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CEPL555: Influence Without Authority


This course includes:

One self-check quiz

Two discussions

Two tools to download and use on the job

One scored project in multiple parts

One video transcript file

Completing all of the coursework should take about five to seven hours.

What You'll Learn

Develop an understanding of organizations as political systems

Explain the personal and positional sources of power in organizations

Describe the basic types of strategies for exercising influence; develop an understanding of the conditions that

would make each appropriate; and build skill in applying those strategies to a variety of influence opportunities

Develop a plan for increasing personal potency in one's organization

Course Description

As a project manager, you may need to lead your cross-functional project team to success in the absence of formal

authority over all of your team members. This course introduces you to the nature of power and how to increase your

potency in an organization. You also learn strategies to influence team members who may not be direct reports.

Frank Wayno Senior Lecturer, College of Engineering, Cornell University

is a specialist in large-scale organizational change and managerial effectiveness.Frank Wayno


Click Play to Listen

He recently researched the processes for total quality success used by winners of the Malcolm

Baldrige Award. His consulting work has involved helping entrepreneurial firms in a variety of

industries manage the life-cycle transitions that occur with growth. Frank developed a successful

consulting practice with manufacturing and service organizations on competency-based

behavioral education for executives and increasing organizational effectiveness through

participative change strategies. Before that he was a corporate officer at Merrill Lynch, charged

with advising senior management on work redesign and organizational restructuring.

Start Your Course


Module Introduction: Understanding Power

Project leaders often face situations when they need to exert influence to motivate people to accomplish tasks. This

module introduces you to a model that helps you determine your potency in an organization and, by extension, your ability

to exercise influence without authority.

This course focuses on the role of power and influence in project leader effectiveness. It is important for you to understand

what power is, how power is different from influence, and how influence plays a role in leadership success in a project.

Think about how an influential person acts. What characteristics can you identify in a person who can successfully

influence others? Start this course by participating in a project, then listen to the faculty author explain the importance of

influence and introduce a model that can help you identify your strengths and weaknesses when influencing others.

An important step to becoming influential is to understand what your sources of power are and from where they originate.

This module explores resources that help you identify where your sources of power come from to help you increase your

potency in an organization. As you go through this module, think about your own sources of power and ways you could

increase your potency.


Read: Naomi Needs Support

Case Study F.W. Inc.

Naomi is the project manager overseeing the development and launch of the MicroWidget 3000, a new product from

global electronics giant F.W. Inc. Over the last two years, Naomi has applied principles of good project management and

leadership to drive her project to success. Now, as the product nears its launch, she finds herself needing to re-engage

some team members for help on crucial details.

Naomi decides to hold a project meeting so that she can utilize the talents of the team for the support she needs to finish

the project. After she sends an email requesting the meeting, however, a number of people say they cannot make it.

Charles is on another team as well, and he really needs to focus on his work there. Sasha's own functional manager

needs her to spend more time on her position's priorities. Still others do not even bother to send an excuse!

Angered, Naomi schedules another meeting. In her email to the team, she lets them know that this meeting is mandatory,

highlighting the word in red before she sends her message. This time, nobody responds to her email. Two days later,

however, Naomi is surprised when nobody shows up to her meeting.

What did Naomi do wrong?


Watch: Influence Without Authority


Read: Compliance vs. Commitment

Key Points

You need compliance when you do not care whether the other party likes responding to you

You need commitment when the quality of response, or the ongoing relationship, is important

As you consider power and influence, it is important that you decide whether compliance or commitment is the ultimate

goal of your power and influence strategy.

You bring influence to bear to get something from others. Sometimes what you need is simple compliance: do what I want;

give me the resources I need; live up to the rules or agreements. This is a simple binary response, in that if I ask you to do

something, you either do it or you do not. This may be enough because of the nature of the request, or because we do not

care whether the other party likes responding to us, because we will never have to deal with them again…or we are

indifferent to the quality of our relationship with them.

