Power and Influence in the Workplace

Power and Influence in the Workplace

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

◦ Power involves unequal dependence

Legitimate Power

• Agreement that people in certain roles can request certain behaviors of others
• Legitimate power range (zone of indifference) varies across national and org cultures and increases with trust.
• Norm of reciprocity — felt obligation to help someone who has helped you
• Information gatekeepers also hold legitimate 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

Expert Power

• The capacity to influence others by possessing knowledge or skills they value
• Perceived ability to cope with uncertainty by using their expertise to: to:

◦ Prevent change ◦ Forecast change ◦ Absorb impact of change

Referent Power

• Occurs when others identify with, like, or otherwise respect the person
• Associated with charismatic leadership

Substitutability – availability of alternatives ◦ More power when few/no alternatives

Centrality – Degree and nature of interdependence between powerholder and others Centrality is a function of: ◦ How many others are affected by you ◦ How quickly others are affected by you

Discretion ◦ The freedom to exercise judgment ◦ 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)

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. Outsiders are excluded.

Three power resources through social networks

◦ Knowledge (increases expert power)

◦ Visibility (ex: in-network recommendations)

◦ Referent power (increased in-network trust and identification)

Social Network Ties

• Strong ties: • Close-knit relationships (frequent, plenty of 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

Social Network Centrality

• Person’s importance in a network
• Three factors in centrality: 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 – direct connections (faster/plentiful resources)

• Example: “A” has highest network centrality due to all three factors; “B” has lowest centrality

Influencing Others

• Influence — any behaviour that attempts to alter someone’s attitudes or behaviour
• Applies one or more power bases
• Process through which people achieve organizational objectives
• Operates up, down, and across the organizational hierarchy

Types of Influence

Silent Authority

• Following requests without overt influence
• Based on legitimate power, role modelling
• Common in high power distance cultures

Assertiveness

• Actively applying legitimate and coercive power (“vocal authority”)
• Reminding, confronting, checking, threatening

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

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

Impression Management

• Increase liking by, or perceived similarity to the target person
• Actively shaping public image • Developing a personal “brand”

Exchange

• Promising or reminding of past benefits in exchange for compliance
• Includes negotiation and networking

Consequences of Influence Tactics

Organizational Politics: Behaviours that others perceive as self-serving tactics for personal gain at the expense of other people and possibly the organization.