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POWER AND INFLUENCE

If the population decided collectively that they did not want to obey the laws ofa country, there is little that the police or the government could do about it.Why, then do people generally do what the government wants and, within theworking situation, why do people do what their line manager wants, most ofthe time?

The consequences of refusing may be the most obvious reason. However,most requests, by a line manager, are not "sacking" offences and most peopledo not comply with the requests on the basis of fear of the punishment, if theydo not.

The same applies to the role of Coding Specialist / Trainer while some of whatyou suggest will be a legal or organisational requirement most things will not.

For most people complying with the requests of a manager or other personwith power in an organisation has two primary aspects to it. Firstly, there isthe concern about the consequences of not doing as asked. The organisationyou work for pays your wages. As a result, most people give their time andeffort to the job in repayment. In addition, however, a manager or otherperson is often in a position to reward them with even more than their pay.This ability to reward takes many forms, from praise and recognition, to theopportunities for advancement and promotion. Furthermore, there is often aninterpersonal element to the relationship. The person may do as askedbecause their relationship is good or they want it to be that way.

This two-pronged approach to management or leadership is sometimesreferred to as power and influence with power, being the exercise of themore negative aspects and influence being on the positive and encouragingside They are both present in the relationship between anyone in amanagement or leadership position and the person who works for them or isresponsible to them.

The easiest way to examine the concepts is through your own experience.

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Practical Exercise: Power

Identify the people who have exercised power in your life. That is thosepeople who have been able to force you to do things against your will.

Describe how those people exercised their power?

What was the source of their power?

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SOURCES OF POWER

For some with power, the source is clear, their ability to remove yourlivelihood is an obvious source of power, as is the fact that they are bigger or

stronger than you. For others, the power source is not as clear. You feel youhave to do as you are told but there is no obvious penalty for not doing so. Itmay be helpful to think of power as coming from a number of sources, asfollows:

Traditional PowerThis is the power exercised by, for example, a member of government,religious leaders or other ruling class. We listen to them because of who theyare and because of the traditional loyalty and respect we have for the position.We also obey because they expect us to.

Anyone in a position which traditionally commands respect and obediencecan have this power. Managers (and Coding Specialists / Trainers) have thistype of power, and in some organisations once, you assume the title"manager" you will automatically be accorded that respect. Hopefully thesame will apply to those with the job title, Coding Specialist / Trainer

In addition the Coding Specialist / Trainer will have the power of the law on his/ her side.

Power Arising from Knowledge, Ability and SkillA doctor has authority arising from his / her position which is, partly traditional,but also because of the access he / she has to a body of knowledge or skill.

Many jobs have this, in the circumstances particular to their area ofknowledge, but not beyond that. With some jobs, such as that of doctor, therespect and power can extend into other areas. Most people would listen to acar mechanic giving advice about cars but would find him / her less credibleon education or health matters.

A further aspect of this relates to someone who is particularly good at his / her

job. In many cases, a manager is given that position because he / she is thebest at doing the work of the department that he / she manages. Some oftheir power comes from that.

A Coding Specialist / Trainer is more likely to have power of this type if he /she has an in depth knowledge of Coding and is also knowledgeable aboutthe organisation and how it operates. He / she will also have some power ifhe / she is seen as being able to help and / or support

Power from Fear

The ability of one person to inflict pain, or other undesirable consequences,on another will give that person power. Often this is based on a threat, or a

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vague possibility, rather than that the person has actually done anything.Most power in most situations has some element of this in it.

Sometimes fear of not obeying, comes not from what the person might do, butrather from the fear of the consequences of the person withdrawing their

protection in other words, a fear of others

Fear of the consequences of not following the Coding Specialists / Trainersadvice may be useful when trying to argue for a change which is not popular

Power seldom comes from just one of these sources. Most people with powerhave a mixture of all three. As a Coding Specialist / Trainer, what are thesources of your power?

Power versus Influence

An examination of the more positive aspects of getting people to do what youwant covers some of the same ground as power. The difference between thetwo is, in the manner in which your wishes are carried out and in themotivation of the other person. Stated simply, enthusiasm is much more likelyfrom the person being influenced than it is from the person being made to dosomething.

While it would be nice to always be able to influence in a positive way, therealities of normal working life tend to mean that the Coding Specialist /Trainer, from time to time, will have to take unpopular decisions. In addition,not every employee will be able to be motivated in the ways suggested but thejob will still have to be done. This is not a licence to ignore the positiveapproach, however.

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PRACTICAL EXERCISE : INFLUENCE

Identify a person who has influenced you, preferably, in your working life (nonames needed). If you choose someone from outside work, the exercise is

more likely to be successful if you do not choose your spouse or partner. Theperson may still work with you or be a previous colleague or manager. Yourfirst line manager or a school teacher, are common choices.

Consider your relationship:

Think of examples of things this person said or did that influenced you? Inparticular, if this person helped to develop an enthusiasm or interest or a setof values or standards that you may not have had otherwise

How did this person influence you?

How has their behaviour been different from others, who were in asimilar position to influence, but did not?

Describe, briefly, your own behaviour with this person?

From the above summarise the skills of influencing:

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Skills of InfluencingThe following are some of the key skills:

Trust

Mutual Respect

Knowledge

Credibility

Good Personal Relationship

Clear Instructions

Constructive Feedback

Timing (knowing when to speak and when to stay silent)