But at other times, the relationship with the other person might be ongoing and important to us, or the quality and

enthusiasm of that response are very important to our goals. In those cases, commitment becomes more important…you

need them to give you their "heart."

Throughout this discussion, keep this distinction in mind and consider what you need to achieve to be effective in your role

as project manager.


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2.

3.

Activity: Write Your Own Case

The project for this course asks you to use the tools and resources presented in this course to improve your capacity to

influence others. In the first part, you investigate and analyze a case you generate about particular circumstances in which

you have exercised influence. By looking at your experiences, you can create an action plan for how to approach your

next experience.

To complete this activity:

Download the Course Project worksheet and save it.

Complete Part One.

Save your work. You will return to this worksheet throughout the course, then submit it for feedback and grading.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/ecornell/content/CEPL/CEPL555/cepl555_project_worksheet.docx



Read: Characteristics of the Position

Key Points

A person's power can be derived from:

Criticality

Centrality

Flexibility

Relevance

Visibility

Power is an individual's capacity to compel others to action. A person's power can be derived from the characteristics of a

position he or she occupies, or from personal characteristics.

The chart below describes five position characteristics that influence the potency of a position.

Criticality

Criticality refers to the relationship between tasks performed in a

work flow process. Positions assigned tasks on the critical path of

the project, for example, are likely to hold greater power than

positions that deal with ancillary project tasks.

Centrality

Centrality refers to the relationship between positions in a

communication network. This determinant looks at information as

an indirect source of power. The more centrally located a position

is in the communication network of the organization, the more

power the person in that position holds.

Flexibility

Flexibility is the amount of discretion built into a position -- how

much autonomy is vested in an individual who holds the position.

From a project management standpoint, this is essentially asking if

the person has the authority to deviate from the plan and take

independent action. If so, the position has greater power.

Relevance

This determinant measures the relationship between the task and

the organization's priorities. The more ancillary the tasks performed

by a given function, the less power the position carries. The more

central to the objectives of the organization, the more power the

position is likely to have.

Visibility

Visibility is the degree to which task performance places you in

front of powerful or influential people in the organization. This

determinant assumes that power derives from access to senior

people. If you have access, other people are more likely to do what

you want because of your interaction with senior management.


D.A. Whetten and K.S. Cameron. Prentice Hall, 2004.Developing Management Skills, 6th edition.


Read: Personal Sources of Power

Key Points

Experts in their field are recognized as powerful

Strong contributors derive power from their work ethic

Attractiveness and likability convey power

Think about power that is derived from distinctive personal characteristics. What characteristics might make a person

potent in the eyes of others?

Certainly, we tend to vest greater power in those who demonstrate expertise in a given field. Experts are often given

promotions or assigned to tasks and projects that are more critical to organizational success. More importantly, experts

are accorded a certain degree of potency, because their peers, subordinates, and managers typically recognize that their

command of a body of knowledge gives them insight into problems and, when shared freely, helps others to grow and to

be successful. There is much truth to the adage that "knowledge is power."

Another source of power is the amount of effort put in by an individual. Societies such as the United States that value high

achievement place a great deal of value on what might be called "sweat equity." That is, influence is accorded to those

who have consistently worked the hardest and made the greatest contribution.

A third determinant of personal power is personal attractiveness. At least in some part, this does mean physical

attractiveness. Though what is considered attractive may change from one culture to the next, it remains a general trend

in most cultures that the most physically attractive have more potency.

Physical attractiveness, however, is only one component of personal attractiveness. If we are not pleased with our

physical appearance, we should not despair. The table below describes additional factors that research has shown make

us attractive to others. These are sources of attractiveness rooted in our behavior and how we treat others in interactions;

they are often referred to as the sources of our "likability." Practiced with authenticity, they turn us into people others want

to be around and are likely to listen to.


Genuineness ..........................

Intimacy potential

Acceptance

Utility potential ............................

