Power and Social Influence

1. Power and Social Influence Chapter 8 8-1

2. Definitions of Power and Social Influence • Social Influence • Attempts to affect or change other people • Power • Capacity or ability to change the beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors of others • Compliance vs. Acceptance • Social Influence • Normative influence • Informational influence 8-2

3. Definitions of Power and Social Influence • Conformity • Asch’s conformity study (1955) • Group pressure can lead to bad judgments • No direct pressure • Informational influence • Group size and unanimity • Cohesive groups 8-3

4. Definitions of Power and Social Influence • Obedience • Milgram (1974) • Obedience influenced by: • Legitimacy of authority figure • Proximity of authority figure • Proximity to victim • Presence of someone who disobeyed • Obedience occurs without punishment or reward 8-4

5. Types of Power • Bases of Power • Personal or soft power • Expert • Referent • Informational • More effective than positional power • Positional or harsh power • Legitimate • Reward • Coercive 8-5

6. Types of Power • Influence Tactics • Use depends on: • Target • Objective • Vary by: • Directness • Cooperativeness • Rationality 8-6

7. Power Dynamics Status and the Corrupting Effect of Power 8-7

8. Unequal Power in a Team Cause: Status Differences Effects: Mistrust Uneven communication Poorer decision-making Less satisfied and motivated members Conflicts Resolve using group norms Power Dynamics 8-8

9. Power Dynamics • Minority influence • Consistency • Self confidence • Belief in autonomy • Relationship to group • Impact of Interdependence • Task interdependence • Effective if have autonomy 8-9

10. Empowerment • Dependent on organization’s willingness to share information and power with employees • Benefits • Employees: • Motivation • Sense of responsibility • Confidence • Company: • More effective teams • Greater organizational commitment • Increased employee acceptance of change 8-10

11. Empowerment • Degrees of Empowerment Programs • Depends on: • External leaders • Responsibility given to team • Human resources practices • Social structure of the team • Approaches to promote empowerment • Sharing information is minimum requirement • Breadth of empowerment activities • Job content, job context 8-11

12. Empowerment • Successful Empowerment Programs • Limited by managerial beliefs about power • Solution: • Involve supervisors in design of empowerment programs • Evaluate and define supervisors’ responsibilities • Additional training as team leaders • Related to organization’s structure and culture • Decentralization • Formalization at higher levels 8-12

13. Application: Acting Assertively • Power Styles 8-13

14. Application: Acting Assertively • Use of Power Styles • Best approach varies on situation • Differences in power style often attributed to: • Personality • Gender • Race 8-14

15. Application: Acting Assertively • Encouraging Assertiveness • Active Listening • Positive Recognition • Clear Expectations • Saying “no” • Assertive Withdrawal 8-15

16. 8-16

17. 8-17

18. 8-18