Power and influence plays a major role role in the workplace as well as in the larger society. It impacts policy articulation and implementation in government and has a bearing on the success and failure of businesses.

1. Power and Influence in
Organizational Relationships
Bolaji Okusaga

2. Self -Concept
Self-concept
and self
image
• Each individual is unique with own
self-concept
• View of self affects one’s ability to
function as well as health
Components
of selfknowledge
• self-esteem
• self-actualization

3. 1. Understanding Self Concept and
Relationship Building

4. An internal
sense of
individuality
and
wholeness.
Who are you?
Name, gender,
race, religion,
occupation,
role, etc.
Evolution
Definition
Identity
Begins during
childhood as
parents
provide role
models
Continues
during
adolescence as
teens establish
own identity

5. Self-Esteem
Emotional – Self
Appraisal
Practical – Self
Worth
Continuum – Body
Image
• The emotional appraisal
of self-concept.
• How do you regard
yourself?
• Feel about self?
• Sense of worth or
value?
• This appraisal is an ongoing process so…levels
of self-esteem can
change.
• Body image is dynamic:
the body changes
through normal growth
and development.
• Cultural and societal
attitudes affect body
image

6. Self Actualization
What is Your Role?
• What is your role?
• What do you want your role to be?
How Do You Perceive Your Role?
• A part of self-concept is the way a person perceives
their ability to carry out significant roles
• How do you bridge the gap between Ideal role
expectations and Realistic possibilities

7. Factors Affecting Self-concept
Health status:
• illness, injury, loss of control, dependency on others
Role stressors:
• overload, strained, feelings of inadequacy
Developmental transitions
• aging
Personal “success” or failure history
Crisis and/or life events: personal and/or
global

8. Self Esteem
The value you
place on
yourself
Your perceived
worth
It is either low
or high

9. Self Disclosure
Definition
• Revealing information about
yourself to others that is
normally hidden
• Think of Oprah Winfrey
Application: The JoHari
Window
• Open Self
• Blind Self
• Hidden Self
• Unknown Self

10. Obansanjo’s int. with BBC
HardTalk

11. GEJ’s Int. With Amanpour

12. My Oga at the top

13. JoHari Window: How It Works
KNOWN TO ME
KNOWN
TO
OTHERS
UNKNOWN
TO
OTHERS
Public
Arena
Open
Hidden
Avoided
Private
UNKNOWN TO ME
Blind (spot)
Bad Breath
Salad Teeth
Unknown
Unconscious

14. The Benjamin Franklin Effect
THE BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
EFFECT
• People will like you
more if you ask them
to do you a favour
Benjamin Franklin knew how to
deal with haters.
Born in 1706 as the eighth of 17
children to a Massachusetts
soap and candlestick maker, the
chances Benjamin would go on
to become a gentleman, scholar,
scientist, statesman, musician,
author, publisher and all-around
general bad-ass were
astronomically low, yet he did
just that and more because he
was a master of the game of
personal politics.

15. Exploring the Benjamin Franklin
Effect
How can requesting
kindness cause a person
to change his or her
opinion about you?
The things you do often
create the things you
believe.
How can asking for a
favour turn a hater into a
fan?

16. A process through
which people exchange
information, feelings,
and meaning through
verbal and non-verbal
messages: it is face-toface communication.
Application
Definition
Interpersonal Communication
The use of language
The use of Non-Verbal
Cues
The layers of meaning
that lie within or can be
inferred from what was
said or unsaid based on
the frame of reference
of the participants in
the communication
process

17. About Interpersonal Skills
…are sometimes also referred to
as people skills or
communication skills.
Interpersonal skills are how
people relate to one another.
It involves using skills such as
active listening, tone of voice,
delegation, and leadership. It is
how well you communicate with
someone and how well you
behave or carry yourself.
The term is used often in
business contexts to refer to the
measure of a person's ability to
operate within business
organizations through social
communication and interactions.

18. Listening Skills
Stop
Talking
Put the
Speaker at
Ease
Prepare
Yourself to
Listen
Be Patient
Empathise
Remove
Distractions
Listen to
the Tone
Avoid
Personal
Prejudice
Listen for
Ideas – Not
Just Words

19. Guidelines for Interpersonal
Behaviour
Be properly prepared for
meetings, interviews,
etc.
Show interest in other
people, their work and
ideas.
Accept advice or help
and be prepared to offer
same.
Behave in professional
and responsible manner,
keep emotions in check.
Be helpful, supportive
and value everyone you
work with.
Show willingness to carry
out your fair share of
work with timeliness and
diligence.
Be honest, objective and
constructive.
Avoid negative or
destructive behaviour.
treat other people the
way you wish to be
treated.