Ego reinforcement .........................

Admiration

Similarity

Ritualistic social exchange

The expectation that a friend will be open, honest, and straightforward

The degree to which someone is emotionally accessible

Unconditional positive regard

The willingness to endure high costs as the intensity of the relationship

increases

The expectation that a friend will provide social reinforcement in the form of

sympathy or empathy

Esteem from the friend as an individual

The degree to which values and interests coincide

Gifting, such as is involved in exchanging birthday gifts



Read: Personal Planning

Key Points

Demonstrate competency for accurate self-assessment

Review Whetten and Cameron's guidelines for gaining power

Effective project managers must do more than understand the personal and positional sources of power. They must also

demonstrate competency for accurate self-assessment. That is, they must evaluate their own performance and work to

correct any limitations, weaknesses, or deficiencies.

In addition to defining a model, Whetten and Cameron present a set of guidelines for gaining power within an organization.

Be sure to read each of the guidelines; the project assignment for this module asks you to use them to assess your own

potency and suggest a plan for augmenting your power in the organization.

1. to improve positional power through increased criticality. This new role willAcquire a more central role in the work flow

mean that information is filtered through you. To achieve this, make sure that at least some of your job responsibilities are

unique, expand your network of social and professional communication contacts, and move to an office convenient to

main traffic flows.

2. Be an innovator by bringing new ideas to theReplace rote procedure in your routine with expanded task variety and novelty.

table, getting involved in new products, participating in the early stages of the decision-making process, and avoiding

"conventional performance criteria" for judging your success on the job. All of this will lead to increased flexibility, thus

expanding your positional power.

3. Create an ambiguous job description and develop a unique language or set ofMake your work more difficult to evaluate.

labels for the work you produce. Leverage increased participation in advanced training and professional associations to

increase your capacity to exercise your own judgment.

4. This includes making oralIncrease the degree to which you participate in activities where senior people might be present.

presentations, participating in task forces, or notifying people of accomplishments. Your efforts here should be geared to

seeking additional opportunities to increase personal name recognition. This will lead to increasing your degree of

visibility.

5. Seek opportunities to coordinate internal activities orIncrease the relevance of your task or unit to others in the organization.

to represent the organization to external units. Expand the domain of your work so that you are providing services and

information to other units within the organization and assert your unit or position's importance in the decisions central to

the organization's top-priority goals. Or, volunteer to help other individuals in the organization by becoming a trainer,

mentor, or coach for new people in the organization.

The five items above all deal with increasing positional power. You can also improve your personal power in the

organization by performing any of the following:

Develop a niche area in which you are the acknowledged expert in the organization.


Embody the characteristics of personal attractiveness (genuineness, intimacy, acceptance, utility, ego

reinforcement, admirability, similarity, and social exchange).

Accentuate pleasant aspects of your personal appearance; these include your physical features, but also other

aspects of your image and appearance, such as dressing professionally and exercising good hygiene.

Build up personal credits by putting forth more effort than expected.

D.A. Whetten and K.S. Cameron. Prentice Hall, 2004.Developing Management Skill , 6th edition.


1.

2.

3.

Activity: Influence Project

At this point, you should now know what power is and where it comes from. Now, turn to the key question of this module:

how do you increase your own potency?


If you have not already done so, download the Course Project worksheet and save it.

Complete Part Two.

Save your work. You will return to this worksheet throughout the course, and later submit it for grading.




Module Introduction: Strategies of Influence

Would an effective project leader use only one strategy to influence members of his or her team...or others outside the

team? Being able to choose the most appropriate influence strategy, or knowing how to combine strategies to address

certain situations or certain individuals is important to being an effective project leader. Only using a single strategy to

influence others can reduce your personal effectiveness and, thus, can be detrimental to the success of the project. This

module introduces you to a number of influence strategies as well as to an instrument that can help you determine your

psychological orientation to power.

