BY: PAUL RENOUF AND GEOFF TOAL

Power and Social Influence

What is power and social influence?

Power – capacity or ability to change the beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors of others.

Social Influence – attempts to affect or change other people

Conformity

Asch’s (1995) conformity studies show that even when group pressure is just IMPLIED, people make worse judgments.

If the majority are saying it, they must be right!

Impact on teams with ongoing relationships is even stronger.

Obedience

Milgrams (1974) obedience studies show that people are obedient to authority figures even if the behaviors are inappropriate.

Factors of obedience Legitimacy of authority figure Authority figure monitoring performance Whenever possible, they lied to the authority figure. Closer to the victim, the less obedient. If others disobeyed, more people likely to follow.

Even without rewards, participants obey authority.

The bases of power

Personal or Soft Power Expert Referent Informational

Positional or Harsh Power Legitimate Reward Coercive

Personal is often more effective, especially with teams.

Social Influence Tactics

Rational Argument

Consultation

Personal Appeals

Ingratiation

Exchange

Pressure

Legitimizing Tactics

Coalition Tactics

The Corrupting Effect of Power

How could power change the power holder?

People with power want more power.

Easier to give commands rather than make

requests

They begin to have an inflated view of

themselves.

Unequal Power in Teams

Unequal power leads to more mistrust, less communication, and social problems.

Status Differences Higher status people have more influence in group

discussionsLeave external status positions at the door so

everyone has equal status for best communication.

Group norms Majority rule Encourage open and shared communication. Norms reduce the impact of power differences in

group.

Minority Influence

Minorities can be influential in groups.

Influence depends on Consistency Self-confidence Belief in autonomy Relationship to the group

Stimulate team members to see different perspectives.

Empowerment

Empowerment in a workplace refers to the

process of giving employees more power and

control over their work.

Empowerment leads to increased motivation

and satisfaction.

Increases confidence in abilities.

Power Styles

Passive Polite Attempts to avoid problems Can cause confusion

Aggressive Forceful, negative Deals with problems by refusing to compromise People may withdraw from the situation

Assertive Clear and confident communication Direct problem solving approach to conflicts Goal is to find the best solution for both parties