Power and Influence
There are two kinds of power; positional and personal. With positional, you (agent) are given certain powers to varying degrees based on the type of job position you hold, the responsibility expected of you and the amount of proficient experience you have acquired (Yukl, 2013). With personal power, you draw from your innate, or learned ability to influence and effect others.
In the category of positional power lies five types; legitimate, reward, coercive, information, and ecological. Legitimate power is the authorities provided you by higher leadership. The power typically allows you to apply and enforce the rules that govern operations within an organization. Reward power is afforded to you with the responsibilities to apply positive reinforcement by way of incentives, and benefits when certain criteria are met by the subordinates (target). This ability is also based on the target's perception of the agent to be able to deliver said rewards (Yukl, 2013). Coercive power is the authority granted to you to invoke threats and, or negative consequences if certain elements of a job that are not adhered to, or accomplished. This power is also dependent upon the target's perception of the agent authority to legitimately apply said power. Information power is the allowance given you to manipulate the direction and flow of information acquired to specific degrees. You may be authorized, and expected to ensure certain information in provided to your peers, but no one else. Ecological Power is that ability and authority to make changes to the work environment to varying degrees in order to improve production, work efficiency, and organizational morale.
Personal power includes the types, referent and expert. Referent power is the ability to have others admire, follow and even mirror behavior in attempt to be like them. This power allows the agent to use, and, or take advantage of the target for favors, or special projects (Yukl, 2013). Expert power is the knowledge of a particular subject, system, or set of systems that provides the target the desire to use the agent for said knowledge. This unique, or task-relevant knowledge provides an edge, and thus, an influence over the target(s) (Yukl, 2013). Furthermore, it is equally important for the target to perceive the agent as the standalone individual with this unique knowledge for the power to be effective.
The general types of influences, or the abilities to effect another's perceptions and behaviors are Impression Management Tactics, Political Tactics, and Proactive Tactics. Impression Management includes the agent appearing favorable in the eyes of the target. In Political Tactics, an agent influences an individual, or group based on a bias, or for purposes of lobbying for another entity. These tactics usually invite in deception, persuasion, and manipulation. With Proactive Tactics, the agent works to influence the target to accomplish a request, or task of some sort.
At work, currently my power is minimal based on the nature of my current job position. The power I bring to a dynamic would be that of the family. As a husband and a father of two young daughters, the power is vast, and yet shared. As a husband, I utilize Information and Ecological power to help my wife. In doing so, I provide her with necessary, and detrimental, or beneficial information for particular circumstances in order to assist in making decisions. Ecological power is leveraged when I clean the house, or fix things that are broken, influencing the outcome of her perception of all that needs to be done, as well as the good feelings that come with having the opportunity to do something else more preferable with the freed up time. With my wife, I also attempt to be of assistance by using Expert power, but if the approach has not influenced her in a way that is non-threatening with respect to her ego, this power may not have the same influence-effect. In this sense, it would make sense to employ an influence tactic that registers her buy-in prior to pitching the Expert approach.
As a father, my role as a source of power must be established early on, and maintained for the sake of the children's dynamic perspective and testing nature. Consistency is key. When it comes to the children, as a father, all position powers are leveraged at different times and to varying degrees based on what my intention are at the time. The power of the father, again, is not complete, however, unless the children perceive the father as someone with power, and this comes by the way of respect. Respect is earned by the father with consistency in giving love, rewards, dicsipline and punishments fairly over time. Following through, and keeping your word enbles the establishment of earning respect. Once respect is gained, power establishes itself as a part of the father, and less questioned, or tested. In the category of personal power, fathering may play with referent power from time to time to gain buy-in for some reasons, but will always employ expert power to the avail of teaching the children. It is also noteworthy to mention that admitting when you are wrong, or not knowing an answer, also helps to establish respect.
References
Yukl, G. (2013). Leadership in organizations (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
In the category of positional power lies five types; legitimate, reward, coercive, information, and ecological. Legitimate power is the authorities provided you by higher leadership. The power typically allows you to apply and enforce the rules that govern operations within an organization. Reward power is afforded to you with the responsibilities to apply positive reinforcement by way of incentives, and benefits when certain criteria are met by the subordinates (target). This ability is also based on the target's perception of the agent to be able to deliver said rewards (Yukl, 2013). Coercive power is the authority granted to you to invoke threats and, or negative consequences if certain elements of a job that are not adhered to, or accomplished. This power is also dependent upon the target's perception of the agent authority to legitimately apply said power. Information power is the allowance given you to manipulate the direction and flow of information acquired to specific degrees. You may be authorized, and expected to ensure certain information in provided to your peers, but no one else. Ecological Power is that ability and authority to make changes to the work environment to varying degrees in order to improve production, work efficiency, and organizational morale.
Personal power includes the types, referent and expert. Referent power is the ability to have others admire, follow and even mirror behavior in attempt to be like them. This power allows the agent to use, and, or take advantage of the target for favors, or special projects (Yukl, 2013). Expert power is the knowledge of a particular subject, system, or set of systems that provides the target the desire to use the agent for said knowledge. This unique, or task-relevant knowledge provides an edge, and thus, an influence over the target(s) (Yukl, 2013). Furthermore, it is equally important for the target to perceive the agent as the standalone individual with this unique knowledge for the power to be effective.
The general types of influences, or the abilities to effect another's perceptions and behaviors are Impression Management Tactics, Political Tactics, and Proactive Tactics. Impression Management includes the agent appearing favorable in the eyes of the target. In Political Tactics, an agent influences an individual, or group based on a bias, or for purposes of lobbying for another entity. These tactics usually invite in deception, persuasion, and manipulation. With Proactive Tactics, the agent works to influence the target to accomplish a request, or task of some sort.
At work, currently my power is minimal based on the nature of my current job position. The power I bring to a dynamic would be that of the family. As a husband and a father of two young daughters, the power is vast, and yet shared. As a husband, I utilize Information and Ecological power to help my wife. In doing so, I provide her with necessary, and detrimental, or beneficial information for particular circumstances in order to assist in making decisions. Ecological power is leveraged when I clean the house, or fix things that are broken, influencing the outcome of her perception of all that needs to be done, as well as the good feelings that come with having the opportunity to do something else more preferable with the freed up time. With my wife, I also attempt to be of assistance by using Expert power, but if the approach has not influenced her in a way that is non-threatening with respect to her ego, this power may not have the same influence-effect. In this sense, it would make sense to employ an influence tactic that registers her buy-in prior to pitching the Expert approach.
As a father, my role as a source of power must be established early on, and maintained for the sake of the children's dynamic perspective and testing nature. Consistency is key. When it comes to the children, as a father, all position powers are leveraged at different times and to varying degrees based on what my intention are at the time. The power of the father, again, is not complete, however, unless the children perceive the father as someone with power, and this comes by the way of respect. Respect is earned by the father with consistency in giving love, rewards, dicsipline and punishments fairly over time. Following through, and keeping your word enbles the establishment of earning respect. Once respect is gained, power establishes itself as a part of the father, and less questioned, or tested. In the category of personal power, fathering may play with referent power from time to time to gain buy-in for some reasons, but will always employ expert power to the avail of teaching the children. It is also noteworthy to mention that admitting when you are wrong, or not knowing an answer, also helps to establish respect.
References
Yukl, G. (2013). Leadership in organizations (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
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