POWER IN THE WORKPLACE

"...boss, kape?"

Power in the workplace can be a tricky card to play.  Yes?  (no need to nod).  In the past years that I have been both a subject and handler of power, I have learned of three types that very often have the tendency to meet at hazy boundaries.  Knowing the difference is therefore vital in ensuring that we do not abuse it, or be abused with it, as the power game is often a very delicate and tricky game of pusoy.  

The first type, role power, is the authority that comes with your appointment or position.  This may be inherent in your designation or may be associated with a specific project, endeavor or activity.  Albeit role power is the most direct type of power, it is not always unilateral, meaning, someone of a lower position may in fact hold more power than you.  Take for example the boss who can't do a thing, not even boot up a delicate computer hardware (more so use an MSOffice application) without his secretary, or the administrative staff who knows about the confidential dealings of the company more than you do.  The next type is power of the experts.  This is very prevalent and can be easily observed in manning agencies.  Expert power stems from skills and experience.  This is the reason a 26-year old chief mate can hold higher responsibilities (and higher salary) compared to a 42-year old business graduate from La Salle, with more than twice seniority in the industry.  Holders of this power give results, and the manner they deliver results is often not imitable to a lot of people in the organization.  The last type is relationship power.  Simply put, this is the influence you exert over people based on your relationship with them.  Out of the three kinds of power, this is the easiest to use, and is therefore the easiest to abuse.  When you have relationship power, people will want to be doing things for you voluntarily, for reasons that are often clandestine.  You therefore easily end up being subjective and myopic about why you have this power to begin with, or what purpose you were using it for.

The game of power, particularly in the workplace, is a game that is old and elusive, yet to date, there is still no definitive guide to understanding its full dynamics.  

A piece of advice: paying attention to your role, expert and relationship power (or the lack of it) can determine whether you are the one saying or the one hearing "...boss, kape?"

Edu del Agua | 3 March 2011