Lecture 8: Chapter 10: Power and Influence in the Workplace Flashcards
What is power? Give a general description + 4 important aspects
The capacity of a person, team or organization to influence others
- Potential to change attitudes/behavior (not actual attempt)
- Based on perception of others, if they believe you have power
- Asymmetric dependence of one person on another
- Requires minimum level of trust by both parties
What is the dependence model of power and what is countervailing power?
Person A is perceived as controlling resources that help or hinder Person B’s goal achievement
Countervailing power = influence a less-powerful person has over the more powerful party, which is what maintains the exchange relationship between 2 parties
see slide 32 or book p 362
What are the 5 main sources of power in human interactions and how can we divide them in two groups?
Person granted sources of power formally by organization or informally by workers:
1. Legitimate
2. Reward
3. Coercive
Power originated from the power holder’s own characteristics
4. Expert
5. Referent
What is legitimate power? What is a limitation? Also give an example of subtle legitimate power
An official agreement that people in specific positions can request behaviors from others
Limitations:
–> Zone of indifference
Subtle legitimate power:
–> Norm of reciprocity: feel obligation to help coworker that helped you
What is the zone of indifference and how can you increase it?
A set of behaviors that individuals are willing to do at another person’s request that are seen as legitimate and don’t need a lot of thought
Increases with level of trust people have in the person in power
In which 2 ways do information gatekeepers have power?
- Information is a resource, so those who need info, are dependent on the gatekeeper to provide it
- Gatekeepers gain power by selective distritbution of information. They can frame flow of information, to steer decision maker toward a choice
What is reward power?
Power that a person or organization has due to their ability to control rewards and remove sanctions
E.g. pay, promotions, vacations, assignments, lending work resources
What is coercive power?
Power that a person or organization has due to their ability to control punishments
E.g. firing employees, peer pressure
What is expert power? What is the most important form of expert power?
Power a person has due to possessing knowledge or skills valued by another party.
Important: managing uncertainties
How do people gain power by using expertise (3)?
- Prevent environmental changes (prevent negative things happening)
- Forecast environmental changes (predict changes)
- Absorb environmental changes (react appropriately to changes)
What is referent power?
Power someone has when others identify with them, associated with charisma.
E.g. very open and talkative
What is charisma?
Personality trait that increases interpersonal attraction and increases referent power
What are deferential followers to power?
Followers that minimally evaluate the appropriateness of the requested behavior. They don’t investigate if the power holder is legitimate authority.
They gave in to the human tendency to follow guidance of people who are charismatic
What are the 4 contingencies of power?
- Nonsubstitutability
- Centrality
- Visibility
- Discretion
What is the contingency of nonsubstitutability? How do you increase it (3)?
The extent to which someone can be replaced
–> Power increases with nonsubstitutability
Increase by:
- differentiating resource
- control access to resource
- develop personal brand (authentic, unique)
What is the contingency of centrality and what does high centrality mean?
The importance of an individual based on the degree to which others depend on him
High: if a lot of people depend on the person
–> leads to more power
What is the contingency of visibility? How do you increase power with it?
The extent to which your contributions are obvious to others
Social interaction and using symbols of power increases visibility
What is the contingency of discretion, what limits discretion and when do you have more power with it?
The extent to which the person is the one who makes judgement and decisions.
More rules limit discretion
More discretion increases power
What is the model of power in organizations?
Sources of power + contingencies of power –> power over others
Summary p. 24
What are the 2 different consequences of power?
- Feeling empowered: power over themselves, high motivation and performance, less mindful thinking, less empathy, more stereotypes
- Power over others: produces sense of duty and responsibility, less stereotyping, more empathy, more mindful of own actions
What are social networks?
Social structures comprised of people who are connected with one another through interdependence and they together possess social capital
What is social capital?
All the resources (information, knowledge etc.) that are available in social networks
What is the difference between strong and weak ties in social networks? Why are individuals who have weak ties with diverse people sometimes seen as more valuable than people with strong ties?
