bailey & Burch (2010)

Power

• Negative connotations • Business  potential to allocate resources and make decisions – Hire, fire, pay raise, accept proposals, etc.

“We have learned that power is a positive force if it is used for positive purposes.” -

Elizabeth Dole Bailey & Burch (2010)

Power

• • Negative connotations • Business  potential to allocate resources and make decisions

Power

= something you have – Sources of power?

“We have learned that power is a positive force if it is used for positive purposes.” -

Elizabeth Dole Bailey & Burch (2010)

Power

• • • Negative connotations • Business  potential to allocate resources and make decisions

Power

have = something you

Influence

= something you do – Examples?

Bailey & Burch (2010)

“We have learned that power is a positive force if it is used for positive purposes.” -

Elizabeth Dole

Behavior Analysis How are power and influence related?

Power

• Viewed with suspicion – Power seekers = viewed with distrust

“People who have it deny it; people who want it do not want to appear to hunger for it; and people who engage in its machinations do so secretly.”

- Rosabeth Moss Kanter Harvard Business School Press (2005)

Power

• Why is it necessary?

– Make & implement decisions – Hire & fire – Determine compensation/compensate employees – Obtain funding, materials, staff, etc.

– Resolve disputes – Access important information – Determine goals Harvard Business School Press (2005)

Power

• Powerful employers: – Visibility – Upward mobility – Resources – Compensation increases – An “aura of status” Harvard Business School Press (2005)

Powerful Employer

Presents your ideas/proposals to upper management Recommends you for promotions Provides you with materials, staff, etc.

Gives you a raise and a good reputation

Powerless Employer

Is unknown to upper management Has no influence on who will fill open positions Has no influence on resource allocation Cannot get you a raise and gives you a bad reputation

Power in Behavior Analysis

• Important to understand the role and use of power • Built-in incentives for acquiring power – Upward mobility – Greater influence – Make decisions – Compensation – Resource distribution Bailey & Burch (2010)

Power Use

• •

How could you use power appropriately in your practice?

–

Decision-making processes, promote behavioral interventions, increase pay for exceptional workers, etc.

How could you use power inappropriately in your practice?

–

Promote own agenda, force employees to do extra work, threaten employees with aversive consequences, etc.

Sources of Power Job Title Relational Power Personal Power

Bailey & Burch (2010)

Job Title/Positional Power

• • Supervisors, directors, managers, etc.

– Set work schedules – Assign clients – Set boundaries, protocols, etc.

– Make decisions – Select and compensate employees

Title

alone ≠ power – Creates opportunities to use power Bailey & Burch (2010); Harvard Business School Press (2005)

Job Title – Using Your Power

• Power can be used

poorly

or

properly

• Poor use of power – Petty/arbitrary decision making – Abuse supervisees – Advance self • Examples of poor use of power?

Bailey & Burch (2010)

Job Title – Using Your Power

• Knowledge of behavioral principles = power • • Should use to benefit others Should

not

be used to abuse others/promote own agenda • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EH9K OtNL5E

Using Power Poorly

• Stanley  used behavioral principles (S R+ ) for his own agenda No meatballs • S R+  attention/laughter • Stanley’s relationship with Dwight  power to reach goal

A – B – C

Laughter Meatballs

Job Title – Using Your Power

• Proper use of power – Shape behavior – Bring out best in others – Influence/persuade without force – Dispense powerful reinforcers • Examples of proper use of power?

Bailey & Burch (2010)

Relational Power

• Affiliation with other individuals in organization – More effective in your position with more people “backing” you • Begins with

networking

– Make connections – Request help when needed – Help others when needed Bailey & Burch (2010)

Personal Power

• Personal characteristics Trustworthiness Charisma Enthusiasm Expertise Accomplishments Self-confidence • Deficits?

– Knowing early on = time to work on building/strengthening these characteristics Bailey & Burch (2010)

Personal Power

• What is your personal power profile?

– Rate yourself – Have objective colleagues rate you – Determine strengths and weaknesses – Eliminate weaknesses = increase personal power –

Let’s try!

Bailey & Burch (2010)

Soft Power

• Subtlety in attempts to influence others – Avoid blatant use of force/power – Increase likelihood of others responding to requests – Establishes you as reinforcer Bailey & Burch (2010)

Symptoms and Sources of Powerlessness for Key Positions Position First-line supervisors

 Symptoms Close, rule-minded supervision  Tendency to do things oneself, blocking of subordinates’  development and information Resistant, underproducing subordinates

Staff professionals Top executives

   Turf protection, information control Resistance to change Focus on internal cost-cutting, producing short-term results,  punishing failure Dictatorial, top-down communication Harvard Business School Press (2005)     Sources  Routine, rule-minded jobs with little control over events Limited information Few advancement prospects for oneself/subordinates Blocked careers  Easy replacement by outside experts Uncontrollable lines of supply  Limited or blocked lines of information from below

Symptoms and Sources of Powerlessness for Key Positions Position First-line supervisors

 Symptoms Close, rule-minded supervision  Tendency to do things oneself, blocking of subordinates’  development and information Resistant, underproducing subordinates

Staff professionals Top executives

   Turf protection, information control Resistance to change Focus on internal cost-cutting, producing short-term results,  punishing failure Dictatorial, top-down communication Harvard Business School Press (2005)     Sources  Routine, rule-minded jobs with little control over events Limited information Few advancement prospects for oneself/subordinates Blocked careers  Easy replacement by outside experts Uncontrollable lines of supply  Limited or blocked lines of information from below

