Position power is based on authority. It is inherent in any role with decision-making control over resources. This is often a management role, but it doesn't have to be. Any position that controls resources (employees, budgets, production, time, information, etc.) automatically bestows the right and the responsibility to decide who has access to the resource, how much of the resource they can have and when they can have it. This creates power because anyone who needs that resource is dependent on the person in the position to get it.

1. Legitimate power: Positions in and of themselves grant power. Legitimate power is the "right of command" that bestows control over people or other resources. Legitimate power is what gives a manager the right to tell employees what to do and expect them to do it. This is the power that creates the "zone of indifference" described by Barnard.
2. Reward power: The power to provide extrinsic rewards is linked to any management position (raises, promotions, bonuses, etc.) as well as any position that decides how a resource will be distributed. In addition, those with formal authority over employees also have the power to convey intrinsic rewards. The status and legitimacy of a manager mean that recognition or praise from them is often more motivating than praise from a peer or coworker.
3. Coercive power: This type of power is almost always associated with formal authority. It is the ability to make credible threats to administer a punishment or deny extrinsic rewards. Coercive power can be persuasive even if the punishment is not carried out, as long as the person making the threat has the authority to follow through on it. A simple warning or reminder of their ability to punish or withhold rewards is often enough to gain cooperation.
4. Representative power: Some positions give a person access to important people, or the ability to speak on behalf of others. One example is a CEO's assistant. Although assistants have less authority than a senior manager, they do have access to the CEO every day and usually decide who gets meetings and whose phone calls get returned. As a representative of the CEO they have a degree of control over the CEO's time - a sought after resource. Examples of positions that are authorized to speak on behalf of others would be elected representatives, union leaders, or corporate lawyers. Representatives' words have more weight because they speak on behalf of powerful individuals or groups.
5. Information power is control over important information. People who produce or grant access to data or information that others need can create dependency. Positions that create and distribute information include market researchers, financial analysts, data miners, forecasters or project managers. The work produced by these people or their teams becomes a valuable resource that they have control over.

Personal power is based on individual qualities. It is independent of position in the organization. However like organizational power it creates dependency if others need something that the holder can provide; in this case these are things that belong to the individual, not to the organization.

1. Expert power (or 'expertise') is the possession of knowledge, skill or judgment that the others need but do not have. Expert power can be developed through education and training, diligent practice leading to mastery or a level of experience that yields insights that others do not have. People with expert power are highly valued because they are problem-solvers who create a competitive advantage for their organizations. Experts are persuasive even if they do not hold positions of formal power. Individuals in more senior positions will often defer to the experts in their organization; their expertise builds trust and earns respect.
2. Referent power (or 'likability') is a less obvious but very effective power source that increases persuasiveness. We are much more likely to cooperate with people that we like. We prefer to work with and for people who we admire or find agreeable. Likability takes many forms; it can result from charisma, charm, personality, humour, quick-wittedness, like-mindedness or even physical attractiveness.
3. Political power is based on the respect and support of a group. Politically powerful individuals are able to get along with many kinds of people, but they also understand and are able to work according to their organization's rules and expectations. Their comfort with both people and social systems enables politically savvy individuals to gain the loyalty and trust of others.

Personal power is the foundation of your professional reputation. If those in your organization know you as someone who is smart, capable, easy to get along with, a good team player and enthusiastic contributor, you are far more likely to be chosen to participate in projects, lead teams and/or represent others. Those who develop personal power gain the cooperation and respect of others. Quite simply, they are more persuasive and influential.

Our personal and organizational sources of power are like an engine in a vehicle, or a CPU in a computer. Some individuals have immense power, others less so, but all power is just potential. The fastest sports car won't take you anywhere if you never step on the accelerator pedal. The most powerful computer won't run a single application if you never switch it on. Likewise, power won't make things happen unless you use it to influence outcomes.

Influence is power in action. Influence is what happens when you use your power to persuade others and to drive results.

There are many influence tactics available, but they won't work equally well for everyone. The tactics that will work for you depend on who you are trying to persuade and which power sources you have access to.

Here are some of the more common influence tactics:

• Reciprocity: Human nature dictates that when someone gives something to us, we feel obliged to repay the favour, out of kindness or simply because we dont like feeling indebted to others. Websites use this principle regularly how many times have you agreed to sign up to a newsletter or mailing list when offered something like a discount or free ebook?
• Social Proof: We tend to follow social cues. If we notice that other people like something, we're more likely to want it too. My husband told me about an experience he had in New York City. People were lined up around the block for a new bakery that had opened that day. When my husband asked someone standing in the line what the new business was selling, the answer was I dont know but I want to try what everyone is so excited about.
• Commitment and Consistency: People feel compelled to be consistent with opinions, actions and behaviours because they understand the importance of projecting a stable image. When we publicly commit to something or someone, we are very likely to stick to what we promised because we dont want to be perceived as unreliable. Reminding someone of a prior commitment can be enough to persuade them, even if with you have no power or authority over that person. It is even more likely to be effective if they value your opinion or relationship.
• Liking: We tend to be more cooperative with people that we like, or that we perceive to be like us. If you start talking to someone you dont really know and discover for example that you enjoy the same music or follow the same sports team, it gives you something in common which will cause you to view them more favourably. You are therefore more likely comply with any requests they make of you. This is the concept underlying celebrity endorsements.
• Scarcity: We tend to be more attracted to things that are perceived as rare or about to vanish altogether. Have you ever been persuaded to buy something by a salesperson hinting that a sale will end shortly, or by a website telling you that there only two of the items you are interested left in stock?
• Authority: People are more likely to do what perceived authority figures tell them to do. For this tactic to work however, the request must be reasonable and the persuader must be perceived as having legitimate authority over the person they are trying to influence.
• Unity: This tactic plays to our need for a shared sense of identity. It could be the groups we belong to or the things we are trying to achieve. We can persuade others by making them feel that were on the same side or 'team', that we have the same goals, or that we need their support because it's 'us vs. them'.
• Rational Persuasion: This is the most widely used tactic in business. It is persuasion that uses facts, data and other forms of tangible proof to build a case, explaining the need, benefits or outcomes clearly. The more that we are perceived to be an expert on that topic, the more effective our attempts at rational persuasion will be.

Power lies at the root of persuasion and influence.

As you move into positions of greater responsibility you will work less independently and work instead with and through others. In these roles, your ability to persuade others and influence outcomes will be a critical success factor.

So what are some practical ways that you can increase the power sources available to you? The following are some of the tried and true ways to build power and influence in the organizations you work for.

Increase the visibility of your job performance. Make sure that others know what you do, and how well you do it. Give them opportunities to associate your name and face with your work.

• If you produce excellent work, make sure you get credit for it.
• Try to find places to have your work featured - in newsletters, on websites or social media.
• Seek out opportunities to present your work in meetings so that others get to know you as well as your work.
• Expand contacts with senior people and influential colleagues through company events and networking. Ask for introductions and meeting invitations.
• Participate in problem-solving groups where you can work cross-functionally with people outside of your department.

How to build personal power

• Continue to build expertise. Take courses, attend workshops, join professional organizations.
• Get involved in the early stages of projects. Be enthusiastic and proactive. Volunteer to take on tasks.
• Become politically savvy. Improve your skills in negotiation, familiarize yourself with company processes and power flows, seek to understand others goals and priorities. Learn to see the big picture.
• Increase your likability. Be a hard worker, be agreeable, support others in their efforts.

Joe intuitively understood the concept of Impression Management. He had found a way to break the ice and start conversations that put others at ease. He knew how to manage impressions.

There are four key elements of Impression Management

1. Determine objective what specific outcomes are you trying to achieve?
   • Are you aiming for a raise or promotion? More responsibility? Help with your work?
   • Who are you trying to influence and what do you want them to do?
2. Construct impressions the image you want to create is constructed by altering audiences perception.
   • The influence tactics discussed previously can be used to influence perception.
   • Another way to influence perceptions is by behaviour and physical displays that signal which category or prototype others should use when viewing us. Researchers have found that new employees tend to adopt the lingo and behaviour of more experienced employees so that others will take them seriously as members of their profession.
3. Understand context the influence tactics you choose must match the person you are hoping to influence and be appropriate for your level of power, for example
   • an employee with a low position power will do better with friendliness than assertiveness.
   • an employee with little expert power would do better with a coalition than with reasoning.
4. Affect the perceptions - others' perceptions of your expertise, likability and professionalism are just that: perceptions. You may elect to deliberately promote the aspects of your personality and expertise that you want people to recognize and downplay those that will not create a favourable impression.

Impression Management and our Digital Footprint

A challenge in today's workplace is the fact that we no longer have distinct separations between our professional and private selves. Our use of social media and our online presence practically guarantee that at least some aspects of our personal life will become available to our work colleagues and managers. Even more sobering is the fact that there is no longer a distinct separation between our current self and our younger, more impulsive, less experienced self. Comments or contributions we may have made years prior may surface to challenge the carefully crafted professional personas we work to create for ourselves.

Lesson: Persuasion, Influence & Impression Management

What is the most important thing that you have learned about yourself and how you influence and persuade others from this lesson? Identify:

• What you learned about yourself and which part of the lesson was important for you to learn this. Be specific and relate this to course concepts from the lesson.
• What you plan do to with this information. For example, perhaps you've realized something is particularly helpful, and now understand why, and so you will continue to do so OR perhaps you see something negative that you didn't know before, and want to make a change. Again, be specific with your action plans to earn full marks.
• Why it is important to your professional development for working in organizations. That is, how will making this change help you in your professional role now, or to come in the future?