Power, Influence, and Negotiation: Organizational Politics and Conflict Strategies

Q: What is power

A: The ability to influence others and resist unwanted influence.

Q: Power is a function of what

A: Dependency — the more someone depends on you, the more power you have.

Q: What are the organizational/position power bases

A: Legitimate, Reward, Coercive, Informational.

Q: What are the personal power bases

A: Expert, Referent.

Q: What 4 contingency factors increase power

A: Substitutability, Centrality, Discretion, Visibility.

Q: What is influence

A: Actual behavior that prompts attitude/behavior change in others.

Reciprocity

A: People repay what you have done for them.

Commitment & Consistency

A: People honor their previous commitments; small commitments lead to bigger ones.

Social Proof

A: People follow the lead of others; triggered by uncertainty & similarity.

Authority

A: People follow credible experts; triggered by titles/clothing.

Liking

A: People comply with those they like (similarity, compliments).

Scarcity

A: People want what is limited or exclusive.

Rational Persuasion

A: Using logic and evidence to show a request is reasonable.

Inspirational Appeal

A: Appealing to values, emotions, or ideals.

Consultation

A: Involving the person in planning the request.

Exchange

A: Offering something in return for compliance.

Ingratiation

A: Using flattery or friendliness before a request.

Personal Appeal

A: Asking based on friendship or loyalty.

Coalition

A: Getting others to support your request.

Pressure

A: Demands, threats, or repeated reminders.

Legitimacy

A: Claiming authority or organizational rules justify the request.

Internalization

A: Full agreement + behavior change.

Compliance

A: Behavior change only — no attitude change.

Resistance

A: No change; refusal.

Organizational Politics

A: Actions to further one's self-interest.

Political Skill

A: Ability to understand and influence others effectively.

Q: What is conflict

A: One party perceives another will negatively affect something they care about.

Competing

A: Win-lose; high assertiveness, low cooperation.

Avoiding

A: Lose-lose; low assertiveness, low cooperation.

Accommodating

A: Lose-win; low assertiveness, high cooperation.

Collaborating

A: Win-win; high assertiveness, high cooperation.

Compromise

A: Medium assertiveness/cooperation; each gives up something.

Distributive Bargaining

A: Win-lose, fixed pie, low information sharing, short-term focus.

Integrative Bargaining

A: Win-win, expanding the pie, high information sharing, long-term.

4 Stages of Negotiation

A: Preparation → Information Exchange → Bargaining → Closing/Commitment.