2. Power, Authority and
Influence
Objectives:
1. Definition of Power, Authority and Influence
2. Identifying the characteristics of power
3. Identifying the different sources of power
4. Identifying the six influence strategies (6 Ps)
5. Using Power Responsibilities
6. Get familiar with the theories of leadership,
related process, abilities and skills
4. Definitions
Influence:
◦ Occurs when a person or a
group affects what another
person or group does
and/or thinks.
◦ (i.e. New Senior manager
had adopted new dress
code which had led to
others in the organization
starts to do so)
5. Definitions
Power:
◦ The capacity of a person or a group to
influence other people or groups.
◦ (i.e. Manager may decide to recognise the
way tasks are allocated within an
organization, which will affect the on how
the people work)
6. Definitions
Authority:
◦ Is the power which is
formally given to an
individual or group
because of the position
or rule they occupy within
an organization.
◦ (Authority is subset of
Power)
7. What is Leadership?
Leadership is the capacity to
influence people to act of
their own free will in a
particular way.
Leadership is a subset of
power
Power might be coercive
and related to ‘direction’.
The leader knows the way
and others will follow
8. Characteristics of Power
Power depends on relationships
Power derive from difference
Power is based on beliefs
Power is never just one sided
Power is contextual
9. Characteristics of Power
Power depends on relationships
The potential to
influence another
person or group
depends on the
relationship between
them subject to the
trust and respect.
Also the valuables of
what you have to offer
10. Characteristics of Power
Power derive from difference
Power derives from difference –
for example, different status or
different access to valued
resources. So, if your
organization is dependent on a
specialist supplier, that supplier
is likely to have more power in
any negotiations than they would
if your organization could easily
go elsewhere.
11. Characteristics of Power
Power derive from difference
i.e. imagine company (A) with
one supplier to buy all of its
stationary while another
company (B) which have
different suppliers (Suppliers
Diversity) to buy from. Which of
the companies has more power?
12. Characteristics of Power
Power is based on beliefs
Your ability to influence other
people will depend more on their
beliefs about the
resources, sanctions and so on
that you have, and how you are
likely to use them, than on what
you actually have at your
disposal.
13. Characteristics of Power
Power is based on beliefs
Your power will depend more on
the people’s belief of their
resources.
The overestimate for the same
will affect your own pow.er
14. Characteristics of Power
Power is never just one sided
Mutual degree of
power might exist in
any power
relationship.
Boss might have
power on his
employees
power, however, his
dependency on them
might allow for some
power to them.
15. Characteristics of Power
Power is contextual
The power to influence or control
individual or group is dependant of
the context of the relationship (i.e.
Captain and his crew)
16. Sources of Power
French and Raven Framework (1960)
Position
Control of
Resources
Social
Connections
Power
Personal
Characteristics
Expertise
Information
17. Role-Derived Power
Power from position
◦ This is the power vested in an individual
or group by virtue of their role or position
in an organization. This position entitles
them to do certain things:
Give instructions to some people.
Authorize expenditure
Organize work, and so on.
18. Role-Derived Power
Power from position – Cont’d
◦ Company’s regulations, rules and
resources will support the ‘Position
Power”
◦ Usually, such support will be conveyed to
the related person FORMALLY.
◦ To consider the importance of position
power, think of all the things you could
not do if you were deprived of your job
title and job description
19. Role-Derived Power
Power from position – Cont’d
◦ Some managers are so dependent on
this form of power that when they
retire, or made redundant, they feel
completely powerless in the world
outside.
20. Role-Derived Power
Power from control of resources
◦ All organizations depend for their
continued existence on an adequate
supply of resources, such as:
Money
Personnel
Materials
Technology
Clients and customers.
21. Role-Derived Power
Power from control of resources –
Cont’d
◦ Control over any of these resources can
be an important source of power both
within and between organizations. The
keys to resource power are dependence
and scarcity.
Depending on scarce resource will lead to
considerable influence from the resource
towards you. While if such resource was not
scarce, then you have the power of replacing
and controlling him.
22. Role-Derived Power
Power from control of resources –
Cont’d
Since money is a key resource, it can be
converted into other resources. In order to
gain more power, you should be less
dependant on others’ resources.
Accordingly, many managers are looking for
control to their own budget.
24. Role-Derived Power
Power from social connections
◦ The saying ‘It’s not what you know but
who you know’ recognizes the
importance of social connections as a
source of power.
26. Role-Derived Power
Power from social connections –
Cont’d
◦ Your capacity to influence events will
often depends on your ability to gather
information and mobilise resources and
support.
◦ The more potentially valuable
connections you have, the stronger your
potential power base.
27. Role-Derived Power
Power from expertise
◦ Expert power is the ability to influence
those who perceive you as being a
source of relevant expertise.
◦ Many people regard expertise as the
most acceptable source of power and
the easiest to legitimize.
28. Role-Derived Power
Power from expertise – Cont’d
◦ Two important sources of expertise can be
distinguished:
◦ Technical knowledge is knowledge about
the product or service that the organization
is trying to deliver. Examples of such
experts include
Accountants
Doctors
Engineers
IT specialists
Lawyers
Social workers and teachers.
