Power and Influence 1

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‘Influence’ is the process by which one person follows another’s advice, suggestion, or order. ‘Power’ is a personal or positional attribute, which is the base of an influencer’s influence 3

Power and Influence Power and Influence are among the most important factors involved in Human Resource Management. These factors determine the framework within which the Project Manager works to influence his or her Project Team and other Human Resources. 4

Seven Power Sources of a Project Manager Legitimate Power / Formal Coercive Power Reward Power Expert Power (Technical) Referent Power / Charismatic Purse Strings Bureaucratic 5

Characteristics of Power Modified strength of legitimate & othersOrganizational Climate ExpertKnowledge and Experience ExpertReputation Reward, Legitimate, ReferentPosition in organizational hierarchy Reward, Referent, LegitimateDegree of Control Base of PowerCharacteristics Characteristics of Power 6

Of the available sources of power, those most often used by Project Managers are: Reward Technical Expertise Bureaucratic 7

Organization vs. Authority OrganizationAuthority FunctionalNone to Low Project ExpediterLow Project CoordinatorLow Weak MatrixLow to Medium Balanced MatrixMedium Strong MatrixMedium to High ProjectizedHigh 8

Some Do’s And Don’ts Relative to the Use of Power: Reward and Expert Power are the most successful forms of power to use for creating a favorable climate and influencing behavior on a project team. The Project Manager should use Legitimate Power in conjunction with Expert And Reward Power whenever possible. If possible, the Project Manager should avoid using Coercive Power. 9

There are three main methods of personal influence in a formal organization: – Authority – Persuasion – Control Influence and the Project Manager 10

Influence and the Project Manager To use the Authority Method, the Project Manager must have Formal or Legitimate Power 11

Influence and the Project Manager In order for a Project Manager to use the Persuasion Method, he or she must possess Expert Or Referent Power 12

Influence and the Project Manager The Project Manager who wants to use the Control Method needs to have Coercive or Reward Power 13