Strong = provides closesness and rely on similarity (friends, family)
Weak = more diverse and potentially more valuable for carreers (acquaintance)
Strong ties emphasize similarity between one another and thus information doesn’t change much when exchanged
What is social network centrality and on what 3 things does it depend?
The importance of a person in a social network
Depends on:
1. Betweenness: how much you’re located between others
- Degree centrality: number of connections you have to others
- Closeness: high = strong ties
What is a structural hole in social networks? What is a broker?
A gap between two or more social networks that lack network ties. So it’s a gap between 2 clusters of people
Broker: someone who connects 2 independent networks and controls information flow between them
What are cultural differences in social networking?
The importance differs:
- Asian: importance of guanxi; someone’s network/connections, which is a strategy for receiving favors and opportunities
Social networking is more important in asian cultures than western
What is the difference between power independence and interdependent power?
Independence: power over oneself
Interdependence: powe over others
What does influence mean?
Any behavior that attempts to alter someone’s attitudes or behavior
What are the 7 types of influence tactics?
- Silent authority
- Assertiveness
- Information control
- Coalition formation
- Upward appeal
- Persuasion
- Impression management
- Exchange
What is silent authority as influence tactic?
Power holder’s request or presence influences behavior
–> Subtle use of legitimate power
What is assertiveness as an influence tactic?
Influence through applying legitimate and coercive power actively, vocal authority
E.g. reminding, checking, bullying, threats
What is information control as an influence tactic? What are the 2 types of formations?
Explicit manipulation of someone else’s access to information for the purpose of changing their attitudes/behavior
E.g. CEO’s selectively feed and withhold info from their board of directors
Formation:
1. Wheel: one person has high control
2. All-channels: all people have low info control, nobody stands out
What is coalition formation as an influence tactic? How is it influential (3)?
Forming a group to influence another individual or group
- Pools power and resources
- Existance of coalition creates sens that issue deserves attention
- Increases confidence/motivation of members through social ID theory
What is upward appeal as an influence tactic?
Relying symbolically or in reality on people with higher authority or expertise to support our position
E.g. the boss likely agrees with me on this matter
What is persuasion as an influence tactic?
Using logical arguments, factual evidence and emotional appeals to convince people of the value of a request
What is impression management as an influence tactic? What is ingratiation?
Actively shaping others’ perceptions about you by self-presentation, personal brand and ingratiation
Ingratiation = attempt to increase being liked by another person
–> Too much can be counterproductive
What is exchange as influence tactic?
The action of promising benefits with the other person in exchange for compliance/desired behavior
It’s used in negotiation, reciprocity and social networks
What is the inoculation effect?
Persuasive communication strategy of warning listeners that others will try to influence them in the future and they should be wary of the opponent’s arguements
What is the difference between soft influence tactics and hard influence tactics?
Hard: forcing behavioral change through levering on position power
- Silent authority
- Assertiveness
- Information control
- Coalition formation
Soft: rely on personal sources of power to influence others
- Persuasion
- Impression management
- Exchange
What are the 3 categories of consequences of influence? How do you know which consequences it will be?
- Commitment: become personally engaged with the goal
- Compliance: following orders without personal engagement
- Resistance: going against orders
Which responses are evoked depends on influence of techniques used
–> Soft tactics often produce commitment
–> Hard tactis more likely to show resistance
What is organizational politics? Which personality traits fit best with this?
The use of influence tactics for personal gain at the perceived expense of others and the organization
Machiavellian personality characteristics: deceit is acceptable
When can organizational politics happen more often (4)?
- Organizational structure tolerates it
- Decisions are ambiguous
- Scarce resources
- Employees have personality traits that promote it
Name 4 ways how you can minimize organizational politics
- Provide enough resources
- Clarify resource allocation rules
- Manage change effectively
- Discourage political behavior and promote norms/role models that support the opposite