29. Role-Derived Power
Power from expertise – Cont’d
◦ Some of the influence that trade unions
have stems from their expertise in areas
such as health and safety or labor
market developments.
◦ Process knowledge is knowledge about
how to get things done with and through
others: that is, how to organize and
manage.
30. Role-Derived Power
Power from control of information
◦ Accurate and reliable information is
essential for planning and decision
making. Hence, control of information is
another important source of power.
◦ Those occupying key positions in
organizational information networks are
often called gatekeepers, because they
can control the flow of information
31. Role-Derived Power
Power from Personal
Characteristics
◦ Personal power, often called
charisma, comes from
colleagues’ respect, loyalty
and trust. It derives from
personal attributes such as
intelligence, confidence, char
m, eloquence, drive, integrity
and friendliness.
◦ Less ‘charismatic’ individuals
may be influential behind the
scenes because their integrity
and judgment are respected.
33. Interrelations of Power
Sources
Although French and Raven’s
sources of power have been
discussed individually, they are
inevitably interrelated. People often
derive their power from a
combination of sources.
34. Interrelations of Power
Sources
For example, position will be
associated with control of certain
resources and give access to
information. It may Provide
networking opportunities.
Connections can be an important
source of information and may
enable you to develop new
knowledge and expertise.
35. Interrelations of Power
Sources
Activity 3 – Page 92 and 93
◦ Relationship A: With a group or individual
over whose work you have some formal
authority
◦ Relationship B: with a manager, group or
committee that has some formal authority
over your work
36. Interrelations of Power
Sources
Source of Power
Relationship A
Relationship B
Position of authority
5
2
Control of Resources
5
1
Social Connections
5
3
Technical Knowledge 4
4
Process Knowledge 5
3
Expertise:
Control of Information
5
3
Personal
Characteristics
5
4
37. Influence Strategies
In order to be influential you may need
to use the sources of power
effectively.
(Read Example 3 at page 95)
38. Influence Strategies – Cont’d
In order to be influential you may need to
actively think about how best to use the
sources of power potentially available to
you. Possible influencing strategies have
been listed as the ‘Six Ps’. They are:
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
Position.
Push.
Pull.
Persuasion.
Preparatory.
Preventative.
39. Influence Strategies – Cont’d
Using Position
◦ How authority is exercised in your
organization will depend in part on the
Organizational culture,
On what forms of authority are seen as
acceptable,
And on particular managers’ preferred
management styles.
40. Influence Strategies – Cont’d
Using Position – Cont’d
◦ To use rules and procedures to influence
another’s person behavior effectively, you
must have:
The perceived right to make or apply the rules
and procedures.
The means to enforce them if necessary, such
as the power to impose sanctions or costs on
anyone who does not comply
(Read example 4, Page 96)
41. Influence Strategies – Cont’d
Push strategies
◦ These are coercive attempts to influence
other people by imposing, or threatening
to impose, costs on them if they do not do
what is required.
◦ A ‘push’ approach may be seen as
bullying and in some circumstances might
attract legal sanctions. Push strategies
are likely to achieve grudging compliance
rather than genuine acceptance.
42. Influence Strategies – Cont’d
Pull or reward strategies
◦ Pull strategies depend on the proffered
reward being valued. Again, this strategy
must be used with care. Managers are
seldom free to allocate rewards purely as
they see fit. There are usually set
procedures to ensure that the system for
rewards and benefits is fair. Rewards
perceived as unfair will generate
resentment and reduce motivation.
43. Influence Strategies – Cont’d
Persuasion
◦ Persuasion achieves influence through
appeals to reason through argument. This
depends on a mix of expertise and personal
characteristics.
◦ It is subject to yours expertise, information,
charm, eloquence and humor.
44. Influence Strategies – Cont’d
Persuasion
◦ Persuasion is a popular means of
influence because, once persuaded,
people will want to act as you wish them
to. This makes it an acceptable and
effective influence strategy.
45. Influence Strategies – Cont’d
Preparatory strategies
◦ Preparatory strategies prepare the ground
for future attempts at influence.
◦ Networking is one important strategy.
Building a positive relationship with
relevant colleagues may make them more
susceptible to influence in the future.
46. Influence Strategies – Cont’d
Preparatory strategies-Cont’d
◦ The acceptability and perceived
legitimacy of preparatory strategies will
depend on the context.
◦ Your ‘sensible ordering’ of an agenda or
‘useful coalition building’ may look like
manipulation to someone else.
47. Influence Strategies – Cont’d
Preventative strategies
◦ Influence may be achieved by preventing
certain actions, such as:
Stopping questions being raised
Holding back information
Suppressing dissent.
48. Influence Strategies – Cont’d
Preventative strategies – Cont’d
◦ Preparatory and preventative strategies
may be either open or covert. For
example, the reason for your structuring
of an agenda may not be obvious to those
at the meeting.