20. Dimensions of Interpersonal
Exchanges
BASIC DIMENSIONS
 The verbal aspects of such
one- to-one exchanges
have two basic dimensions:
1. Understanding
2. Agreement
STATES OF AGREEMENT
1. Understanding AND
Agreement
2. Understanding WITH
Disagreement
3. Misunderstanding with
Agreement
4. Misunderstanding WITH
Disagreement

21. Dimensions of Interpersonal
Exchanges
Understanding AND
Agreement
Understanding WITH
Disagreement
(Yes it’s alright)
(Yes but not so)
Misunderstanding with
Agreement
(No but alright)
Misunderstanding WITH
Disagreement
(No and not alright)

22. Communication and Interpersonal
Relationships
Two people that
share
communication in
any form have an
interpersonal
relationship
People who learn
how to develop
interpersonal
relationships with
most everyone they
meet certainly
experience more
success in life than
those who don’t.
Effective and
personal
communication
stands at the heart of
every relationship

23. The Role and the Need for
Relationships
Need for
inclusion
• The degree with which
we establish and
maintain mutual
interest
Need for
control
• The need to establish
satisfactory levels of
influence and power
Need for
affection
• The need to offer love
to others, as well as
receive love from
others

24. Stages in Relationship Building
Initiating
Experimenting
Intensifying
Integrating
Bonding

25. Stages in Relationship in
Disintegration
Differentiation
Circumscribing
Stagnating
Termination
Avoiding

26. 2. Power and Influence

27. Power Defined
Capacity
• the capacity of a person, team,
or organization to produce
effects on others.
Potential
• People have power they don’t
use and may not know they
possess
• Power requires one person’s
perception of dependence on
another person

28. Types of Power
Expert Power
• Power of knowledge
• Here roles can sometimes be reversed between Bosses
and subordinates
Referent Power
• Ability to impact others or effect change based on the
strength of relationship between the leader and followers
• This power is based more on relationship than status
Legitimate
Power
Reward Power
Coercive Power
• Status and position backed power
• This is usually official
• Potential to impact others based on control over the
distribution of rewards or desired resources.
• The potential to impact others or effect change through
the administration of negative sanctions
• The court martial is a vivid example

29. Dynamics of Power
Positional Versus Personal
Legitimate
Coercive
Reward
Control
over information
Positional Resources
Referent
Expert
Persuasiveness
Personal Resources
Personal & Positional resources need not be mutually exclusive

30. The Role of Power
With power you can…
Intercede
favorably on
behalf of
someone in
trouble
Get a
Get approval
desirable
for
Get items on
placement
and off
expenditures
for a
beyond the
agendas
talented
budget
subordinate
Get fast
access to
decision
makers
Maintain
regular,
frequent
contact with
decision
makers
Acquire
early
information
about
decisions
and policy
shifts

31. Influence
Definition
The degree of actual
change as a result of
power
Dynamics
Can be manipulative,
inappropriate or
dishonest
Knowing about these
makes you aware of
their use by others

32. Influence Strategies
Retribution

33. Application
Retribution
• Produces immediate effect based on rigid specifications
• Creates resistance, resentment, alienation
• Stifles initiative and innovation
Reciprocity
• Produced result without friction
• Depends largely on trust
• May be time-wasting due to need for boss-subordinate
negotiations
Reason
• Relies on logic and principles to produce results
• Demands time based on the need to set-up process for
establishing evidence and advance logic

34. Influence Tactics
Rational persuasion
Personal appeals
Coalition tactics
Exchange of
benefits
Inspirational
appeals
Upwards appeals
Pressure tactics
Consultation
Ingratiation
Appeals to
authority
(legitimating tactics)
Yukl, 89; Yukl & Van Fleet 92

35. The Confluence of Power and Influence at
Play
EXPERT
REFERENT
LEGITIMATE
REWARD
COERCIEVE
Logical Persuasion
Inspirational Appeals
Appeals to authority
Exchange benefits
Pressure Tactics

36. Power and Information
Based on
legitimate
power
Relates to
formal
communication
network
Common in
centralized
structures
(wheel pattern)
Control over information
flow

37. Power and Organizational Politics
Forming
Alliances
Cultivating
Networks
Controlling
Information
Trading
Blames
Creating
Obligations
Organizational
Power Plays
Managing
Impressions

38. Dynamics of Organizational Politics
The People
aligned with
Power benefits
Those who know
how to cope with
organizational
uncertainties
gain power

39. 5 Steps to Become an Influential
Manager
Develop reputation as
expert
Time spent on
relationship should be
based on work needs
Develop network of
resource persons who
can be called upon for
assistance
Communicate influence
tactics effectively
Choose correct
combination of
influence tactics based
on objective and target
to be influenced

40. Stemming Political Tendencies within an
Organisation
Increase
Decrease
• Resources
• Political Norms
• Clear Rules
• Political Employees
• Shared Information • Peer Pressure
• Opportunity for
Dialogue

41. Thank you