Symptoms and Sources of Powerlessness for Key Positions Position First-line supervisors

 Symptoms Close, rule-minded supervision  Tendency to do things oneself, blocking of subordinates’  development and information Resistant, underproducing subordinates

Staff professionals Top executives

   Turf protection, information control Resistance to change Focus on internal cost-cutting, producing short-term results,  punishing failure Dictatorial, top-down communication Harvard Business School Press (2005)     Sources  Routine, rule-minded jobs with little control over events Limited information Few advancement prospects for oneself/subordinates Blocked careers  Easy replacement by outside experts Uncontrollable lines of supply  Limited or blocked lines of information from below

Symptoms and Sources of Powerlessness for Key Positions Position First-line supervisors

 Symptoms Close, rule-minded supervision  Tendency to do things oneself, blocking of subordinates’  development and information Resistant, underproducing subordinates

Staff professionals Top executives

   Turf protection, information control Resistance to change Focus on internal cost-cutting, producing short-term results,  punishing failure Dictatorial, top-down communication Harvard Business School Press (2005)     Sources  Routine, rule-minded jobs with little control over events Limited information Few advancement prospects for oneself/subordinates Blocked careers  Easy replacement by outside experts Uncontrollable lines of supply  Limited or blocked lines of information from below

Symptoms and Sources of Powerlessness for Key Positions Position First-line supervisors

 Symptoms Close, rule-minded supervision  Tendency to do things oneself, blocking of subordinates’  development and information Resistant, underproducing subordinates

Staff professionals Top executives

   Turf protection, information control Resistance to change Focus on internal cost-cutting, producing short-term results,  punishing failure Dictatorial, top-down communication Harvard Business School Press (2005)     Sources  Routine, rule-minded jobs with little control over events

Limited information

Few advancement prospects for oneself/subordinates Blocked careers  Easy replacement by outside experts Uncontrollable lines of supply  Limited or blocked lines of information from below

Symptoms and Sources of Powerlessness for Key Positions Position First-line supervisors

 Symptoms Close, rule-minded supervision  Tendency to do things oneself, blocking of subordinates’  development and information Resistant, underproducing subordinates

Staff professionals Top executives

   Turf protection, information control Resistance to change Focus on internal cost-cutting, producing short-term results,  punishing failure Dictatorial, top-down communication Harvard Business School Press (2005)     Sources  Routine, rule-minded jobs with little control over events Limited information

Few advancement prospects for oneself/subordinates

Blocked careers  Easy replacement by outside experts Uncontrollable lines of supply  Limited or blocked lines of information from below

Symptoms and Sources of Powerlessness for Key Positions Position First-line supervisors

 Symptoms Close, rule-minded supervision  Tendency to do things oneself, blocking of subordinates’  development and information Resistant, underproducing subordinates

Staff professionals Top executives

   Turf protection, information control Resistance to change Focus on internal cost-cutting, producing short-term results,  punishing failure Dictatorial, top-down communication Harvard Business School Press (2005)     Sources  Routine, rule-minded jobs with little control over events Limited information Few advancement prospects for oneself/subordinates

Blocked careers

 Easy replacement by outside experts Uncontrollable lines of supply  Limited or blocked lines of information from below

Power and Dependency

• Dependency is inevitable and can be beneficial – Workplace dependencies?

• Restrains concentration of power – Important in organizations – Prevents corruption of leaders – Balance of power among individuals Harvard Business School Press (2005)

Power and Dependency

• What are your dependencies?

I depend on…

- Learner’s mom

…depends on me

- Learner’s mom

For…

- Purchasing items that are preferred by the learner prior to session

For…

- Providing training on programs Harvard Business School Press (2005)

Power and Dependency

• Dependency can be beneficial • Dependency can be detrimental

Roland, the manager, depends too much on Joan for sales report data. Joan keeps the data locked up and Roland cannot get the data when he needs it. Roland’s dependence on Joan is not conducive to Roland’s effectiveness as a manager

.

Harvard Business School Press (2005)

Power and Dependency

• What are your dependencies?

I depend on…

- Supervisor

…depends on me

- Supervisor

For…

- Making all necessary changes to program book

For…

- Filling in my hours worked Harvard Business School Press (2005)

Ethical Use of Power

• Power can corrupt • Power must be used ethically – Used to benefit the entity from which power is derived and that it is responsible to serve – Conforms to cultural or legal standards Harvard Business School Press (2005)

Act as a model of ethical behavior Aligning/enforcing policies with the highest legal and ethical expectations of behavior

Reduce/eliminate unethical use of power by:

Ensure that others in positions of power have the moral and ethical standards to use it wisely Include ethical performance in job performance evaluations Harvard Business School Press (2005)

Suggestions for Developing and Using Power

• Network • Avoid force and abrasive use of power • Establish yourself as a powerful reinforcer • Become part of power structures outside of personal organization • • Study power and sources of power and acknowledge areas of weakness

Remember: the process of acquiring power is behavioral!

Bailey & Burch (2010)

Bailey & Burch (2010)

Additional Reading

References

Bailey, J., & Burch, M. (2010).

25 essential skills & strategies for the professional behavior analyst.

New York: Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Harvard Business School Press. (2005).

Power, influence, and persuasion: Sell your ideas and make things happen

. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

Understanding and Using Power

Casey Nottingham Caldwell College