At some point in your career, you will need to navigate the minefields of power and influence that exist within your organization. You will need the support of others to enable you to execute your strategy effectively or you will need to influence others to act in a certain way or to change their behavior so that you can meet your needs. You will need to either exert power and influence or tap into the power and influence of others.
Power is the opposite of dependency. The more dependent a department is on another to provide say, technical support, or key data etc, the more power and influence that department has over the department requiring the support or data. Power and influence is also related to the ability of a department to monopolize what other departments require. In other words, if a department can not obtain its technical support or data from any other source, then its dependency on and the power of the department providing what it needs is greater.
The same applies to people. People on exactly the same hierarchy level in an organization often enjoy different levels of influence. Therefore, when executing strategy, it is important that you recognize and understand the sources of power and influence within the organization. The following 3 actions will assist you in navigating the minefields of power and influence in the execution of strategy:
1. Define the power bases and relationships in the organization Whereas the 3 actions described above will assist you in executing strategy, you need to bear in mind the downside to power and influence of which there are two: 1. People in power tend to want to stay there, and 2. Power is slow to change. If you want to change the power structures that exist within the organization or more specifically your department, then you need to focus on and change the conditions that bestow power: Ultimately, the challenge for management is to ensure that power and influence furthers the achievement of organizational or department goals and the execution of strategy. ian
Map out the key dependency relationships affecting power or social influence within the organization. Who are the main players that affect what you do in your job (i.e., what departments do your department depend on for knowledge, data, technical support, etc), and conversely, which departments or SBUs depend on your department?
2. Form coalitions with those in power
It is important that you get power people in your corner in order to reduce resistance to your strategy or plan. The larger the power base that you create, the less likely that you will be ignored.
3. Focus on value-added, measurable results so as to gain influence and ensure that you achieve successful execution outcomes
Results do count. Individuals that create value obtain power. Therefore, when putting forward a strategy or plan, focus on the benefits that will accrue as a result of executing your plan. Measurable outcomes are important since hard measures are what people can see clearly and understand fully. To that end, try and express a problem in a way that people can identify with by providing data on the cost of the problem (i.e., the real hard numbers); then position your plan as the way to solve the problem. Finally, having a history of successful execution and positive results will increase your power and influence.
I saw first hand the use of power and influence when working for a global food company. One of the Directors of the company had used his power and influence to push hard for expansion into Asia, particularly into Indonesia. Because of his power and influence, he was able to secure the resources for expansion. However, 2 years later, the Director retired and his replacement lacked the power and influence of his predecessor. As a result, resources that were once readily available dried up and further expansion into the territory was halted.
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