Power and Influence

1
Power and Influence

• Cameron M. Ford, Ph.D.
• Organizational Behavior
• Summer, 2007

2
Sources of Power andRelated Influence Tactics

• Personal Sources
• Expertise/Track Record
• Attractiveness/Charisma
• Social Capital/Network Ties
• Structural Sources
• Relevance, Centrality, Betweenness (structural
  holes)
• Authority

• Rational Persuasion
• Inspirational Personal Appeals
• Coalition tactics
• Exchange, pressure
• Legitimating tactics

3
Conditions That Encourage the Utilization of
Power (Political Behavior)

• Conflict caused by
• Different goals
• Different beliefs about solutions
• Interdependence
• Resource scarcity
• Different information
• Different personalities
• Important issues
• Unimportant relationships
• Distributed power

4
The Necessary Art of Persuasion

• Persuasion an ongoing learning and negotiation
  process that leads others to adopt solutions
  favored by the persuader
• Ways to alienate potential adopters
• The hard sell
• Refuse to compromise or customize
• Assume solutions merits will sell themselves
• Show little interest in relationship with adopter

5
The Necessary Art of Persuasion

• Establish Credibility (Trust)
• Expertise
• Relationships
• Frame for Common Ground (align goals)
• Provide Evocative Evidence
• Connect Emotionally

6
Social Network Formation

• Likeability is a stronger selection criteria than
  competence. Likable people get more opportunities
  to demonstrate competence than dislikable people
• Likeability is higher when others are
• Similar to you
• Familiar to you
• Reciprocate your positive feelings
• Attractive

7
Likeability Bias Pros Cons

• Pros
• Help meetings and project go smoothly
• More openness and trust
• More collaboration
• Cons
• Limited perspectives for solving problems
• Limited debate (no hurt feelings)
• Too much fun, not enough work

8
Promoting Social Networks Through Enhanced Social
Competence

• Manufacture Liking
• Promote familiarity
• Redefine similarity (align goals)
• Foster bonding
• Leverage the Likeable
• Identify and retain them
• Position them strategically (betweenness ties)
• Enhance Social Competence
• Reassess contributions of competent jerks
• Hold individuals accountable for interpersonal
  outcomes
• Train social competence (socialization and
  coaching)
• Isolate disruptive contributors