Super Power at Work - Gaining Influence

 

Super Power at Work

Gaining Influence

·         Power Up! Power is the actual ability to influence change, no matter if it is through structural, formal power, or just the network and leader follower relationships that those develop (Lussier, 2014)

·         Politics. What a negative connotation this word has these days. Politics is not power, but the “game” that is played to control power. This again, can be through structural, formal power and/or through influential power (Lussier, 2014).

Politics can influence how and why leaders who have pre-dispositioned formal power make decisions. Decisions are influenced by politics. This can be a positive, but also could have negative effects. The outcome has to do with leadership. With good leadership politics can have positive influence on an organization. However, with poor or lacking leadership, politics can hinder the capabilities of the organization and lead to stressful environments for employees.

I like to think of politics as competition, like it is a game. The better you play the game, the more power you will obtain. However, like in every game, you can play a right way and a wrong way. You can play by the rules, or you can cheat. This is where leadership becomes crucial, influencing how people in the organization play the game. This is done by establishing trust, giving vision, and making the environment safe and fair. Management can be important here too, setting up a structure with proper checks and balances, and evaluation points is vital to successful operation.

Without good leadership and management, people tend to make poor decisions, in attempt to try to maintain or gain power.

For example, if a promising employee has a good idea, and presents it to their boss, the boss has to make a decision on if the idea should be implemented as is, further developed, or declined. The boss, if they feel that their power is threatened by the idea, may choose to decline the idea without further thought, or even if they think it is a good idea, may still decline or try to make it their own idea. Without proper checks and balances the boss has too much control over the decision and can be influenced by politics to make a poor decision. If the idea is declined or stolen, imagine the feelings of the employee and the outcome of the idea. They are not positive. However, if the boss develops the idea with the employee, and gives them or “us” credit, there a very positive outcome. The boss holds a huge amount of responsibility.

Two ways that employees in a powerless situation can influence a good idea being implemented:

1)    Give up your idea. Making it your boss's idea, at least the idea still gets implemented.

2)    Work around your boss. If the boss declines the idea, the employee can work around their boss or gain a crowd of their peers to support the idea. Be cautious when working around the boss, because this can spoil a relationship if done incorrectly. You have to maintain respect, but sometimes going to a lateral level manager and discussing the idea can be a great move to help get the idea implemented, without disrespecting your own boss.

 

References

Lussier, R., & Achua, C. (2014). Leadership: Theory, Application, and Skill Development. Cengage Learning.