Power and

Influence in the
Workplace
McShane/Von Glinow OB 6e 2013 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
1
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 dont
use -- may not know they
possess
A perception, not necessarily
reality
McShane/Von Glinow OB 6e 2013 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
2
1
st
SOURCE OF POWER:
Legitimate Power
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.
Norm of reciprocity legitimate
power as a felt obligation to help
others who helped you in the past
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OTHER SOURCES OF
(FORMAL) POWER
Reward Power
Ability to control the allocation of rewards valued
by others and to remove negative sanctions
Coercive Power
Ability to apply punishment
Peer pressure is a form of coercive power
Reward and coercive power exist upward as
well as downward in hierarchies.



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Expert Power (INFORMAL
POWER)
The capacity to influence others by
possessing knowledge or skills that they
value
Coping with uncertainty
Organizations operate better in predictable
environments
People gain power by using their expertise to:
- Prevent environmental changes
- Forecast environmental changes
- Absorb environmental changes
McShane/Von Glinow OB 6e 2013 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved 5
Referent Power
Occurs when others identify with, like, or
otherwise respect the person
Associated with charismatic leadership
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Influencing Others
Influence -- any behavior that
attempts to alter someones
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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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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The Power of Managing Your
Boss
Managing your boss is the
process of improving the
relationship with your manager for
the benefit of both of you and the
organization. It includes
developing bases of power that
enable you to influence the
manager and thereby achieve
organizational objectives. Most
executives say it is a key factor in
everyones career success.
McShane/Von Glinow OB 6e 2013 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
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Power and Dependence
McShane/Von Glinow OB 6e 2013 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved 10
Person Bs
Goal
Person Bs
countervailing
power over
Person A
Person A
Person B
Person As
power over
Person B
Person A is
perceived as
controlling resources
that help or hinder
Person Bs goal
achievement.
Model of Power in
Organizations
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Contingencies
of Power
Power
over others
Sources
of Power
Legitimate
Reward
Coercive
Expert
Referent

Deference to Authority:
Le Jeu de la Mort
French reality television recently
revealed how far people are willing
to submit to authority. Only 16 of
the 80 contestants refused to
administer the strongest shocks
(460 volts enough to kill a
person) when another contestant
gave the wrong answers.
Fortunately, the other contestant
was an actor whose screams were
fake; he did not actually receive
the shocks.
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Legitimate Power: Right to
Control Information Flow
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This person has high
information control
These people individually
have low information control
Wheel
formation
All-channels
formation
Contingencies of Power
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Contingencies
of Power
Substitutability
Centrality
Discretion
Visibility

Power
over others
Sources
of Power
The Power of
Nonsubstitutability
Your personal brand improves career success when you
offer something that is valued and nonsubstitutable. Be
unique about something. Be a specialist in something. Be
known for something, advises Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu
CEO Barry Salzberg (center).
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Increasing Nonsubstitutability
Few/no alternatives to the resource
Increase nonsubstitutability by controlling the
resource
exclusive right to perform medical procedures
control over skilled labor
exclusive knowledge to repair equipment
Differentiate resource from others (i.e. be
unique)
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Centrality
Degree and nature of interdependence
between the powerholder and others (reflects
the persons importance to others)
Centrality is a function of:
How many others are affected by you
How quickly others are affected by you
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Discretion and Visibility
Discretion
The freedom to exercise judgment
Rules limit discretion, limit power
Also a perception acting as if you have discretion
Visibility
Make others aware of your presence more face
time, locate office near busy routes
Symbols communicate your power source(s)
- Educational diplomas
- Clothing etc (stethoscope around neck)
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Power and Influence Through
Social Networks
Social networks people connected to each
other through forms of interdependence
Generate power through social capital --
goodwill and resulting resources shared
among members in a social network
Three power resources through social
networks
Knowledge sharing
Visibility
Referent power
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Social Network Ties
Strong ties:
Close-knit relationships (frequent interaction,
high volume sharing, multiple roles)
Offer resources more quickly/plentifully,
but less unique
Weak ties
Acquaintances
Offer unique resources not held by us or
people in other networks
Many ties
Resources increase with number of ties
Limits on number of weak/strong ties one can create
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Social Network Centrality
Persons importance in a network
Three factors in centrality:
1. Betweenness extent you are located between
others in the network (i.e. information gatekeeper)
2. Degree centrality -- Number of people connected
to you
3. Closeness stronger relationships (faster/plentiful
resources)
Example: A has highest network centrality due
to all three factors; B has lowest centrality
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A
B
Assertiveness
Actively applying legitimate and coercive
power (vocal authority)
Reminding, confronting, checking,
threatening
Silent
Authority
Following requests without overt influence
Based on legitimate power, role modeling
Common in high power distance cultures
more
Types of Influence
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Coalition
Formation
Group forms to gain more power than
individuals alone
1. Pools resources/power
2. Legitimizes the issue
3. Power through social identity
more
Types of Influence (cont)
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Information
Control
Manipulating others access to information
Withholding, filtering, re-arranging
information
Upward
Appeal
Appealing to higher authority
Includes appealing to firms goals
Alliance or perceived alliance with higher
status person
more
Types of Influence (cont)
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Persuasion
Logic, facts, emotional appeals
Depends on persuader, message content,
message medium, audience
Types of Influence (cont)
McShane/Von Glinow OB 6e 2013 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved 25
Exchange
Promising or reminding of past benefits in
exchange for compliance
Includes negotiation and networking
Ingratiation/
Impress. Mgt.
Increase liking by, or perceived similarity to
the target person
Consequences of Influence
Tactics
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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
Consequences of Influence
Tactics
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Resistance Compliance Commitment
Persuasion
Ingratiation &
impression mgt
Exchange
Soft Influence
Tactics
Hard Influence
Tactics
Silent authority
Upward appeal
Coalition formation
Information control
Assertiveness
Contingencies of Influence
Tactics
Soft tactics generally more acceptable
than hard tactics
Appropriate influence tactic depends on:
Influencers power base
Organizational position
Cultural values and expectations
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Conditions that Encourage
Organizational Politics
Scarce resources to safeguard own resources
Ambiguous resource allocation decisions
Organizational change due to uncertainty, ambiguity
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Minimizing Political Behavior
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
McShane/Von Glinow OB 6e 2013 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved 30
Power and
Influence in the
Workplace
McShane/Von Glinow OB 6e 2013 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
31