Coaching Portfolio: Power Tool

Name: Suman Rudra Date: 28th Oct,2012 Student ID: Suman R Email: suman.rudra@gmail.com

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Suman Rudra,2012, www.coach2transform.blogspot.in

Power Tool Power Vs Influence

Absolute power is never absolute. But used with persuasion and influence, it can absolutely get things done. Contents: 1. What is Power? 2. What is Influence 3. Self application 4. Coaching application

What is Power? "Power is the ability of one person to influence what another person thinks or does. You have power over another person to the extent that you can influence what this person thinks or what this person does."--DeVito Sources of Power by Dr. Terry Stimson French and Raven developed what is regarded as a classic scheme for categorizing the various bases of power. Their work was first presented in an article in Studies of Social Power in 1959, titled "The Bases of Social Power". They identified five distinct bases of power: legitimate, reward, coercive, expert and referent. These five power bases were expanded on by Hershey and Blanchard in their text, "Management of Organizational Behavior" (1982) in which they added two more bases of power that are relevant to this discussion. The two additional power bases are: connection and information. The seven power bases can easily be separated into two broad categories of power: positional and personal Positional Power Legitimate power (sometimes called authority or formal power) is that which is derived from the person's position in the organization. It exists because organizations find it advantageous to assign certain powers to individuals so that they can do their jobs effectively. All managers have some degree of legitimate power. Reward power is based on the individual's ability to reward desirable behavior. It stems partly from legitimate power. Managers because of their positions have control over certain rewards, such as pay increases, promotions, work schedules, status symbols and recognition awards, which they can use to reward desirable behavior. Coercive power is the opposite of reward power, and is based on the ability of the individual to sanction (punish) or prevent someone from obtaining desirable rewards. Rewards and punishment are powerful motivational tools, and leaders are generally better served by the exercise of reward power than by the exercise of coercive power. But only if reward power is used effectively. Look at these three types of power as POSITIONAL power and conferred on one from the ORGANIZATION, e.g., they

Suman Rudra,2012, www.coach2transform.blogspot.in

come with the position of manager, and each manager has at least some of each of the three "powers of office." The remaining four, however, are in a different domain entirely. Personal Power Expert power derives from having knowledge that is valued by the organization or individuals with whom the person interacts. Expertise in a particular field or at problem solving or at performing critical tasks are types of expert power. Expert power is personal to the individual who has the expertise, hence it is different from the other three sources of power previously mentioned. However, the possession of expert power may be the basis for rising to a management position in the area of the expertise, now providing the incumbent with expert power as well that legitimate, reward and coercive power. Referent power results when the individual engenders admiration, loyalty and emulation to the extent that the person gains the power to influence other. Charismatic leaders have referent power. They have a vision for the organization that they lead, strong convictions about the correctness of the vision, and great confidence in their ability to realize the vision, and are perceived by their followers as agents of change. Connection power is more commonly referred to as "networking" these days. It is who you know, vertically and horizontally, both within and outside the organization. This may be referred to in some circles as the "Old Boys Club" and represents many of the political dynamics that make up organizations. Information power is a power that can be either personal or positional. A manager should have more information power than his or her direct reports but it isn't always the case. As a result, an individual that is actively involved in the "grapevine" often has more accurate information than the manager. The "grapevine" is thought to be primarily rumor but, when studied, the "grapevine" has proven to be about 80% correct. Therefore, the person in the organization with the most reliable information is thought to have quite a bit of power. A wise leader realizes that in order to be an effective leader he/she can not rely exclusively on positional power. There is a delicate dance that must take place between positional and personal power for a manager to be considered an effective leader. The fascinating thing about power is that people who hold it are expected to use it or they risk losing respect for not exercising power. When Reagan was president he was an example of a person that totally fulfilled the role of the powerful president, almost like royalty. While at the same time, Carter, who made a big deal out of carrying his own bags, was not perceived as having a lot of personal power. It is a delicate balance but people do need to exercise their legitimate power. Regardless of whether a person is the CEO or the secretary they are expected to exercise their power. Power is a neutral tool, so exercising the power does not have to be a negative action. Rather, an individual needs to use their legitimate power to do their job more effectively.

Suman Rudra,2012, www.coach2transform.blogspot.in

I think managers think they are the power in much the same way that politicians believe they have the power rather than the "tools" to do their job. When managers think they have positional power because of who they are rather than the position they hold in the organization, they are headed for trouble. Power is a neutral tool which can be used for positive or negative outcomes. I found from my research that when power is treated as an opportunity to do good for others and the organization, everyone benefits. In many respects power is like love, the more it is shared, the more it grows. Many managers have trouble sharing power for fear they are giving away a scarce resource and once power is given away it is lost.

