Page 115 - DMGT519_Conflict Management and Negotiation Skills

Unit 5: Role of Power in Negotiation

5.2 Power of Motivation Notes

The most desirable source power is of the person whose morality, ethics and sincerity are
transparent and obvious. He develops immense power precisely due to these characteristics.

If power is about influencing the behaviour of others, the motivation for power must be the
desire to make an impact by influencing the behaviour of others. Studies on motivation show
that there are three kinds of power motivations:
1. Personalized Power: The motivation here is that of personal gain and aggrandizement.
2. Socialised Power: Here the power is used as an instrument for the common good, on
behalf of the whole organization, many times for almost altruistic purpose.
3. Achievement or Affiliative Orientation: Here the individual has the motive to be liked by
all; he wants to be popular. Affiliative needs are not power needs but sometimes are so
dominant that they affect the way in which the individual uses power.
Many contemporary power discussions are still grounded in this typology (and Raven has
elaborated the typology several times since it was proposed over 45 years ago). We will take a
broader perspective on power as it relates to negotiation and aggregate the major sources of
power into five different groupings.
1. Informational sources of power
2. Personal sources of power
3. Power based on position in an organization

4. Relationship-based sources of power
5. Contextual sources of power
As we will regularly note, these categories are not rigid or absolute. Power can be created in
many different ways in many different contexts, and a source of leverage can shift from one
category to another over time. As we elaborate on these approaches, we will also indicate how
the French and Raven model has been revised and updated.
Table 5.1: Major Source of Power

Source of Power Description
Informational  Information: The accumulation and presentation of
data intended to change the other person’s point of
view or position on an issue.
 Expertise: An acknowledged accumulation of
information, or mastery of a body of information, on a
particular problem or issue.
 Expertise power can be positive (we believe the other
because of their acknowledged expertise) or negative
(we so distrust the other that their claimed expertise
leads us to pursue a course of action opposite to the
one they advocate).
Personality and Power derived from differences in
individual differences  Psychological orientation (broad orientations to power
use).
 Cognitive orientation (ideologies about power).
 Motivational orientation (specific motives to use power).
 Dispositions and skills (orientations to
cooperation/competition).
 Moral orientation (philosophical orientations to power
use).
Position-based power Power derived from being located in a particular position in an Contd....
organizational or communication structure leads to several
different kinds of leverage:
 Legitimate power, or formal authority, derived from
occupying a key position in a hierarchical organization. 109
LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY
However, legitimate power can also influence social
norms, such as
Reciprocity, or the expected exchange of favours.
Equity, or the expected return when one has gone out
of one’s way for the other.
Dependence, or the expected obligation one owes to
others who cannot help themselves.
 Resource control, or the accumulation of money, raw
material, labour, time and equipment that can be used
as incentives to encourage compliance or as
punishments for non-compliance.
 Reward power, the use of tangible rewards or
personal approval to gain the other’s compliance.
 Punishment power, the use of tangible
punishments or withholding of personal approval to
gain the other’s compliance.
Relationship-based  Goal interdependence – how the parties view their
power goals referent power – based on an appeal to the other,
on common experiences, group membership, status,
etc. Referent power can also be positive (we believe the
other because we respect them) or negative (we so
disrespect the other that we pursue a course of action
opposite to the one they advocate).
 Access to or control over information. Resources supply
flows, or access, derived from location within flows in
network.
Contextual power Power derived from the context in which negotiations take place.
Common sources of contextual power include
 Availability of BATNAs.