Power and Influence in the Workplace
Power and Influence in the Workplace
MGT 316
As a manager or leader of an organization of any kind, the power and ability to effectively lead others are in the choices made to build a healthy, motivational, and productive relationship with people on your team. We all influence others in some way, it’s just that we seldom realize that we do or how we do it. Power in the workplace has traditionally been defined as force, dominance, assertiveness, strength, invincibility, and authority. In forward thinking corporations, power requires a commitment and a plan of action (Hale, 2010).
Power and influence are somewhat interchangeable. Power is the capacity of a person, team, or organization to influence others. Power is not the act of changing someone’s attitudes or behavior; it is only the potential to do so. You might feel powerful or think you have power over someone else, but this is not power unless you truly have the capacity to influence that person (McShane, Steven L, Mary Ann Von Glinow, 2010). One of the hardest lessons of management is that practically everything that has to be done must be done by others. Manager’s duties not only include directing employees but controlling the budget, assets, and other jobs within the organization as well. Leadership is the ability to get people to do what they don’t want to do and like it. In other words, the core problem for leaders in any organization involves getting others to do what is required to accomplish the organization’s goals (Michelson). The concept of power and its application to leadership and management has gotten a bad reputation. Terms such as power hungry, abuse of power and corrupted by power have diluted power’s real use and meaning and deprived some leaders of the opportunity to understand and use various forms of power to good purposes (Wood, 2010). I like to believe people misuse their power simply because they have it and are unaware of it. When used in a positive, moral,
MGT 316
As a manager or leader of an organization of any kind, the power and ability to effectively lead others are in the choices made to build a healthy, motivational, and productive relationship with people on your team. We all influence others in some way, it’s just that we seldom realize that we do or how we do it. Power in the workplace has traditionally been defined as force, dominance, assertiveness, strength, invincibility, and authority. In forward thinking corporations, power requires a commitment and a plan of action (Hale, 2010).
Power and influence are somewhat interchangeable. Power is the capacity of a person, team, or organization to influence others. Power is not the act of changing someone’s attitudes or behavior; it is only the potential to do so. You might feel powerful or think you have power over someone else, but this is not power unless you truly have the capacity to influence that person (McShane, Steven L, Mary Ann Von Glinow, 2010). One of the hardest lessons of management is that practically everything that has to be done must be done by others. Manager’s duties not only include directing employees but controlling the budget, assets, and other jobs within the organization as well. Leadership is the ability to get people to do what they don’t want to do and like it. In other words, the core problem for leaders in any organization involves getting others to do what is required to accomplish the organization’s goals (Michelson). The concept of power and its application to leadership and management has gotten a bad reputation. Terms such as power hungry, abuse of power and corrupted by power have diluted power’s real use and meaning and deprived some leaders of the opportunity to understand and use various forms of power to good purposes (Wood, 2010). I like to believe people misuse their power simply because they have it and are unaware of it. When used in a positive, moral,
References: Hale, D. (2010, Nov 5). Leadership Power and Influence in the Workplace. Retrieved from Ezine Articles: http://ezinearticles.com/?Leadership-Power-and-Influence-in-the-Workplace&id=5331663 McShane, Steven L, Mary Ann Von Glinow. (2010). In Organizational Behavior: Emerging Knowledge And Practice For The Real World - 5th Edition (pp. 447-449). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Michelson, B. J. (n.d.). Leadership and Power Base Development: Using Power Effectively to Manage Diversity and Job-Related Interdependence in Complex Organizations. p193-196. Selling and Persuaion Techniques . (n.d.). Retrieved from Influence Tactics: http://www.sellingandpersuasiontechniques.com/influence-tactics.html Wood, R. L. (2010). The Power and Politics of Program Management. Defense AT&L , p11-13.