This module provides a brief introduction to the three strategies of influence. Using the resources available, help Naomi

determine which strategies she should use to lead her team.

How might retribution-based influence manifest itself in an office atmosphere? This module examines this strategy for

influencing people as well as the competency required to enact it. Use the resources in the module to learn how to use

retribution as a strategy for influencing people and then update your case study.

Rationality-based influence-using persuasion instead of coercion-can help project managers to communicate with potency

and get what they want from others. This module introduces a process that can help you use persuasion to influence

others.

This module examines the use of reciprocity as a way to influence others. As you review the resources and listen to

Professor Frank Wayno talk about this strategy, think about how you might apply this strategy to your case study.

Understanding your psychological makeup and how you handle power and influence is important to your success as a

project leader. This module introduces a tool called the Power Management Inventory designed to help you determine

your "need for power." Use the resources in this module to help you understand the psychology of power and apply it to

your case study.


Read: Naomi and Strategies of Influence

Case Study F.W. Inc.

Let's reconsider Naomi's situation as the end of the MicroWidget project nears. After Naomi's first attempt to bring the

group together failed, she sent an email demanding that the group come together and support her in her implementation

efforts as the project concludes and the product moves to market. The group rejected this request due to Naomi's relative

lack of power in the organization.

Now, imagine that Naomi does in fact have some power in the organization. Her power is mostly positional: the

MicroWidget project is highly relevant to the financial success of F.W. Inc., and as a result, it is highly visible to senior

management. In addition, the final steps before launch will allow for the important task of selling the product; therefore

Naomi's work is seen as having great criticality. As a result of these factors, Naomi's project management position carries

with it a significant degree of power.

Still, would an email making demands of the group be the appropriate method of exercising that power? If Naomi were

going to resend the email, what should she say to influence her team to act? What should she say?not


Watch: The Three Strategies

R.B. Cialdini. "Harnessing the Science of Persuasion", , Sept-Oct 2001.Harvard Business Review



Tool: Selecting Influence Strategies

Download the Tool

Checklist

Whenever you enter a situation where you need to influence somebody to act, you must decide which of three influence

strategies you will use:

Retribution-based strategies (coercion and intimidation)

Rationality-based strategies (persuasion based on facts or appeals to personal values)

Reciprocity-based strategies (exchange and ingratiation)

Whetten and Cameron established a set of criteria for selecting the appropriate influence strategy. Download this list by

clicking the link above and save the checklist for use later in this course. As you learn more about each influence strategy,

think about what other criteria you would use to assess its value in a given situation. Are there circumstances that you

would add to any of the strategies on the checklist?

https://d31owemgwclw9w.cloudfront.net/content/CEPL/CEPL555/cepl555_213_nflncchkls_en-us.pdf


Read: Retribution in the Office

Naomi's email to her team demanding their presence at a meeting is an example of a retribution-based strategy. As you

read the email, think about the conditions that would have to exist on the team for this strategy to be effective.


Read: Retribution and Influence

Key Points

Retribution strategy: threaten to withhold a reward/provide punishment

Retribution should be used only when ongoing commitment to a project is not important

Retribution requires the user having much more power than the receiver

Retribution is a fear-based strategy for exercising influence. Using this strategy, the person who wants others to do

something threatens either to withhold a reward or to provide some sort of punishment if demands are not met. Indirect

retribution strategies are those in which the threat of punishment or withheld reward is implicit. Here, you would make

demands of others, but you force compliance more from intimidation than from direct threat. In some cases, you may find

that a direct approach-open threat-is more appropriate.

In some ways, it is the strategy most people new to project management think of as influence, though the reality is that it is

largely misapplied. Project managers are specialists in lateral relations. That is, they manage relationships across

functional boundaries to improve communication, reduce uncertainty, and get the job done. It is important to keep this role

in mind when considering a retribution-based strategy, largely because retribution values task over relationship. Think

about it: if you threaten somebody to get them to complete a task, they may do the task, but they will probably not want to

work for or with you again. Because of this, retribution should be used only when ongoing commitment to a project is not

important.