What is Influence?
Influence is the capacity or power of persons or things to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of others. The key word in that definition is compelling, which means to have irresistible qualities. Therefore, in order to influence someone you have to do it in a way that is not resisted. Thus, no influence = dictating. How do you do that? Very simple. The only way for you to effectively influence someone is in your communication. In other words, your first step as a leader is to understand how communication motivates a person to specific actions. For me, the most important part of communication is personality styles. Its not enough for me as a leader, parent, or just a person to think instructing another person on a task, chore, or whatever, is enough to actually cause the person to execute on it with greatness. How they receive that information is way more important than how you deliver it. So merely telling them isnt enough. You have to understand that if they are a high detail person, then delivering a portion of the information isnt enough. Your influence will now cause that person to fail. Instead, focus your leadership on your communication skills by understanding each of your team members personality styles

Dominant Gives and receives information in sounds bites. Has a tendency to miss out on details and is highly likely to hurt feelings in the process. Has a short window of focus until they move on to the next exciting and shiny object. Excellent at getting things done. Always has a desire to be in leadership. Interactive Is really focused on people, so they tend to be more focused on conversation and what is going on with youor them. Needs to have a moment of personal conversation before discussing tasks. Has a tendency to miss details and rarely takes notes. Great at motivating others. Stable Very concerned about all people around them. Very diplomatic in their process and hard to motivate with change. Confrontation is scarier than snakes and tofu. Usually needs to completely understand the need for the project, as well as if will effect anyone negatively. Extremely loyal and great at looking out for others.

Suman Rudra,2012, www.coach2transform.blogspot.in

Compliant Favourite things are Excel spread sheets and Google. Mainly because you can learn how to build a rocket in Google, and literally build it in Excel. Must, must, MUST have all the details. Also needs to be allowed to ask questions and share that they dont completely understand the project. Incredibly precise and accurate when executing.

These are just the absolute tip of understanding communication with others. The next step is to focus your leadership on active listening. You have two ears and one mouth. Use the percentages accordingly.

Self Application Power and Influence are two important characteristic which are responsible to make a executive effective in a corporate environment. Its important to understand how this affects oneself and how one can move from power centric to influence centric approach. Though Power itself is not bad if the usage of power is understood as per the situations. Influence is not something that comes natural in leadership, its something that you do. As a leader, if you dont have influence with people, then youre a dictator. Power in the person: The power you hold is based on your credibility. According to the World English Dictionary, credibility is defined as, "The quality of being believed or trusted." Credibility is made up of three main points: competence, character, and charisma. 1. Competence: this is the knowledge and expertise that other people believe you have. The more people believe you have knowledge and expertise, the more they will be influenced by you. For example, if you see a doctor's degrees hanging on the wall in his office, you are likely to believe him more because it's apparent he has a vast knowledge in the subject. 2. Character: This involves the motives and intentions behind your influences. If people see that you are to gain a great deal personally, you may not be seen as having good character. This is why it's important to be honest, and show people that you can be trusted without having to personally gain from the situation. 3. Charisma: This is other people's views of your personality. If you're friendly, assertive, and dynamic, people will tend to see you as being charismatic. However, people will think the opposite if you are aloof, reserved, hesitant, and non-assertive.

________________________________________________________ Activity: You can introspect yourself and tell why you do or do not have credibility. Look at all three aspects of charisma, competence, and character. After deciding if they are credible or not, make a list of what characteristics a person should have to be seen (by you) as a credible person. What is it that people do that influences you? ________________________________________________________ There are ways to enhance your credibility, Ask these questions to yourself.

Suman Rudra,2012, www.coach2transform.blogspot.in

 Do you tend to overdo it when showing your knowledge? Do you make sure that you stress fairness between you and the other individuals? How do you show concern for others? How do you show good moral values? How do you look at things in positive way?

Questions for your consideration:

1. What types of power have you used before? 2. Do you have reward power and/or coercive power over anyone? Do you exercise it? If you do, in what ways do you exercise this power? 3. How have you discovered your communication, or lack there of, affecting your leadership? 4.What are your dominant power characteristics and how do they assist you in influencing others in the workplace? 5. What power characteristics do you prefer to see in those who oversee your work? 6. How is the concept of empowerment handled in your organization?

