Power and Influence

Posted by Aleksandar M. Velkoski on January 4, 2009 under General Leadership, Power & Influence | Read the First Comment

Power: the ability to do or act; capability of doing or accomplishing something. Influence: the capacity, or power, of persons or things to be a compelling force on, or produce effects on the actions, behavior, and opinions of, others. Both power and influence play a major role in the leadership process. And, neither concept is specifically confined to a leader (i.e. followers can exert power and influence – sometimes greater than that of a leader). However, what are the sources of power and influence in leadership? How does one develop power? How does one develop power even if not in a position of authority? Let’s attempt to better understand these questions.

First, we should outline the main difference between power and influence. Simply put, summarizing the above, power is the capacity to cause change, whereas influence is the degree of actual change in a target individual’s attitudes, values, beliefs, or behaviors. Where does an individual’s power and influence come from? You may, or may not, be surprised to know that there are various types of power and influence and they can come from a variety of sources. The major sources of power and influence are as follows:

•  Expert Power: this type of power represents the power of knowledge. Through expertise in a field or study, whether through experience, books, or a strong combination, an individual develops power and the ability to influence others.

•  Legitimate Power: this type of power represents an individual’s official authority through some type of high-level, or influential, organizational role. In this case, an individual’s power is provided by his organizational role.

•  Referent Power: this type of power represents the power of collaboration. Through strong relationships, an individual can exert influence on other individuals, or on other members of a team, regardless of organizational level or expertise.

•  Reward Power: this type of power represents the power over resources. In this case, an individual’s power is provided by his ability, within an organization, to reward actions or behaviors.

•  Coercive Power: this type of power represents the opposite of Reward Power: i.e. it is power gained though an individual’s ability to administer punishment or negative sanctions.

Although the above are the key sources of power, it’s important to note that something as seemingly small as the height of a podium, or the position of a desk, could greatly affect how an individual’s power is perceived. If you’re trying to develop power and the ability to influence others, be sure to understand your strengths and weaknesses within your organization. First, assess if you already have power. Do you have legitimate power? If not, do you have expert power? How about referent power? If you do not have power through any of the above means, focus on the immediate source of power in which you have the greatest ability to attain. In doing so, note that not all types of power and influence are positive. At one point or another, you’ll need to use all of your sources of power. However, if your only source of power is coercive, and if that is the only source of power you rely on to influence others, you may end up hurting yourself more so than not. In that case, investing more time in developing other sources of power would be advantagous.

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