This document discusses power and influence in organizations. It defines power as the capacity to influence others and explores how power is derived from sources like legitimate authority, control over rewards and punishments, expertise, and personal charisma. Power is greatest when a person controls a critical and non-substitutable resource and is central to many interdependent relationships. Influence tactics range from assertive commands to more subtle strategies like coalition building, information control, appeals to higher authority, and persuasion. The effectiveness of influence depends on factors like the message, audience, and whether it motivates commitment versus mere compliance.
4. THE MEANING OF POWER
Power is the capacity of a
person, team or
organisation to influence
others
• Potential, not actual use
• People have power they
don’t use and they may not
know they possess it
• A perception
5. POWER AND DEPENDENCE
Resource
desired by
Person B
Person B’s
countervailing
power over
Person A
Person A Person A’s
control of
resource valued
by Person B
Person B
Person A’s
power over
Person B
7. SOURCES OF POWER
• Agreement that people in certain roles can
request certain behaviours of others
• Based on job descriptions and mutual
agreement
• Legitimate power range (zone of indifference)
varies across national and organisational
cultures
Legitimate
8. SOURCES OF POWER CONTINUED
• Ability to control the allocation of rewards
valued by others and to remove negative
sanctions
• Operates upward as well as downward
Legitimate
Reward
9. SOURCES OF POWER CONTINUED
• Ability to apply punishment
• Exists upward as well as downward
• Peer pressure is a form of coercive power
Legitimate
Reward
Coercive
10. SOURCES OF POWER CONTINUED
• The capacity to influence others by possessing
knowledge or skills that they value
• More employee expert power over companies
in knowledge economy
Legitimate
Reward
Coercive
Expert
11. SOURCES OF POWER CONTINUED
• Occurs when others identify with, like or
otherwise respect the person
• Associated with charismatic leadership
Legitimate
Referent
Reward
Coercive
Expert
13. INCREASING NON-
SUBSTITUTABILITY
• Few or no alternatives to the resource
• Increase non-substitutability by controlling the resource
• Exclusive right to perform medical procedures
• Control over skilled labour
• Exclusive knowledge to repair equipment
• Differentiate resource from others
14. 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
15. DISCRETION ANDVISIBILITY
• Discretion
• The freedom to exercise judgment
• Rules limit discretion, limit power
• Also a perception—acting as if you have discretion
• Visibility
• Symbols communicate your power source(s)
• Educational diplomas
• Clothing, etc. (stethoscope around neck)
• Salience
• Location—others are more aware of your presence
16. 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 organisational objectives
• Operates up, down and across the organisational hierarchy
17. Assertiveness • Actively applying legitimate and coercive
power (‘vocal authority’)
• Reminding, confronting, checking,
threatening
Silent
authority
• Following requests without overt influence
• Based on legitimate power, role modelling
• Common in high power distance cultures
TYPES OF INFLUENCE
18. TYPES OF INFLUENCE CONTINUED
Coalition
formation
• Group forms to gain more power than
individuals alone
1. Pools resources/power
2. Legitimises the issue
3. Power through social identity
Information • Manipulating others’ access to information
• Withholding, filtering, re-arranging
information
• Reduces uncertainty
19. TYPES OF INFLUENCE CONTINUED
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
20. TYPES OF INFLUENCE CONTINUED
Exchange • Promising or reminding of past benefits in
exchange for compliance
• Includes negotiation and networking
Ingratiation/
impression
management
• Increase liking by, or perceived similarity to,
the target person
21. CONSEQUENCES OF INFLUENCE
TACTICS
people oppose the behaviour desired by the influencer
motivated by external sources
(rewards) to implement request
identify with and
highly motivated to
implement request
Resistance Compliance Commitment
22. MINIMISING POLITICAL
BEHAVIOUR
• Introduce clear rules for scarce resources
• Effective organisational change practices
• Suppress norms that support or tolerate self-serving
behaviour
• Leaders role model organisational citizenship
• Give employees more control over their work
• Keep employees informed