Another constraint that project managers face in applying this strategy is a relative lack of power. This strategy relies on

the person exercising it having much more power than the person being targeted. If a project manager has limited position

or personal power within his or her matrix environment, members of a team or outsiders are not likely to take threats

seriously-whether implicit or explicit.

A final misstep is failing to recognize that a retribution-based strategy requires a deep understanding of the situation and

the person being targeted by the strategy. For example, if the task raises strong feelings for the individual, using a

retribution-based strategy might mean both the loss of the relationship and a failure to complete the task. In addition,

consider the mental state of the person who has been threatened. If the person is working under duress, you will probably

not want to assign that person work that requires a great deal of judgment or creativity.


Read: Use of Unilateral Power

Key Points

Each influence strategy is associated with a leadership competency

Retribution is associated with unilateral power

Use of unilateral power should be justified and legitimized

The eCornell course, "Introduction to Project Leadership," introduced a generic competency map for leadership skills

necessary for all project managers. Three of these competencies deal specifically with the task of influencing others. Not

surprisingly, these three competencies each align with one of the three influence strategies.

The competency reflected in the use of retribution-based strategy is called Use of Unilateral Power. This competency is

not about barking loud commands or impulsively drawing the line, although it does sometimes take such forms. More

often, the competency is expressed by tying orders or demands to standards of performance, expectations, goals, and

intentions. At other times, the warrant for its use becomes a management by objectives (MBO) plan, quality or quota

standards, policies, or regulations. And finally, the manager's own personal authority or capacity to influence may provide

the dominant energy for the use of the competency. The key to the effective use of this competency is that its expression

should be justified and made legitimate by referring to some type of framework (rules, procedures, plans, expectations,

etc.) when orders are given or actions are mandated.

Some forms of Use of Unilateral Power gain compliance accompanied by resentment rather than agreement. The key in

using this competency, is to use it in a way that enhances individual performance and fosters concurrence.

Thus, style of use is critical. Context is also very important. Managers who use the power competencies in the model

effectively know when and how to use this competency and when to blend it with the competencies associated with the

other two influence strategies: Concern with Impact (rationality) and Use of Socialized Power (reciprocity).

A person demonstrating this competency:

Gives directions or orders based on rules, procedures, government regulations, or personal authority in order to

obtain the compliant behavior of others


Gives such directions or orders without soliciting input from others, even in situations where the input has been

solicited previously


Listen: Developing Competencies

This course introduces leadership competencies associated with the three strategies of influence presented as part of the

power and influence model. But what should you be trying to do with these competencies? You may have a profoundly

well-developed capacity for each of these competencies, yet if you never talk about these competencies or display the

behaviors associated with them, to others it will appear that you do not actually possess them.

Click the image to hear faculty author Frank Wayno describe how you can work toward acquiring the competencies

discussed in this course.

Competency

Acquisition Process

1. Recognition

2. Understanding

3. Assessment

4. Experimentation

5. Practice

6. Application


1.

2.

3.

Activity: Apply Retribution

How can you tell if retribution-based strategies are being used? How do you know when they should be used? The next

part of the worksheet gives you an opportunity to analyze your own case study to see strategies and their associated

competencies in practice.



Complete Part Three.




Read: Rationality in the Office

What would it look like if Naomi had used a rationality-based strategy? As you read the email, think about the conditions

that would have to exist on the team for this strategy to be effective.


Read: How to Persuade

Key Points

Persuading through rational argument is a four-step process

Rationality is a strategy that relies on your ability to persuade others to act in a certain way. But just how does one go

about persuading somebody to do something?

In "The Necessary Art of Persuasion," organizational behaviorist Jay Conger describes the following four-step process1

for persuading others to act.

