In: Operations Management
What is the difference between power, influence, and influence tactics? What is the relationship between the three concepts in terms of leadership?
Definitions:
Power: The capacity to produce effects on others or the potential to influence others (and it is a function of leader, follower, and situation).
Influence: Change in a target’s attitudes, values, beliefs, or behaviors due to influence tactics.
Influence tactics: One person’s actual behavior designed to change another person’s attitudes, beliefs, values, or behavior (followers can also wield influence).
Power has been defined as the capacity to produce effects on others or the potential to influence others. Influence can be defined as the change in a target agent's attitudes, values, beliefs or behaviors as a result of influence tactics. Influence tactics refer to one person's actual behaviors designed to change another person's attitudes, beliefs, values or behaviors
Power and influence both are needed to help define leaderships. Leaders need the power to help them show what leaders can do in companies. They have the skills and the knowledge to keep parts moving. Leaders do not need titles, or charts, they are about influencing others. Influence is defined as “the capacity or power of persons or things to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of others. ” Overall, influence cooperates with the power to make the best of leadership
Influence and power are intertwined because people who exert power over other individuals influence them to pursue a collective goal. People in organizations or social settings mostly act whenever they are influenced by an authority figure to perform certain functions. Influence is attainable even with little power but not vice-versa. Therefore, a person can be highly influential through power in order to produce results-driven changes