Power and Influence in the Workplace

Reporters: Jhoan Cervantes

Meaning of Power
Power- the capacity of a person, team, or organization to influence others.
EXHIBIT 12.1 Dependence in the Power Relationship COUNTERPOWER POWER

Person A

Person B

Person Bs Goal

Meaning of Power
CounterPower- the capacity to a person, team, or organization to keep more powerful person or group in the exchange relationship.
Sources of Power Legitimate Reward over others Coercive Expert Referent Power

Contingencies of Power Sustainability, Centrality, Discretion, Visibility

Sources of Power in Organization

Legitimate Power the capacity to influence others through formal authority. Reward Power derived from persons ability to control the allocation of rewards valued by others and to remove negative sanctions (negative reinforcement). Coercive Power the ability to apply

Sources of Power in Organization

Expert Power an individuals or work units capacity to influence others by possesing knowledge or skills that they value. Referent Power the capacity to influence others based on the identification and respect they have for the power holder. Information and Power information is

Sources of Power in Organization

Information and Power
(Ways to Cope Uncertainties)
Prevention The most effective strategy is

to prevent environmental changes from occuring. Forecasting The next best strategy is to predict environmental changes or variations. Absorption People and work units also gain power by absorbing or neutralizing the impact of environmental shifts they occur.

Contingencies of Power
Four Conditions: Substitutability, Centrality, Discretion, and Visibility.

Substitutability the extent to which people dependent on a resource have alternatives.

How do people and work units increase their power through nonsubstitutability? There are several ways, although not all of them are ethical or not necessarily for you to practice. Controlling tasks Governments pass laws that give certain professions an exclusive right to perform particular tasks.

Contingencies of Power..
Controlling Labor people gain power by controlling the availability of their labor. Differentiation occurs when an individual or work unit claims to have a unique resource-such as raw materials or knowledge.

Centrality the degree and nature of interdependence between the power holder and others.

Contingencies of Power..
Discretion the freedom to exercise judgment-to make decisions without referring to a specific rule or receiving permission from one else. Visibility employees gain visibility by being, quite, literally, visible. Another way to increase visibility is through mentoring- the process of learning the ropes of organizational life from senior person within the company

Networking and Power

Networking Cultivating social relationships with others to accomplish ones goals. Networking increases a persons power in three ways. 1. It represent a critical component of social capital. 2. People tend to identify more with partners within their own networks 3. Effective networkers are better

Types of Influence Tactics

Influence Tactics: Silent Authority, Assertiveness, Information Control, Coalition Formation, Upward Appeal, Ingratiation/Impression Management, Persuasion, Exchange

Silent Authority Influencing behavior through legitimate power without explicity referring to that power base. Assertiveness Actively applying legitimate and coercive power by applying pressure or threats.

Types of Influence Tactics

Coalition Formation/ Coalition Forming a group that attempts to influence others by pooling the resources and power of its members. Upward Appeal Gaining support from one or more people with higher authority or expertise.

Types of Influence Tactics

Ingratiation and Impression Management

Ingratiation Any attempt to increase liking by, or perceived similarity to, the targeted person. Impression Management The practice of actively shaping ones public image.

Types of Influence Tactics

Persuasion Using logical arguments, factual evidence, and emotional appeals to convince people of the value of a request. Inoculation effect a persuasive communication strategy of warning listeners that others will try to influence them in the future and that they should be wary of the opponents arguments. Exchange promising benefits or resources in exchange for the target persons

Consequences and Contingencies of Influence Tactics

Three Ways in which people React when Others Try to Influence Them: Resistance, Compliance, and Commitment.

Resistance occurs when people work units oppose the behavior desired by the influencer and consequently refuse, argue, or delay engaging in the behavior. Compliance occurs when people are motivated to implement the influencers request at a minimal level of effort and purely instrumental reasons. Commitment the strongest form of influence, whereby people identify with the influencers

Consequences and Contingencies of Influence Tactics

Exhibit 12.4 Consequences of Hard and Soft Influence Tactics

Commitme nt
Complianc e Resistance

Persuasion Ingratiation and INFLUENCE Impression Management TACTICS Exchange

SOFT

Silent authority Upward appeal INFLUENCE Coalition formation

HARD

Consequences and Contingencies of Influence Tactics

Upward, Downward or Lateral Influence one consideration is whether the person being influenced is higher, lower, or at the same level in the organization. Personal and Cultural Values studies indicate that personal values guide our preferences for some influence methods more than others. Gender Differences in Influence Tactics Men and women seem to differ in their use of influence tactics. Some writers says that Men tend to advertise their achievements and take personal credit for success of others reporting to them, whereas women are more reluctant to force the spotlight on themselves,

Influence Tactics and Organizational Politics

Influence Tactics as described earlier are behaviors that might be considered organizational politics, or they might be considered normal behavior. Organizational Politics Behaviors that others perceive as self-serving tactics for personal gain at the expense of other people and possibly the organization.