Module 06 Leadership Exploration Project - Leadership Action Plan

POWER AND INFLUENCE 7

Sources of Power and Influence

Name: Rodney Wheeler

Institution: Rasmussen College

Course: B492/MAN4143 Section 03 Contemporary Leadership Challenges

Date: 02/05/17

Power and Influence

Describe where the sources of power and influence exist in your organization.

Power is the capacity to get tasks done. Influence is the capacity to influence people to do something. There are several sources of power and influence. Positional power is based on the title or responsibilities you have in the organization. It includes legitimate power, coercive power, and reward power. Legitimate power is a source of power and influence in the organization. Legitimate power is the power bestowed on an individual by their position. A person earns respect and ability to direct others because of the rank they currently hold. People with such power include managers, who have the potential to direct employees because they are senior in ranking. One can influence the others because they feel compelled to obey the directives given to them due to their respect for authority.

Reward power is originated from the capacity of the individual to reward people for compliance. One can influence the actions of the others using these rewards since people will comply to get these rewards. Coercive power is obtained from an individual's capacity to punish the others for noncompliance. The employees follow the directives of the individual to avoid punishment for noncompliance. The individual is, therefore, able to influence the actions and decisions of the others using fear, to comply with their orders (Bacon, 2011).

The second source is personal power. This is where the power comes from the attributes of the leader. This power includes expert power and referent power. Expert power is derived from one having knowledge or skill in a certain field. The input of such people is respected and put into consideration because of their high expertise in the matter. They are therefore able to influence others with their ideas because of their knowledge in the field. Referent power is derived from how much people like and respect them and the personal connections they have. The person can influence the actions of the others by these relationships since the employees are more open to listening to and follow the person due to the good feelings related to the person.

How should leaders use power and influence to drive ethical behavior? Why is this important?

Leaders should use their power and influence to drive ethical behavior in the employees. The leaders can use their legitimate power to instate ethical guidelines for the employees to use. The employees would be influenced to follow the ethical guidelines because of their respect for authority. The leaders should also use their expert power to explain how employees should handle ethical dilemmas and make moral decisions. This can be effected by training courses where the leaders challenge the employees to adopt a higher level of thinking. The employees will follow their training because they believe that the leaders are extremely skilled in ensuring they have ethical conduct. This will ensure that the employees follow an ethical code of conduct. The leaders should also use their coercive power to enforce the ethical guidelines they set. This can be done by giving punishment to people who violate the ethical guidelines (Bacon, 2011). The punishments will influence the employees to follow the ethical guidelines, as they will fear the punishment given for noncompliance.

Using power to drive ethical behavior is important because it will ensure the employees have an ethical code of conduct. This will improve the image of the business, thereby attracting more clients. The ethical conduct will also make the work environment more conducive for the employees boosting their performance and productivity which will result in higher profits for the company. The ethical organizational culture will attract talent to the organization which will boost the company productivity.

Explain the major agents that result in obtaining the benefits of power and influence

Various factors lead to one obtaining the benefits of this power. One factor is the position one holds in the organization (Pfeffer, 1992). The position one holds can provide one with power. If one holds a senior position and they obtained it legitimately, they achieve power. Another factor is the responsibilities the person holds. If the individual can control the issuing of rewards that are of value such as monetary rewards, they immediately acquire the benefits of power. If one’s job allows them to punish people for noncompliance with the company directives, they also hold power over the others.

Another factor is the attributes of the individual (Pfeffer, 1992). A person who has expertise or skill in a field also has power. For instance, a top performing employee has power in the organization, and their views would often be considered as important by the organization. Similarly, if the person can form good relations with other people and others view them as influential, they automatically achieve power. He can easily influence people because of his personal relations with them and the people’s view of him. The personality of the individual can also earn one the benefits of power and influence. An assertive and confident individual will have more influence over the other individuals than a quiet individual no matter their rank.

Describe what one can do to increase one's share of that power.

The individual can use several measures to increase their share of power. The person can increase their expertise in a field. This will make them the most qualified person in the field, earning them expert power. This expert power could eventually lead them to legitimate power as they may be given a senior position due to their extensive knowledge on company matters.

The individual should also take measures to secure and empower their role in the organization. This can be by getting more responsibilities or having a higher rank. This will allow them to control more of the company resources, and their ability to dispense them which will enhance their reward power autonomously. They will also be able to administer punishments easily which will improve their coercive power. The individual should also attempt to acquire a higher position legitimately, as this will improve their legitimate power (McIntosh & Luecke, 2011).

A leader should also try to improve their expertise in the field that they lead. Having expertise will affirm their position as legitimately acquired enhancing their legitimate power. The knowledge will also enhance their expert power. This will increase the power and influence they have in their role. A person could also improve their relationship with the other employees. This will make them like and respect the individual who will boost their referent power. They will, therefore, have influence over the other employees whether consciously or not.

References

Bacon, T. (2011). The elements of power: lessons on leadership and influence. New York: AMACOM American Management Association.

McIntosh, P. & Luecke, R. (2011). Increase your influence at work. New York: American Management Association.

Pfeffer, J. (1992). Managing with power: politics and influence in organizations. Boston, Mass: Harvard Business School Press.