CH 13 Class

Influence

The process of affecting the thoughts, behavior, and feelings of
another person

Authority

The right to influence another person

Power

The ability to influence the behavior of others to get what you want

Politics

Activities and tactics used to gain influence over personal and
organizational outcomes

Political skill

A person’s interpersonal style, including their ability to relate well to
others, self-monitor, alter their reactions depending on the situation,
and inspire confidence and trust

Principles of influence

• Friendship/liking

• Commitment/Consistency

• Scarcity

• Reciprocity

• Authority

• Consensus

Friendship/Liking

We are more likely to be influenced by people we like and who we call friends

Commitment/Consistency

Influence is higher when we feel that a person is likely to stick to their word (be committed) and even when faced with difficult decisions will be consistent and accountable

Scarcity

People always want what they can’t have. The more scared a resource is that you control, the more influence you will have

Reciprocity

If you do something for me, I will feel obligated to return the favor. Also by doing small favors for you, you will feel obligated to help me out

Authority

Having the legitimate right (through a position of authority or leadership) to tell someone what to do

Consensus

Look to the actions of others to determine their own actions

Responses to Influence Tactics

• Resistance

• Compliance

• Commitment

Resistance

Occurs then the influence target does not wish to comply with the request and either passively or actively repels the influence attempt

Compliance

Occurs when the target does not necessarily want to obey, but they do

Commitment

Occurs when the target not only agrees to the request but also actively supports it as well

Legitimating, Ingratiation, Pressure, and Coalitions

Which influence tactics show the highest resistance?

Legitimating, exchange, pressure, coalitions

Which influence tactics show the highest compliance?

Personal appeals, exchange, Inspirational appeals, consultation

Which influence tactics show the highest commitment?

Impression management

Includes how a person dress, how they stand, and the way they behave at work

Nonverbal, verbal, behavioral

What are the 3 areas to manage impression management?

Nonverbal impression management

Includes clothing, body language, and demeanor

Verbal impression management

Includes tone of voice, rate of speech, what you choose to say, and how you say it

Position Power

Power based on one’s formal position in an organization

Legitimate, Reward, Coercive, and Informational

What are the types of position power?

Personal Power

The power that one derives because of his or her individual qualities or characteristics

Rational persuasion, expert, referent, charisma

What are the types of personal power?

Milgram’s Obedience, Zimbardo’s prison study

What are the two psychology studies related to legitimate power?

Personal Power is moe effective

Which of the two power is most effective?

Personal Power qualities

• Strong relationship ro performance and satisfaction

• Transfers vital skills, abilities, and knowledge with the organizaton

• Employees internalize what they observe and learn from managers they consider “experts”

Models of Group/Subunit Power

Resource-Dependency Model and Strategic Contingencies Model

Resource-Dependency Model

The view that power resides within subunits that are able to control the greatest share of valued organizational resources

Strategic Contingencies Model

A view explaining power in terms of a subunit’s capacity to control the activities of other subunits

Scarcity, Importance, Non-substitutability

What are the three parts tot he resource-dependency model/

Scarcity

Control over limited resources

importance

Control over resources that are essential for producing the product or service

Non-Substitutability

Resources cannot be found elsewhere and there are interchangeable resources

Indispensable, capacity to reduce uncertainty, organizational centrality

The three parts of the strategic contingencies model

Capacity to reduce uncertainty

The ability to control aad cope with uncertainty

Organizational centrality

A high degree of centrality within the organization

Indispensability

The extent to which a group performs a function that is indispensable to an organization

Decline/distribution shift in resources, Opportunity for promotion exists, Organizational culture issues

Three organizational factors that contribute to political behavior

Organizational culture issues

• Low trust

• Role ambiguity

• Zero-sum reward allocation

• Democratic decision making

• High performance pressures

• Leading by poor example

• Unclear performance evaluation systems

Employee reactions to politics

• Decreased job satisfaction

• Increased anxiety and stress

• Increased turnover

• Reduced performance