Chapter 10 – Broker
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10.4 Using Power and Influence
(click the activity index number to take you back to the activities index)
In the academic setting power relationships are often nebulous. While there are clear
power relationships denoted by organisational structure within which some staff have
positional power (e.g,. the Vice-Chancellor, Head of School), there are also informal
power relationships influenced by academic qualification and institutional status. In
some schools a successful lecturer or a researcher with a prolific peer reviewed
publication record may have more power and status than their Head of School. Power
can also be exerted through personal efficacy that enables you to mobilise resources to
get work done. As an Academic Coordinator, you need to understand all of the
dimensions of power in the academic setting and develop your skills to use your
positional and personal power appropriately and effectively.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this activity is to increase your ability to
influence others using positional and personal power.Brounstein (2000) described the ability to influence people and events in two ways:Positional influence
(use title and authority)Personal influence
(earn respect through traits of honesty, integrity)- exercise authority
- maintain chain of command
- seek control.
- exercise personal qualities
- build relationships
- seek colleague's ownership and involvement.
End up getting compliance. End up getting commitment.
As an Academic Coordinator you have some positional authority and power. The
legitimacy of your role allows you to make requests of staff in order to ensure course
quality measures and processes are adhered to. You can use your formal role similar to
that of a consultant, available to provide advice or help in a difficult situation. Your role
provides you with access to specific information and you may be able to use that
information in logical arguments to persuade people into certain action. For example, if
you know a course is receiving very poor student evaluation data, you can use this
information to create pressure for review and change. The status of your role may also
allow you to get people to align with your ideas because of the favours they seek from
you as part of your role. Personal power is, however, more complex and potentially
more important than positional power. It includes the ability to inspire and persuade
others.
Table 2 below provides examples of tactics that relate to different sources of power –
‘positional power’ and ‘personal power’. A range of factors will influence the amount
of access you have to these sources of power at different times. Most academic leaders
will need to exert both positional and personal power at some stage.