Influence and Persuasion
22/08/2012
Lecture overview
MGTS2606 Managerial Skills & Communication
Dr Susan Arend Week 6 Power, Influence and Persuasion
• Definitions: power, influence and persuasion • Sources of personal and positional power • French and Raven’s bases of power. • Influence strategies • Theories of persuasion
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lecture you should:
• Be able to define power, influence and persuasion • Understand sources of power • Understand influence strategies • Understand how to create a persuasive message • Understand why the message is persuasive
Reflections I
When you think of power, what images come to mind? Do you think of a football player, a great orator, or a gun? Write down or draw the images you have when you think of power.
Reflections II
• Think about the following 2 questions: 1) Who listens to you, comes to you for advice, and trusts what you say? 2)Why? What are your sources of power?
Power
• Power is the potential to allocate resources and to make and enforce decisions (Harvard Business Essentials, p. xiii): It is the potential to influence • “People who have it deny it; people who want it do not want to appear to hunger for it; and people who engage in its machinations do so secretly” (Kanter) • “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” (Lord Acton)
1
22/08/2012
Influence
• Influence is the use of power. It is the mechanism through which people use power to change behaviours or attitudes (Harvard Business Essentials, p. xiv)
Persuasion
• Persuasion is the act of motivating an audience through communication to voluntarily change a particular belief, attitude or behaviour (Adler & Elmhorst, 2005).
Why do we study power?
• Because the failure to recognise when and how to use power can have negative organisational implications. • Power enables us to:
– – – – – – Determine compensation for employees Obtain funding, materials or staff for key projects Gain access to important
Lecture overview
MGTS2606 Managerial Skills & Communication
Dr Susan Arend Week 6 Power, Influence and Persuasion
• Definitions: power, influence and persuasion • Sources of personal and positional power • French and Raven’s bases of power. • Influence strategies • Theories of persuasion
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lecture you should:
• Be able to define power, influence and persuasion • Understand sources of power • Understand influence strategies • Understand how to create a persuasive message • Understand why the message is persuasive
Reflections I
When you think of power, what images come to mind? Do you think of a football player, a great orator, or a gun? Write down or draw the images you have when you think of power.
Reflections II
• Think about the following 2 questions: 1) Who listens to you, comes to you for advice, and trusts what you say? 2)Why? What are your sources of power?
Power
• Power is the potential to allocate resources and to make and enforce decisions (Harvard Business Essentials, p. xiii): It is the potential to influence • “People who have it deny it; people who want it do not want to appear to hunger for it; and people who engage in its machinations do so secretly” (Kanter) • “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” (Lord Acton)
1
22/08/2012
Influence
• Influence is the use of power. It is the mechanism through which people use power to change behaviours or attitudes (Harvard Business Essentials, p. xiv)
Persuasion
• Persuasion is the act of motivating an audience through communication to voluntarily change a particular belief, attitude or behaviour (Adler & Elmhorst, 2005).
Why do we study power?
• Because the failure to recognise when and how to use power can have negative organisational implications. • Power enables us to:
– – – – – – Determine compensation for employees Obtain funding, materials or staff for key projects Gain access to important