Developing Personal Power in the Workplace Yields Benefits

Power is influence. Employee power in the workplace is related to the capacity or possession of something the employee has that can be of use or provide profit for themselves or the associated company. Power in the workplace can be leverage or need based. Increasing an individual's formal or personal power on the job can be accomplished in a number of ways (Robbins, 2007; Ryan, 2007).

Formal power is derived by achieving higher promotions in the organization, and with it, the ability to weld legitimate, coercive or reward power. While working towards these promotions and a potential increase in formal power, an employee can increase personal power by supplementing skills and personal characteristics. Personal referent powers can also be augmented by creating desirable traits that other business personnel find charismatic. Of the two bases for power in the workplace, it has been shown that personal power yields the most benefits (Azzarello, 2007; Gallo, 2007). Therefore, increasing your power base would be beneficial to your career in your company (Robbins, 2007).

Gallo (2007) writes about increasing employee power by thinking of yourself as a commodity. This article has suggestions for adjusting your body language to suit the situation. It is essential in the modern business world to never forget that you need to "sell yourself as a brand". Gallo says that by showing your workplace the expert and referent power value you can provide, you can be successful. (Gallo, 2007)

Azzarello (2007) writes that "leaving coworkers' perceptions of you to chance" is what puts you at risk of losing support where you work. It is necessary to develop positive behaviors and attitudes that will increase you clout in the workplace. This article makes the point that an individual needs to decide what you want to be known for at work and then take responsibility to make it happen. The control of others' perceptions is a necessary skill for obtaining power. He wants the reader to question themselves and points out that it is always in the individual's hands (Azzarello, 2007).

Reingold and Yang (2007) write that "the hidden workplace of collaborations, relationships, and networks" is a key to reward power in an organization. This parallel power structure is as important as the formal power structure gained from position. The article talks about referent power and says that "successful managers must understand this other systems of power" to succeed (Reingold, 2007).

So what does this all mean? These writers agree that personal power is considered a workplace essential and can be increased by the individual actively working on their techniques and skills. The goal is to create a level of personal power to favorably influence your co-workers and supervisors yielding the most returns for the effort (Azzarello, 2007; Gallo, 2007). An expansion of an individual's power base will yield career related results (Robbins, 2007).

References

Azzarello, P. (2007 August 30,). How to Build Your Credibility and Increase Your Political Power. Retrieved September 24, 2007, from CIO Web site: http://www.cio.com/article/134200/How_to_Build_Your_Credibility_and_Increase_Your_Political_Power/1.htm

Gallo, C. (2007 April 30,). Special report - Your Body, the Negotiator. Retrieved September 24, 2007, from Businessweek.com Web site: http://www.businessweek.com/careers/content/apr2007/ca20070430_088358.html

Reingold J. & and Yang J. (2007 July 18,) .The hidden Workplace. Retrieved on September 22, 2007 from Fortune cnnMoney.com web site http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2007/07/23/100135706/index.htm

Robbins, S. P. & Judge, T.A. (2007). Organizational Behavior. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.Ryan, L. (2007, May 29,). Excuse Me for Doing My Job. BusinessWeek.com, from http://www.businessweek.com/careers/content/may2007/ca20070529_216386.html