1. Establish

credibility

Because change demands a commitment of time and energy, being persuaded is a risky

endeavor. With that in mind, people are skeptical of those who wish to persuade them of

anything, so establishing credibility is an important first step.

Not surprisingly, a person's degree of credibility is directly related to his or her degree of

personal power. Leaders who maintain relationships and friendships (personal

attractiveness) and leaders who demonstrate expertise can win support for ideas more

easily.

2. Frame

for

common

ground

Even after you establish credibility, you still must convince people of the merit of your

idea. More specifically, the people you are trying to persuade must believe that what you

are trying to persuade them of will be advantageous to them. As Conger points out, "Any

parent can tell you the fastest way to get a child to come along willingly on a trip to the

grocery store is to point out that there are lollipops by the cash register. This is not

deception. It is just a persuasive way of framing the benefits of taking such a journey."

Key to effective framing is your ability to understand the motivations of those you are

trying to persuade. In each conversation you have, collect little bits of data about what

matters to them. Then, when you know what they find important, you can frame your

ideas in a way that resonates with those you are trying to persuade.

3.

Reinforce

with vivid

language

The third step gets to the heart of persuasion: the evidence. However, as this step

suggests, simply presenting data is insufficient.

Effective persuaders use narrative examples, metaphors, and analogies in an effort to

"paint a vivid world picture" of their argument. This makes a specific piece of evidence


and

compelling

evidence

tangible, increasing the likelihood that it will be accepted by the person being persuaded.

4. Connect

emotionally

with the

audience

Though rational thought does play a significant role in workplace decision-making,

emotional reactions to the problem, the players, and alternative solutions always subtly

influence responses. Effective persuaders recognize the importance of emotions and

respond to them in two ways.

First, they demonstrate their own emotional commitment to the idea. People want to see

that you believe in your idea and that it resonates with you in a real, emotional, way.

However, be careful: act too emotionally, and people will doubt whether you are capable

of leading.

Secondly, persuaders must be aware of the emotional state of those they are trying to

persuade, and they must respond by changing the tone of their arguments accordingly.

J. A. Conger. "The Necessary Art of Persuasion," , May-June 1998, pp. 84-95.1 Harvard Business Review

You might also find it useful to read a summary of Conger's article, available by clicking . The full version of the articlehere

is also available for purchase .

https://hbr.org/1998/05/the-necessary-art-of-persuasion


Read: Pitfalls of Rationality-Based Strategies

Key Points

Persuasion is not convincing and selling

Persuasion is learning and negotiating

In considering influence strategies based on rationality and persuasion, it is important to be aware of these common

mistakes. Understanding how people lose capacity for power and influence when trying to persuade will help you more

effectively craft a script for your rationality-based efforts.

Here are five common mistakes highlighted by Jay Conger :1

J. A. Conger. "The Necessary Art of Persuasion," , May-June 1998.1 Harvard Business Review


Read: Concern with Impact

Key Points

Concern with Impact: sensitivity to how others might experience you/your organization

The personalized power motive is central to this competency

Closely associated with rationality-based influence strategies

At its heart is a drive to persuade, to have an impact on others. Concern with Impact can be expressed both as a

sensitivity to personal impact-how you are coming across in a specific situation-and as a broader concern for how others

might experience you or your organization. To use the competency effectively, both dimensions would be well developed

and used in diverse situations.

Central to this competency is the personalized power motive. In a article*, social psychologistsHarvard Business Review

McClelland and Burnham speak of institutional power, the use of power for organizational goals. Concern with Impact, if

effectively used, can provide the muscle for this type of power.

The competency is labeled "concern." To be effective, this concern must be used, observed, and utilized in positive effect

for both the person and the organization.


Explicitly expresses a need or desire to persuade others

Explicitly expresses concern with his or her image and reputation, or the image and reputation of the organization

or its products and services

*D.C. McClelland, and D.H. Burnham. "Power is the great motivator". , 54(2), 1976, pp. 100-110.Harvard Business Review

R.E. Boyatzis. . New York: Wiley & Sons. 1982.The competent manager: a model for effective performance


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2.

