1. Power and Influence in the Workplace
McGraw-Hill/Irwin
McShane/Von Glinow OB 5e
Copyright © 2010 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

2. 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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3. 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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4. Power and Dependence Person A Person B Resource desired by person B
Person B’s countervailing power over Person A
Person A’s control of resource valued by Person B
Person B
Resource desired by person B
Person A’s power over Person B
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5. Model of Power in Organizations
over others
Sources
of Power
Contingencies
of Power
Legitimate
Reward
Coercive
Expert
Referent
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6. Sources of Power
Legitimate
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) varies across national and org cultures.
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7. Sources of Power
Legitimate
Reward
Ability to control the allocation of rewards valued by others and to remove negative sanctions
Operates upward as well as downward
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8. Sources of Power Ability to apply punishment
Legitimate
Reward
Ability to apply punishment
Exists upward as well as downward
Peer pressure is a form of coercive power
Coercive
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9. Sources of Power
Legitimate
Reward
Coercive
The capacity to influence others by possessing knowledge or skills that they value
More employee expert power over companies in knowledge economy
Expert
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10. Sources of Power
Legitimate
Reward
Coercive
Occurs when others identify with, like, or otherwise respect the person
Associated with charismatic leadership
Expert
Referent
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11. 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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12. 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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13. Power Through Control of Information Flow
Wheel formation
All-channels formation
This person has high information control
These people individually have low information control
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14. Contingencies of Power
over others
Sources
of Power
Contingencies
of Power
Substitutability
Centrality
Discretion
Visibility
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15. Increasing Nonsubstitutability
Few/no alternatives to the resource
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
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16. 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
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17. Discretion and Visibility
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 more aware of your presence
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18. 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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19. 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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20. Types of Influence Silent Authority Assertiveness
Following requests without overt influence
Based on legitimate power, role modeling
Common in high power distance cultures
Assertiveness
Actively applying legitimate and coercive power (“vocal authority”)
Reminding, confronting, checking, threatening
more
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21. Types of Influence (con’t)
Information Control
Manipulating others’ access to information
Withholding, filtering, re-arranging information
Coalition Formation
Group forms to gain more power than individuals alone
Pools resources/power
Legitimizes the issue
Power through social identity
more
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22. Types of Influence (con’t)
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
more
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23. Types of Influence (con’t)
Ingratiation/ Impress. Mgt.
increaseliking by, or perceived similarity to the target person
Exchange
Promising or reminding of past benefits in exchange for compliance
Includes negotiation and networking
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24. Consequences of Influence Tactics
people oppose the behavior desired by the influencer
motivated by external sources (rewards) to implement request
identify with and highly motivated to implement request
Resistance
Compliance
Commitment
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25. Consequences of Influence Tactics
Hard Influence Tactics
Silent authority
Upward appeal
Coalition formation
Information control
Assertiveness
Persuasion
Ingratiation & impression mgt
Exchange
Soft Influence Tactics
Resistance
Compliance
Commitment
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26. 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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27. 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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28. Conditions for Organizational Politics
Tolerance of
Politics
Scarce
Resources
Conditions
Supporting
Organizational
Politics
Organizational
Change
Complex and
Ambiguous
Decisions
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29. Minimizing Political Behaviour
Introduce clear rules for scarce resources
Effective organizational change practices
Suppress norms that support or tolerate self-serving behavior
Leaders role model organizational citizenship
Give employees more control over their work
Keep employees informed
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30. Power and Influence in the Workplace
McGraw-Hill/Irwin
McShane/Von Glinow OB 5e
Copyright © 2010 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
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