What is power? How does one acquire power and what is the best kind of power to have?

Power in negotiation means having the capability to control or affect another person's conduct or the outcome of an event (Lewicki, 2020). It also involves having control, authority, or influence over others (Iannarino, 2018). When it comes to negotiations, there needs to be a balance in both distributive and integrative power plays (Lewicki, 2020). Distributive power usually focuses on what the person can do to gain an advantage over the other and how control can be expressed (Lewicki, 2020). Integrative power is more about sharing influence and being able to pull together everyones power to get the desired result (Lewicki, 2020). Also, power in the world of negotiations is not always acquired in the same way. Our textbook touches on this on page 260 when they talk about how a person may not have power in every situation or negotiation because the environment around them can have an impact on their level of power (Lewicki, 2020).

In order to achieve power, those around the person must embrace and believe in the power that the individual thinks they have (Iannarino, 2018). The textbook does give a list of the five major types of ways that power can be achieved. The first is called expert power (Lewicki, 2020). This means that the person has power because they know the most about the topic at hand and could also have the most experience in the topic as well. Next, there is reward power (Lewicki, 2020). This comes about when the person is able to reward others for doing what needs to be done (Lewicki, 2020). That one sounds a lot like bribery in my opinion. Third, there is coercive power (Lewicki, 2020). This kind of power is achieved by being able to force people to think and act as the person wishes for them to. Fourth is legitimate power (Lewicki, 2020). This kind of power comes with having a leading title or a high position in the company (Lewicki, 2020). The final way to achieve power is called referent power (Lewicki, 2020). This kind of power is able to be used when one person looks up to the other and wants to follow closely in the others footsteps and ideas.

How do I preserve the power that I have?

One way to preserve the power that is achieved to make sure that you are staying focused and never allowing other people to see your weaknesses (Iannarino, 2018). It is also important for you to be aware of what you can and cannot do in the negotiation setting and how hard you can push back (Iannarino, 2018). Having a plan before going into the negotiation and being prepared to match the so-called bark with the bite is going to be key in maintaining power as well. You also will want to never try to victimize yourself and make the other team or person feel as though they have impacted your level of power or they have gained power over you (Iannarino, 2018). Making sure to connect with people and actively engage is important too (Iannarino, 2018). Power cannot be maintained if a background seat is taken for too long. One must also be prepared to be open and direct about what the boundaries are and what they will not tolerate (Iannarino, 2018). Putting in a great deal of effort, studying yourself and those on the other side, and being prepared is going to lead to the ability to maintain power.

How do I influence someone with power and make sure that my message gets through?

The textbook identifies 8 tactics that can be used in order to make sure that if the person across the table has more power than you, you can ensure your ability to make a difference. I am only going to touch on a couple of them. The first is going to be to make sure that you are not putting all you have into just one basket (Lewicki, 2020). This means making sure that you spread your expertise and do not let the other side have a majority of control. Next, you can lower the power they have by taking the team in sections and trying to divide and conquer (Lewicki, 2020). Another important way to make sure that you are being heard is to stay involved and ask a lot of questions (Lewicki, 2020). This will keep the other team on their toes and keep you connected to what they are thinking as well (Lewicki, 2020). Finally, having self-control and making sure to manage the negotiation appropriately is going to be key too (Lewicki, 2020).

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