I interviewed for a job recently. I am not really looking however thought it would be good practice to keep up my skills, just in case. I was quite taken aback when I was asked how much power I have in my organization. I must have looked like a deer in the proverbial headlights because 1: I work for a 65,000-person company, how much “power” could I have? And 2: He followed up the question with “How many direct reports do you have?” AHA!!! Direct reports equal power in most people’s minds. Power is not just about position, it is so much more.
“Power is a way of organizational life” (Pfeffer, 2011). Having people report to you is one way to have power in an organization or relationship. People associate power with “being the boss” yet power is assessed at the individual level and really about how you put it into action, or influence.
- Leaders and flowers influence each other (L7, Pg. 3), it is not uni-directional. People can have power or influence, regardless of their position in an organization. It is unfortunate that some people feel powerless when they are not “the boss”.
- Power is potential, influence is power in use. For some reason I had always thought of power as having “rank” over influence. But using one’s power and having power is very different. Using one’s power is called influencing! I have always considered influence to be the “red-headed step child” to power and yet this is far from the case.
- Carpe diem and power. How many of us have waited around for the recognition, big project or promotion? We have all been waiting for legitimate power to be given to us. There are so many other types of power. Expert power, for example, comes from knowing something very well and being the “go-to” person for many. (L7, pg.5) Referent power is about relationships and the power that develops alongside those relationships. (L7, pg.5) Here are two types of power that have nothing to do with position or having people report to you.
Next time I am asked that question, I will follow-up and ask a clarifying question, “Which type of power are you referring to? Expert, referent, legitimate, reward, coercive? Then we’ll see who has the deer in the headlights look!
Pfeffer, Jeffrey (2011). YouTube: Power and Influence in the Collaborative Age. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXGQqwVb018#t=151
Susan Hicks says
I also enjoyed your post. Truly an employer asking such a question as to how much power you have in your organization, obviously identifies this employer with understanding the concepts of power to influence and most notably the “Five Bases of Power” that delineate this power along the lines of Expert. Referent, Legitimate, Reward, and Coercive (PSU, 2014).
It would be interesting to see what his response to your reply question would be. Not only interesting from the aspect of obtaining the equally shocking “deer” reaction, but to assess which they (as as an organization) place greater emphasis upon. If they valued referent power over legitimate power you could then ascertain that they strive for employee satisfaction and performance as generally speaking, employees who perform under leaders using this type of power “are more motivated and satisfied, are absent less, and perform better”, thus making this place of employment an enjoyable experience (PSU, 2014).
Thanks again for that enjoyable post.
References:
Pennsylvania State University. (2014). PSYCH 485 Lesson 7: Power and Influence. Retrieved February 28, 2014 from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/sp14/psych485/001/content/07_lesson/05_page.html
Emily Corinne Carter says
Thanks for sharing your interview experience, I really enjoyed reading your post! I needed a good laugh and enjoyed the deer in headlights analogy. After learning that influence is power, I can imagine you were able to come up with a variety of responses that you could have given to the interviewer. Did you find that you have more power than you first thought?
The concept of power in leadership is a very interesting topic. I have learned about the concept of power in a previous management class, sociology class, world religions class, and a few psychology classes. I guess the concept of power is a popular topic! There are many different perspectives on the concept of power, as you noted a few in your post, such as referent, expert, and legitimate power. Just imagine how many explanations you could have given in response to the interviewer’s question. The interviewer may have regret for ever asking the question!
Kat Sanders says
Thoroughly enjoyed the post! I think it would be great to ask that follow-up question. Or, just elaborate on each type of power that was relevant to your situation. They would most definitely be surprised!