3.

Activity: Apply Rationality

This part of the worksheet asks you to reflect on the use of a rationality-based strategy in your case study.



Complete Part Four.




Read: Reciprocity in the Office

What if circumstances suggest that Naomi try using a reciprocity-based strategy for influencing her team? Consider the

conditions that would have to exist to make this strategy effective as you read the email below.


Listen: Reciprocity


Read: Influence Without Authority

"It is important to recognize that reciprocity is the basic principle behind all organizational transactions."

Organizational behaviorists Allan Cohen and David Bradford's 1989 article, "Influence Without Authority," is one of the

classic descriptions of reciprocity and exchange. In the article, the authors describe the concept of exchange in

organizational life, detailing how different types of currency serve as sources of organizational influence and explaining

concepts that project managers should always keep in mind as they prepare to engage in reciprocal exchanges.

Click to view a summary of the article.here

https://d31owemgwclw9w.cloudfront.net/content/CEPL/CEPL555/cepl555_243_nflncathty_en-us.pdf


Read: Use of Socialized Power

Key Points

Socialized power: using networks, coalitions, and alliances to achieve personal or organizational goals

Socialized power is the competency linked to reciprocity

The leadership competency associated with reciprocity-based strategies is called Use of Socialized Power. This

competency addresses the manager's use of networks, coalitions, and alliances to achieve personal or organizational

goals. Often, this action is necessary because no natural chain of command structure exists to achieve the intended goal.

Thus, this is a constructive enterprise-building and maintaining a cohesive group when participants may be involved for

many different reasons.

Whether the coalition is short-term or long-term, this competency relies on the capacity to meet the individual needs or

"stake" of group members, and suggests that the group will stay alive and flourish only as long as its existence is mutually

beneficial. Understanding those needs and insuring mutual satisfaction is, therefore, a key component of reciprocity-based

approaches.

A manager using this competency needs skill in building mutuality in relationships, the capacity to construct and maintain

group enterprises, a willingness to use power creatively, and wisdom in putting together the essential actors even though

they may seem like unlikely partners. Whether working one-on-one or in the group setting, this is an active process in

which the manager builds a team working toward a recognized goal.


Acts to build political coalitions or potential influence networks to accomplish a task

Models desirable behavior (i.e., demonstrates the specific behavior desired) in an explicitly acknowledged attempt

to influence the behavior of others

Acts to influence others involved in a conflict or dispute through building coalitions that will help resolve the conflict

or dispute


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2.

3.

Activity: Apply Reciprocity

Part five of the worksheet asks you to reflect on the use of Reciprocity-based strategies by members of the team in your

case study.



Complete Part Five.




Read: Power Management Inventory

Key Points

Management, leadership, and the exercise of power go hand in hand

One's psychological orientation to power contributes to how one approaches situations requiring influence

Power is a fundamental aspect of life in organizations. To meet complex goals requires a division of labor and a system of

accountability to ensure that critical tasks are completed. Thus, hierarchy and the unequal distribution of formal authority

tend to be found in most organizations. Management, leadership, and the exercise of power go hand in hand.

Beyond such formal power, individuals in organizations tend to acquire a capacity to be influential because of the skills

they possess, the people they know or have access to, their track record of success, or simply because of who they are.

Research has shown, however, that those who have power, whether it is derived from a formal position or informal

capacities, are not always comfortable with it. Some crave and, indeed, enjoy power; others do not desire power and are

uncomfortable when given it.

To a large degree, these differences can be explained by what psychologist David McClelland has called the "Need for

Power." This is a drive, caused by early formative experiences, to have an impact on others. In some of us, that drive is

strong, and we seek power. In others, the drive for power is weak and other psychological needs dominate our make-up.

One's psychological orientation to power is an important contributor to how one approaches situations requiring influence.

