Chapter 9: Power & Influence Flashcards
Q: What is the meaning of power in an organizational context?
Power is the capacity (or potential) to influence others’ attitudes and behaviors.
Power is based on the perception that someone controls a valuable resource that can help achieve another’s goals.
It involves asymmetric dependence — one party depends more on the other.
Individuals may be unaware of the power they hold.
Trust affects how confidently someone believes another will help, act, or respond.
What is the relationship between power and dependence in organizations?
Power involves asymmetric dependence, where one party (Person B) depends on another (Person A) who controls a resource that can help or hinder Person B in achieving their goal. For example, if Person A controls job assignments, expertise, or rewards that Person B values, then Person A has power over Person B. This dependence creates a power dynamic. However, the less powerful party also holds some countervailing power—the capacity to influence or resist the more powerful party within the exchange relationship. All power relationships require a minimal level of trust to function.
What are the five sources of power in organizations?
- Legitimate
- Reward
- Coercive
- Expert
- Referent
Legitimate, reward, and coercive come mostly from a person’s formal role.
Expert and referent stem mainly from the power holder’s personal characteristics.
What is legitimate power and how is it used in organizations?
Legitimate power is the authority given through formal roles or social norms, allowing someone to request certain behaviors from others. It’s common in manager-employee relationships and includes the zone of indifference—the range of behaviors people perform without resistance.
What influences the zone of indifference in legitimate power?
- Trust in the power holder
- Individual values and personality traits
- Organizational culture
The more trust and alignment with norms, the larger the zone.
What are some extensions of legitimate power?
Employees can have power via legal rights and informal norms.
Norm of reciprocity: A social expectation to return favors.
Information control: Gatekeepers gain power by restricting or shaping the information others receive.
What is reward power?
Reward power is the ability to control rewards that others value (e.g., promotions, praise) or to remove negative consequences. It motivates others through positive reinforcement. Often tied to legitimate power.
What is coercive power?
Coercive power is the ability to apply punishment or threaten negative consequences to influence others, such as demotions, reprimands, or undesirable tasks. Often tied to legitimate power.
What is expert power, and where does it come from?
Expert power is the capacity to influence others through knowledge or skills valued by them. It originates from the power holder’s expertise and is especially strong when managing uncertainty.
What are the three ways expert power manages uncertainty, and which is most effective?
Prevention – Stopping problems before they happen (most powerful)
* e.g., Financial experts preventing cash shortages
Forecasting – Predicting changes, like consumer trends
Absorption – Handling issues after they occur, like fixing machine breakdowns
What is referent power and how does it work?
Referent power comes from others’ admiration, respect, or identification with the power holder. It’s based on interpersonal skills and likability, often tied to charisma.
How does charisma relate to referent power?
Charisma involves behaviors and communication styles that generate interpersonal attraction, giving the person influence and deference from others. It strengthens referent power.
What are the four contingencies of power, and how do they affect a person’s influence in an organization?
Contingencies will either enable or disable power.
(Some Contigencies Volunteer Dogs)
substitutability – Power increases when the resource you offer cannot be easily replaced. It decreases as more alternatives become available. You can increase nonsubstitutability by controlling access to the resource and differentiating it from others.
Centrality – Refers to how many people depend on you and how quickly and significantly they’re affected by your actions. More interdependence means more power. Higher centrality when your actions affect (a) many people and (b) affect them quickly.
Visibility – Power grows when your skills and contributions are recognized. Being involved in high-profile projects, working in visible locations, or frequently interacting with key people increases your visibility.
Discretion – The freedom to make decisions independently. Greater autonomy and less reliance on rules or approvals increase your power.
What is influence and the two categories of influence tactics?
Influence is the exercise of power.
Hard Influence Tactics – Use extrinsic controls (position power).
Soft Influence Tactics – Rely on personal power (referent, expert), offering more autonomy to the target.
What is silent authority, and is it a hard or soft tactic?
Silent authority influences behavior through legitimate power without explicitly referring to it. It’s common in power-distance cultures.
Type: Hard Tactic (uses legitimate power).
What is assertiveness, and is it a hard or soft tactic?
Assertiveness involves using legitimate and coercive power by applying pressure or threats. It includes reminders, checks, confrontations, and threats of sanctions.
Type: Hard Tactic (uses coercive and legitimate power).
What is information control, and is it a hard or soft tactic?
Information control manipulates access to information to change attitudes or behavior.
Type: Hard Tactic (uses power to restrict information flow).
Legitimate power based.
What is coalition formation, and is it a hard or soft tactic?