Coaching Application How to navigate through a matrix Organisations where work needs to be done by someone not reporting to me but I am accountable for the overall results. This is the key challenge I feel people faced in matrix and networked Organisations. How to use the appropriate balance between Power and influence? Power Vs Influence Source: Richard McKeown Lets take a look at those distinctions and characterize them with regard to effective and enduring leadership. Power is positional. Influence is personal. It is not unusual for people to ascribe power to positions of leadership. With the position of CEO, for example, comes a certain degree of power. That power has more to do with the position than with the person occupying it. In other words, it is conferred on the position. Influence on the other hand has more to do with the individual holding the position. It is conferred on a person by virtue of who they are, not what merely what they are. Power is wielded. Influence is granted. This distinction deals with how leaders use their position. Are they dictatorial in their approach, affecting outcomes by fiat? Or do they seek consensus and buy-in,

Suman Rudra,2012, www.coach2transform.blogspot.in

seeking to influence the proper decision or direction from those they lead? Note the distinction: power is wielded by those in position. Influence is granted by those being led. Or put another way, power demands; influence commands. Power pushes. Influence persuades. The ability to persuade is a key characteristic of effective leaders. This goes to the whole vision thing by which successful leaders define and articulate the overarching mission of an organization and links strategies and tactics to fulfilling that vision. In other words, they make the case for what an organization is doing, why it is doing it, and what the outcome will be. This is part and parcel of bringing people along and persuading them that the course is right, has a purpose and will have a positive outcome for the organization, and by extension, for them. Power is resented. Influence is respected. Many years ago, I read where a utility took great pains to refer to their product as energy rather than power. The thought was the term energy had a more positive connotation than did power. Its an interesting distinction that has stayed with me over time. It is much the same with power and influence. If one exerts the power of their position, they run the risk of being resented. Conversely, if one earns the respect of those they lead, they will be much better able to influence. Power expires. Influence endures. The corporate and cultural landscapes are littered with leaders who used their position to wield power until it expired through organizational succession, Father Time or a governing board. Their passing from the scene, if not enthusiastically cheered, is greeted with relief and anxious anticipation of their successor. Soon, they are but a fading memory and lament their loss of power, power held by virtue of their position. On the other hand, there are leaders whose passing from the scene is lamented by those they led. Yet they are leaders who continue to have influence. Why? Because they understood that the mark of true leader is not necessarily what they accomplish in the here and now, but by what those they influence accomplish beyond their term and time.

Suman Rudra,2012, www.coach2transform.blogspot.in

To be successful in getting things done in organizations, it is critical that you be able to comprehend the patterns of interdependence among organizational participants and to diagnose their relative power. How do power and influence dynamics work in organizations? What are the key sources of power in organizations? Why do we see political conflict in organizations? How can political conflict be handled to serve constructive ends? Consider Questions on building credibility quickly, cultivating mentors and networks, and managing ethical dilemmas. Coaching Tool:

The need of power and influence is greatly felt when there is critical projects or planned organisational change that needs to be executed. Senior Leaders are typically entrusted with such projects. There need to be questions on the challenges of change implementation in organizations. To implement planned organizational changes, you will need to overcome the potential resistance of other organizational members and persuade them to adopt new practices. Organizational change implementation is thus an exercise that requires the effective use of power and influence. How can you be an effective change agent in your organization? What are the factors that are likely to affect your success? What are the challenges and opportunities of co-leadership in organizations. Under what conditions can co-leadership be effective? What are the challenges associated with co-leadership? What are the potential benefits of co-leadership? Power/ Influence Grid Bring Awareness:

Suman Rudra,2012, www.coach2transform.blogspot.in

Source: Gardner et al(1986) The classification map is a four quadrant one. Four regions are marked on two dimensions. One of the dimensions is power, drawn in two segment low and high. The second dimension is the measure of influence, again arranged in low and high regions. Thus you have four regions that can be called high power-low influence, high power-high influence, low power-high influence and low power-low influence. Correspondingly communication tasks you need to take on for yourself are to manage the top group, or the high power-high influence group, very closely indeed. Their communication needs should be fulfilled at all costs and on highest priority. This group of stakeholders has the most involvement as also the most power to make things happen. The next group that of high power yet low interest, need to be kept satisfied with just the right amount of information. You need to regulate the information flowing to this class of stakeholder as high quality but necessary information. You cannot afford them to lose interest in your project. It should be just enough to keep your project on their radar map. The class that has high influence or involvement in your projects yet not too high in the hierarchy to wield heavy authority also is an important class. You need to keep this group really satisfied as when the need comes they can help you out with their involvement. You need to spend minimal effort to keep the fourth group monitored. This is the class of stakeholders who have low authority and low involvement too. Only principle involved here is not to antagonize them. Coaching Questions: Take the list of stakeholders and map them on this matrix as illustrated in the picture above. Though qualitative the way the stakeholders fall on this grid will clearly tell you what to do about them. These dimensions have to be qualitative and relative. You may need to seek help in the form of expert judgments to classify some stakeholders. But, do remember, the assessments could well be very subjective. Make allowance for that by taking multiple opinions about a person, if necessary.

Suman Rudra,2012, www.coach2transform.blogspot.in

Suman Rudra,2012, www.coach2transform.blogspot.in

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