Week 5

Question 1

Power

Answer 1

• the capacity to influence the behaviour of B, so that B acts in accordance with A

Question 2

Power and dependency

Answer 2

• the more that B depends on A, the more power A has over B

- B’s dependency is inversely proportional to the alternative sources that A has

Question 3

Scarcity

Answer 3

• if what you have is plentiful or rare

Question 4

Importance

Answer 4

• whether or not anyone wants what you have

Question 5

Nonsubstitutability

Answer 5

• if what you have can be substituted or not

Question 6

What creates dependency?

Answer 6

• scarcity
• importance
• nonsubstitutuability

Question 7

What are the bases of power?

Answer 7

• coercive power
• reward power
• legitimate power
• expert power
• referent power
• information power

Question 8

coercive power

Answer 8

• fear based

- “Do it or else I’ll make you suffer!”

Question 9

reward power

Answer 9

• gainful based

- “Do it and I’ll pay you”

Question 10

legitimate power

Answer 10

• position/hierarchy based

- do it because i’m your boss and I said so

Question 11

expert power

Answer 11

• knowledge based

- “do it this way because I know what i’m talking about”

Question 12

referent power

Answer 12

• attachment based

- “do it for me old sport”

Question 13

information power

Answer 13

• access-based

- “do it and i’ll let you in on a secret”

Question 14

responses to the basis of power

Answer 14

• commitment
• compliance
• resistance

Question 15

commitment

Answer 15

• enthusiastic about the request and show initiative and persistence in carrying it out

Question 16

compliance

Answer 16

• go along with the request grudgingly, put in minimal effort, and take initiative in carrying out requests

Question 17

resistance

Answer 17

• oppose the request and try to avoid it with such tactics such as refusing, stalling, or arguing about it.

Question 18

political behaviour

Answer 18

• activities that are outside one’s formal role (i.e. not part of one’s specific job duties) that influence, or try to influence, the distribution of advantages and disadvantages within the organization

Question 19

Why is workplace politics a reality?

Answer 19

• diversity of values, goals, and interests
• limited resources
• “facts” used for decisions around distributing resources are open to interpretation
• “facts” are rarely objective

Question 20

social astuteness

Answer 20

• accurately interpret their and others’ behaviour

Question 21

political skill

Answer 21

• the ability to effectively understand others at work, and to use such knowledge to influence others to act in ways that enhance one’s personal and /or organizational objectives

Question 22

interpersonal influence

Answer 22

• adapt and calibrate behaviour to situation

Question 23

networking ability

Answer 23

• identify and develop large and diverse networks

Question 24

apparent sincerity

Answer 24

• appear to have high levels of integrity

Question 25

sources of attaining personal power

Answer 25

• expertise
• personal attraction
• effort
• legitimacy

Question 26

expertise

Answer 26

• work related knowledge; comes from education, self-directed learning, and experience
• can be extremely effective but can also leave quickly

Question 27

personal attractiveness

Answer 27

• based on: charisma, agreeable behaviour, physical characteristics

Question 28

effort

Answer 28

• a desirable quality in employees

- is viewed as a sign of commitment and dedication

Question 29

legitimacy

Answer 29

• different from legitimate power

- taking action in line with the prevailing issues

Question 30

sources of attaining positional power

Answer 30

• centrality
• flexibility
• visibility
• relevance

Question 31

centrality

Answer 31

• access to information in a communication network

- power is accrued via horizontal and vertical relationships of one’s location in the network

Question 32

flexibility

Answer 32

• freedom to exercise judgement

- flexibility is determined by: work assignments, life cycle of the position, and reward structure

Question 33

visibility

Answer 33

• interacting with influential people int he organization such as senior officials, decision makers, and informal leaders
• main issue with telework

Question 34

relevance

Answer 34

• working on the central objectives/issues in an organization
• relevancy is impacted by the employee’s department and activities they perform

Question 35

7 principles of influence tactics (Cialdini)

Answer 35

• authority
• liking
• reciprocity
• consistency
• social proof
• scarcity
• unity

Question 36

authority (Cialdini)

Answer 36

• demonstrating your experience and trustworthiness on the topic at hand
• don’t just claim authority; use examples or metrics to demonstrate it
• whenever possible, have your colleagues introduce your qualifications, and do the same for them

Question 37

liking (Cialdini)

Answer 37

• help people get to lie you by sharing genuine commonalities
• the similarities don’t have to be substantial - hometowns, hobbies, pets, and sports teams are just as effective
• the goal is to make people feel a positive genuine connection to you

Question 38

reciprocity (Cialdini)

Answer 38

• creating a sense of obligation to respond in kindness
• works best when the gift is early, unexpected, and is personalized
• doesn’t have to be a physical gift - free service, google review of their business, connections,etc

Question 39

consistency (Cialdini)

Answer 39

• encourage actions that set precedents for larger future actions
• get them to take small actions that they will later reflect or live up to (e.g. filling out an appointment card)
• get them invested in a future action, such as by submitting questions for a meeting

Question 40

consensus/social proof (Cialdini)

Answer 40

• encourage them to follow people who have what you want them to do
• collect statistics, testimonials, images, or videos to show them how many people are already doing it
• find stats or examples that are as similar to them as possible - a moderate but extremely specific example is better than a glowing, general one.

Question 41

scarcity (Cialdini)

Answer 41

• creating a sense of urgency around actions you want people to take
• focus on what is genuinely rare and unique
• remember that you can frame scarcity as loss aversion

Question 42

unity (Cialdini)

Answer 42

• creating a shared identity that both you and the people you are influencing are trying to be a part of
• deeper than surface level similarities
• the more people feel like they are a part of “us”, the more likely they are to be influenced by them.

Question 43

Key takeaways about power

Answer 43

• accept that getting things done requires power
• seek to understand the varying interests in your organization and who holds them (i.e. nework)
• avoid assuming people are wrong, less informed, or stupid if they disagree or have a different perspective on issues
• identify sources of power and how these sources can be developed
• hone your strategies and tactics for gaining power