Coalition formation involves creating a group to influence others. It pulls the resources of many and increases confidence among members.
Type: Hard Tactic (uses group power).
What is upward appeal, and is it a hard or soft tactic?
Upward appeal relies on higher authority or expertise to support a position. Legitimate power based.
Type: Hard Tactic (leverages higher authority).
What is persuasion, and is it a hard or soft tactic?
Persuasion uses logical arguments, factual evidence, and emotional appeals to convince others of a request’s value.
Type: Soft Tactic (uses expert and referent power).
What is impression management, and what role does ingratiation play?
Impression management shapes others’ perceptions of you, including ingratiation (flattering or aligning with others to increase likability).
Type: Soft Tactic (uses referent power and personal skills).
What is exchange, and is it a hard or soft tactic?
Exchange involves offering benefits or resources in return for compliance.
Type: Soft Tactic (uses referent power and reciprocity).
What are the four elements of persuasion and the corresponding characteristics of effective persuasion (Exhibit 9.5)?
(Persuading Mary Causes Alarm)
Persuader Characteristics – Persuaders should have expertise, credibility, no apparent profit motive, and appear neutral (acknowledge strengths of alternative choices).
Message Content – Use multiple viewpoints (not only supporting the preferred option), strong arguments (a few, not many), repetition (but not excessive), emotional appeals combined with logical arguments, and specific solutions to problems. Inoculation effect involves warning the audience about counterarguments.
Communication Channel – Channels with high media richness and social presence are more persuasive.
Audience Characteristics – Persuasion is less effective when the audience has higher self-esteem, higher intelligence, or a self-concept tied to an opposing position.
What are the consequences and contingencies of influence tactics (Exhibit 9.6)?
Resistance – The target actively opposes the influence attempt.
Compliance – The target agrees with the request but only to avoid punishment or because it’s expected.
Commitment – The target fully agrees and becomes motivated to support the request or change.
What are the three consequences of influence and how do the eight influence tactics relate to them?
Resistance – People actively oppose the behavior requested. This can range from refusing to comply to performing the task poorly or complaining. Hard tactics often lead to resistance.
Compliance – People perform the requested task for instrumental reasons, doing only what’s required. Compliance tends to result from hard tactics, as they rely on position power and external motivation.
Commitment – People fully identify with the request and are highly motivated to implement it, even without external motivation. Soft tactics, relying on personal power (expert, referent), typically result in commitment.
Tactic-Outcome Relationship:
Soft tactics (persuasion, ingratiation, etc.) tend to build commitment by appealing to personal values and needs.
Hard tactics (assertiveness, coalition formation, etc.) often lead to compliance or resistance and can damage trust and future relationships.
Contingencies:
The most appropriate tactic depends on the influencer’s strongest source of power, the organizational level of the person being influenced, and personal, organizational, and cultural values.
What is organizational politics, and how can organizations minimize it?
Organizational Politics – The use of influence tactics for personal gain at the perceived expense of others and the organization.
Conditions that encourage politics:
* Scarce Resources – When budgets or resources are cut, people use politics to safeguard their interests.
* Ambiguous Resource Allocation – Politics arise when resource allocation rules are unclear; companies should set clear guidelines.
* Organizational Change – Change creates ambiguity and power threats, increasing political behavior; leaders should use effective change management strategies.
* Tolerated Political Behavior – In organizations where politics are accepted, leaders should role-model citizenship behavior and discourage self-serving actions.
Minimizing Politics: Leaders should promote clear guidelines, communicate effectively, and serve as role models for positive organizational behavior.
What is more important than thinking about what you are going to say?
What your body is telling people.
When people are forming an impression of you, the things you say account for ______________% of their overall impression.
7%
What are the two objectives to keep in mind when thinking strategically about acting with power?
Show authoritative – Be in charge, make decisions, and privilege your knowledge over others.
Show approachable – Be open, empathetic, and considerate of others.
What are the two body languages discussed and their actions?
Show up authoritative – Close yourself off, raise yourself or lower others, be directive.
Show up approachable – Shrink psychological distance, lower yourself or raise others, be relatable and likable.
When should you “play high”?
Authoritative – When at the top of a social hierarchy or when status is up for grabs.
Features: Open, expansive, relaxed body; take up maximum space; speak in clear, complete sentences; hold eye contact longer; source of dominance.
When should you “play low”?
Approachable – When aiming to be relatable, make others feel comfortable, or build rapport.
Features: Closed body, small footprint, speak in incomplete sentences, use fleeting movements, smile more, glance around, and make yourself less imposing.