If you wish, for a nominal fee, you may fill out an instrument-the Power Management Inventory (PMI)-that will help you to

understand your orientation to power at both the psychological and behavioral levels. The paper and pencil inventory is

available through , and there is no special pricing available to eCornell students.Teleometrics International TM

http://www.teleometrics.com/programs/partNumber_1080/info.html


Watch: Psychological Impact


Read: Self-Control

Key Points

The Self-Control competency: impulse control for the good of organizational achievement

Identifiable "triggers" or patterns can make control difficult

The Self-Control competency is about impulse control for the good of organizational achievement. Both impulse control

and concern about the organization are involved, and each is important. Think back to the scenario in this topic. When

Naomi exercised self-control, she was able to approach the situation after thinking more critically about how to talk to

Charles. Her competency in Self-Control helped salvage her professional relationship with Charles and-ultimately-led him

to stay on her team.

We can develop effective strategies to enhance our self-control. Very often there are identifiable "triggers" or patterns in

the situations or relationships in which control is the hardest to manifest. Simulation, practice, and alternative strategies

can be utilized once we identify these triggers.

Self-Control is a form of discipline. This competency and others allow one to make changes in behavior. When one

withholds a typical response or replaces it with one more appropriate, one is changing behavior-the essence of the

development and work optimization process.

We are dealing here with coping mechanisms related to stressful and provocative situations. Recognition of the need for

control is step one. Step two is analysis of the situation where control is needed, and of the triggers that set us off. Step

three is the development of alternative strategies. Then we are ready to try them out, evaluate, and build on our

successes and oversee our failures.


Explicitly denies a personal impulse, need, or desire (i.e., makes a personal sacrifice) for the good of an overriding

organizational need

Explicitly replaces a usual personal response with a response that is more appropriate in a given situation

Reports acting in such a way as to not show anger or other kinds of emotional upset when being verbally attacked

R. E. Boyatzis. The competent manager: a model for effective performance. New York: Wiley & Sons, 1982.


1.

2.

3.

Activity: Managing Psychology

In the final part of your worksheet, analyze your case study through the lens of psychological management. Revisit the

details of your case, and ask: Are there indications that the psychology of any of the players informed how they acted

during the event? If so, explain. What specific cues or evidence led to your conclusions? What advice can you give to your

colleagues about managing these psychological dimensions?



Complete Part Six.

Save your work. You will be instructed to submit it for grading.



Listen: Thank You and Farewell

Hi. This is Frank Wayno again. I'd like to thank you for taking this course. I hope I've helped you to better appreciate the

ways in which you can increase your power base, and then how you can use that power to influence others.

People often worry that the concept of influence without authority is equal to playing politics in an organization. But

organizations are political entities-and the skills needed to influence others within that environment are crucial to your

success as a project manager.

I hope to see you again in one of our follow-on courses that continue our exploration of the skills needed for project

leadership success.


Stay Connected


Supplemental Reading List

To learn more about the concepts presented in this course, you may want to consult, on your own, the following supplemental

resources:

"The competent manager: a model for effective performance." - R.E. Boyatzis.

New York: Wiley & Sons. 1982.

Influence: Science and Practice, 4th ed." - " R. B. Cialdini.

Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2001.

"Influence Without Authority: The Use of Alliances, Reciprocity and Exchanges to Accomplish Work," - A.R.

Cohen and D.L. Bradford

Organizational Dynamics, Winter 1989, pp. 5-17.

"The Necessary Art of Persuasion," - J. A. Conger.

Harvard Business Review, May-June 1998, pp. 84-95.

"Power is the great motivator" - D.C. McClelland, and D.H. Burnham.

Harvard Business Review, 54(2), 1976, pp. 100-110.

"Developing Management Skills, 6th edition" - D.A. Whetten and K.S. Cameron

Prentice Hall, 2004.

CEPL555: Influence Without Authority - Amazon S3...to exercise influence without authority. This...

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