Power and Influence in the Workplace

McGraw-Hill/IrwinMcShane/Von Glinow OB 5e Copyright © 2010 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Power, Influence & Politics in the RCMP

Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) human resources director Denise Revine and her boss Chief Superintendent Fraser Macauley, (see photo) had their careers derailed when they reported that pension funds had been misappropriated. A Canadian government report concluded the RCMP suffered from the “absolute power exercised by the Commissioner.”

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The Meaning of Power

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

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Power and Dependence

Resource desired by person B

(paycheck)

Resource desired by person B

(paycheck)

Person B’s countervailing

power over Person A

(Skill, knowledge,etc)

Person ABoss

Person ABoss

Person A’s control of resource valued

by Person B(Control over jobsecurity,

promotion,etc)

Person Bstaff

Person Bstaff

Person A’s power over Person B

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Power relationship also depends on trust : the level of expectation that the more powerful party will deliver the resouces

Model of Power in Organizations

Contingenciesof Power

Contingenciesof Power

Powerover others

Powerover others

Sourcesof PowerSourcesof Power

Legitimate

Reward

Coercive

Expert

Referent

Legitimate

Reward

Coercive

Expert

Referent

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From the job/position

Personal characteristics

Sources of Power

Agreement that people in certain roles can request certain behaviors of others

Based on job descriptions and mutual agreement

Legitimate power range (zone of indifference – the range within which people are willing to accept someone else’s

authority) varies across national and org cultures – conformity, traditional values, high power distance, etc

Legitimate

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Sources of Power

Ability to control the allocation of rewards valued by others and to remove negative sanctions

Operates upward as well as downward (because of 360 degrees feedback system)

Reward

Legitimate

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Sources of Power

Ability to apply punishment Exists upward as well as

downward Peer pressure is a form of

coercive power

Legitimate

Coercive

Reward

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Sources of Power

The capacity to influence others by possessing knowledge or skills that they value

More employee expert power over companies in knowledge economy

Legitimate

Expert

Reward

Coercive

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Sources of Power

Occurs when others identify with, like, or otherwise respect the person

Associated with charismatic leadership

Legitimate

Referent

Reward

Coercive

Expert

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DeCourcy’s Trendspotting Power

Colleen DeCourcy has

developed a reputation as a

trendspotter, giving her

considerable information power

in the advertising industry. “Her

knowledge of the digital

landscape, grounded in

creativity, make her an

invaluable additional to TBWA,”

says DeCourcy’s boss.

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Information and Power

Control over information flow• Based on legitimate power• Relates to formal communication

network

Coping with uncertainty • More power to those who can

help firms cope with uncertainty- Prevention- Forecasting- Absorption

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Power Through Control of Information Flow

This person has high information control

These people individually have low information control

Wheel formation

All-channels formation

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Contingencies of Power

Contingenciesof Power

Contingenciesof Power

Substitutability

Centrality

Discretion

Visibility

Substitutability

Centrality

Discretion

Visibility

Powerover others

Powerover others

Sourcesof PowerSourcesof Power

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Increasing Nonsubstitutability

Few/no alternatives to the resource (monopoly, only minimum sources for resouce - or by deacreasing substitutions of the resource itself, substituting skilled labor with robots)

Increase nonsubstituability by controlling the resource• exclusive right to perform medical procedures• control over skilled labor• exclusive knowledge to repair equipment

Differentiate resource from others – new product/ service or new packaging to make it look new

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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

(well timed strikes)

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Discretion and Visibility

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 (on walls, pics with powerful people)

- Clothing etc (stethoscope around neck)• Salience

- Location – others more aware of your presence (where you sit so you can be seen)

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Social Networking and Power Cultivating social relationships with others to

accomplish one’s goals

Increases power through:• social capital• referent power• visibility and centrality contingencies

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Influencing Others

Influence -- any behavior that attempts to alter someone’s attitudes or behavior

• Applies one or more power bases

• Process through which people achieve organizational objectives

• Operates up, down, and across the organizational hierarchy

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AssertivenessAssertiveness • Actively applying legitimate and coercive power (“vocal authority”)

• Reminding, confronting, checking, threatening

Silent Silent AuthorityAuthority

• Following requests without overt influence

• Based on legitimate power, role modeling

• Common in high power distance cultures

more

Types of Influence

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Coalition Coalition FormationFormation

• Group forms to gain more power than individuals alone

1. Pools resources/power 2. Legitimizes the issue3. Power through social identity

more

Types of Influence (con’t)

Information Information ControlControl

• Manipulating others’ access to information

• Withholding, filtering, re-arranging information

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Upward Upward AppealAppeal

• Appealing to higher authority

• Includes appealing to firm’s goals

• Alliance or perceived alliance with higher status person

more

Types of Influence (con’t)

PersuasionPersuasion• Logic, facts, emotional appeals• Depends on persuader, message content,

message medium, audience

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Types of Influence (con’t)

ExchangeExchange • Promising or reminding of past benefits in exchange for compliance

• Includes negotiation and networking

Ingratiation/ Ingratiation/ Impress. Mgt.Impress. Mgt.

• increaseliking by, or perceived similarity to the target person (apple polishing)-ingratiation is part of impression mgt. IM : distinct clothing, voice, skills, knowledge, etc

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Consequences of Influence Tactics (possible reactions from receiver of influence)

people oppose the behavior desired by the influencer

motivated by external sources (rewards) to implement request

identify with and highly motivated to implement request

ResistanceResistance ComplianceCompliance CommitmentCommitment

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Consequences of Influence Tactics

ResistanceResistance ComplianceCompliance CommitmentCommitment

Persuasion

Ingratiation &impression mgt

Exchange

Soft Influence Tactics

Hard Influence Tactics

Silent authority ?

Upward appeal

Coalition formation

Information control

Assertiveness

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Silent authority : resistence & compliance or compliance only?Or silent authority is both hard and soft influence tactics?

Contingencies of Influence Tactics

“Soft” tactics generally more acceptable than “hard” tactics

Appropriate influence tactic depends on:• Influencer’s power base• Organizational position • Cultural values and expectations

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Example:1. Power-oriented boss using assertiveness to staff in govt org.2. Compliant staff using assertiveness to boss in govt org.3. Staff using ingratiation to narcissistic boss4. Secretary using exchange tactics to boss

Organizational Politics

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

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ConditionsConditionsSupportingSupporting

Organizational Organizational PoliticsPolitics

ScarceScarceResourcesResources

Complex andComplex andAmbiguousAmbiguous

Decisions Decisions (eg on (eg on how to allocate how to allocate

resources)resources)

Tolerance of Tolerance of PoliticsPolitics

OrganizationalOrganizationalChangeChange

Conditions for Organizational Politics

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Need for clear rules, SOPs

Keep employees informed of changes

Machiavellian? Power-oriented? Compliant? High power distance?

Minimizing Political Behaviour

1. Introduce clear rules for scarce resources

2. Effective organizational change practices

3. Suppress norms that support or tolerate self-serving behavior

4. Leaders role model organizational citizenship

5. Give employees more control over their work

6. Keep employees informed

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Power and Influence in the Workplace

10-30McGraw-Hill/IrwinMcShane/Von Glinow OB 5e Copyright © 2010 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.