49. Influence Strategies – Cont’d
Preventative strategies – Cont’d
◦ Covert strategies are not open to public
inspection, raising the question of
whether or not they are acceptable forms
of influence. If covert influence strategies
are revealed, as sometimes
happens, they can lead to a breakdown of
openness and trust if they are deemed
unacceptable.
50. Using Power Responsibly
When exercising power, it can be
useful to think of your psychological
contract with the person(s) you are
trying to influence. This unwritten
contract will contain assumptions
about issues such as:
◦ The nature of your authority and
influence.
◦ Your style of management.
◦ Reward and punishment.
◦ Your contribution.
(Read example 5, Page 104)
51. Leadership
Leadership: To influence without use
of force and authority, to make people
want to follow the leader’s direction.
The fast rate of change in many
organizations means that leadership in
this latter sense is increasingly
deemed an important function of
management.
53. Traditional theories of
Leadership
◦ Trait Theories
◦ Trait theories of leadership have their
origins in the early part of the 20th century
with the growth of psychometric
assessment procedures. The assumption
underlying these theories was that what
makes someone an effective leader is
their personality and personal qualities;
that is, leaders are born, not made.
54. Traditional theories of
Leadership
- Cont’d
Style theories
◦ One criticism of trait theories of leadership
is that it is people’s behavior rather than
their psychological characteristics that
makes them effective as leaders. This
criticism led to attempts at identifying the
most effective way for leaders to behave
towards their subordinates.
55. Traditional theories of
Leadership
- Cont’d
Style theories – Cont’d
◦ One of the best known of the style
theories derived from this work is the
management grid of Blake and Mouton
(1964). Blake and Mouton’s theory
proposes that the most effective leaders
are those who show a high concern for
both production (task) and people,
represented by the position (9.9) on the
grid.
57. Traditional theories of
Leadership
- Cont’d
Contingency theories
◦ One of the earliest and best known of the
contingency theories was proposed by
Fiedler (1967). Like Blake and Mouton,
Fiedler identified two main leadership
styles:
Task orientated and relationship- or
people-orientated. He described this in
terms of ‘favorableness'. This depends
on a combination of three elements:
58. Traditional theories of
Leadership
- Cont’d
Contingency theories – Cont’d
◦ Leader–member relationships – whether
the leader is liked and trusted by group
members
◦ Task structure – the degree to which the
tasks to be performed are clearly defined
and well structured
◦ The leader’s position power – the extent
to which the leader can reward and
punish subordinates (through pay,
dismissals and so on).
59. Traditional theories of
Leadership
- Cont’d
Contingency theories – Cont’d
◦ In a ‘favorable’ situation the leader would
be liked and trusted, the tasks clearly
defined and well structured, and the
leader would have the ability to reward
and punish.
60. Traditional theories of
Leadership
- Cont’d
Contingency theories – Cont’d
◦ Through extensive research, Fiedler
found that:
Task-orientated leaders perform better in
situations that are either very favorable or very
unfavorable
Relationship-orientated leaders perform better
in situations of moderate favorableness
Thus the performance of the leader depends as
much on the situation as on the style of the
leader.
61. Traditional theories of
Leadership
- Cont’d
Summary for all theories
◦ Trait theories: have tried to understand
leadership in terms of the personal
characteristics of ‘effective managers’
◦ Style theories: in terms of the way leaders
manage their subordinates
◦ Contingency theories: in terms of the
need for style to fit the situation.
62. Leadership as a process
◦ Instead of thinking about leadership as
the characteristics or style of a person
with authority, we can think about it as a
process (Hoskings, 1997). This suggests
we need two definitions:
Leadership means influencing other people in
ways that are more or less acceptable to
them, regarding certain core issues that face
the group or organization.
Leaders are those people who are expected to
be, and are seen to be, influential on important
matters.
63. Leadership as a Process –
Cont’d
◦ Both definitions emphasize that
leadership is about tackling the important
or core issues that face the group or
organization. As the following Figure
suggests, three core issues face any
organization or group:
64. Leadership as a Process –
Cont’d
◦ The process view of leadership has three
important implications:
A leader is someone who influences how the
group or organization understands and tackles
the core issues it faces. Moreover, leaders do
not necessarily have formal authority.
65. Leadership as a Process –
Cont’d
A group can have more than one leader.
Indeed, all the members of group may make
leadership contributions.
The strategic aspect of leadership requires
some knowledge of the wider environment and
understanding of how it likely to affect the
group
66. Leaders Abilities and Skills
◦ It should be clear from the above that a
range of skills will be important if you are
to exercise leadership. Effective
persuasion depends on knowledge and
expertise.
67. Leaders Abilities and Skills –
Cont’d
◦ Interpersonal skills will be important.
Activities such as networking can
enhance your knowledge and help you to
build relationships with key people. The
ability to lead a group depends on
influence both within and outside the
group.
68. Leaders Abilities and Skills –
Cont’d
◦ Communication skills are needed in
conjunction with all the skills a leader
possesses.
◦ Communication is perhaps the most
important mechanism of leadership. The
leader must have a clear understanding of
the message that he or she is
communicating and he or she must be
aware that the goal of communication is to
influence the allocation of attention of the
organization's members. (Cyert, 1990, p.
35)
