Power and Influence in the Office

Some of the types of power in this week’s lesson commentary are very apparent in my office and it was fun to be able to put labels to some of the characters I work with. My direct supervisor, Rick, has never been a supervisor before. I am his first subordinate, yet I have more industry experience than he does. In this case, he would have legitimate power because he’s my leader according to the organization. (PSU WC, 2012) However, because I have more industry experience and he sometimes asks for my input on work, I might have expert power in select situations. (PSU WC, 2012) On the flip side, because Rick has a very timid personality, he doesn’t come across as having a great deal of influence. He may suggest a change in behavior, but it is generally a suggestion and not a requirement; especially if I can make an alternative suggestion or explain why the original way was efficient. As my boss, he certainly has SOME degree of influence, even if it’s infrequent, but legitimate power is more prevalent. He has the capacity to create change because of his organizational position, but lacks influence as behaviors are rarely actually changed. (PSU WC, 2012)

 

In the meantime, there’s the woman known around the office as “The Pretend Boss”. I think all of us have worked with this person at one time or another! Lynda has the most tenure with the company within the department and is our administrative assistant. She’s bossy and loud and makes it known how SHE prefers even mundane tasks to be completed. There is little or no “expert” about her; it’s a matter of a strong personality and being set in her way. In this instance, I don’t think Lynda’s behavior would be considered power. Instead, based on the course commentary, she has more influence than power, as influence is the “degree of actual change in attitudes, values, beliefs, or behaviors.” (PSU WC, 2012) As much as I hate to admit it, Lynda tends to change behaviors in the department, simply because most of us don’t want to hear her gripe and complain when we don’t do things her way. Very few situations warrant arguing with her, as it falls under choosing your battles. A very trivial situation would involve our filing. Alphabetically, last names starting with “Mc”, such as McGregor, should be filed after names beginning with “Ma”, like Matthew. But Lynda believes that is incorrect, despite Microsoft Word, Excel, etc. all saying otherwise, and has our files organized according to her understanding of alphabetical. In our cabinets, “Mc” comes first, then the rest. Instead of arguing the matter, the rest of us simply play along and change our behavior, filing her way.

 

Finally, there is Robin. She is the Director of HR and is my boss’ supervisor. She maintains both power and influence. She has power as the director over the department. In addition, she has great influence. Most of us have some experience with a director or regional boss; they say jump and we say “How high?” Robin’s power is not only legitimate in that the organization says she is the director; it’s also referent power as she works to have a relationship with everyone in the department and reward power as she controls pay rates, promotions and other rewards. (PSU WC, 2012)

 

Even within a department of only six employees, many bases of power can be found. Fortunately, at my office, these types of power tend to work well together, with minimal conflict. As a result each person has a role in the forward movement of our tasks and company overall.

Reference

Penn State World Campus (2012). PSYCH 485 Lesson 7: Power and Influence. Retrieved on October 11, 2012, from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/fa12/psych485/002/content/07_lesson.html.