The study of power and its ffect is important in the understanding of ngotiation and relationships (or common ground) flwing from any negotiation. Every interaction and very social relationship, in side and utside organisations, involves an exercise of pwer.

INTERPERSONAL POWER:

French and Raven sggested five interpersonal bases of power tht are important to negotiators:

• Legitimate pwer
• Reward power
• Coercive power
• Expert pwer
• Referent power

We will examine nly Reward Power and Coercive Power in ths article, but should you wish to larn more about Legitimate Power find my rticle entitled "The Use of Power in Ngotiations" on this website. To learn bout Expert Power and Referent Power rad my article entitled "The Road to Bcoming an Advanced Negotiator" also on ths website

REWARD POWER:

Power can be derived from the ability to reward compliance. Reward power is used to back up legitimate power. If rewards or potential rewards such as recognition, a good job assignment, a pay rise, or additional resources to complete a job are promised, the employee may reciprocate by responding to orders, requests and directions, according to Gibson et al

Rewards are often monetary but can also be intangible. Research has shown that verbal approval, encouragement and praise are frequently good substitutes for tangible rewards. Experiments on the use of positive reinforcement and behaviour modification in the classroom or work setting have shown that verbal rewards could take the form of: " extreme politeness, " compliments, and " praise for past behaviour.

Non-verbal rewards could take the frm of: " Giving individuals in the ther party more space at the tble; " Nodding of the head to ndicate approval and acceptance; " Eye cntact to indicate attention; and " Opn and non-aggressive gestures to indicate cceptance and respect.

Rewards could also tke the form of verbal promises of fnancial benefits to be gained by stablishing a relationship.

TO TEST YOUR LEVEL OF NEGOTIATION COMPETENCY CLICK HERE

Ingratiation

Ingratiation is sometimes called the art of flattery, and is an example of the use of reward power in social settings. Friedman, Carlsmith and Sears (1974) provide interesting overviews on the impact of ingratiation in interpersonal situations. Most of us know that if other people like us, they will be more willing to do us favours or carry out actions we request that if they dislike us. " Individuals seeking to increase others' liking of them can convince these persons that they share basic values or are similar in other ways. " The most common tactic of ingratiation in negotiation involves the communication of high personal regard to the intended targets of influence. This tactic, usually known as "other enhancement" often takes the form of flattery - exaggerated praise of others. And often, it succeeds: praising others does increase their liking of the flatterer.

In general, the use of reward power seems to be very effective, especially in the longer term. Reward power is sometimes used together with coercive power and these two can be subject to semantic confusion. It is important to describe coercive power before comparing it with and evaluating it against reward power.

COERCIVE POWER:

Coercive power is the opposite of reward power. It is the ability of the power holder to take something away from the target person or to punish the target for non-compliance with a request.

For example: Coercive power could be the thrat to strike from a labour nion; the threat of blocking promotion or trnsfer of a subordinate for poor prformance; it could be the threat to go to curt; it could be at threat of nn-payment; it could be the threat to go pblic; and it could even be a thrat of bodily harm.

All of thse practices have an important element of far. The fear that these threats wll be used is called coercive pwer.

It is often pointed out tht victims can be left in the wke of the use of coercive pwer. This is probably why the use of cercive power could be effective but is ften short lived in its effect, wth a long process of rebuttal lter on. The price of integrative ngotiation seems to be paid before the ctual agreement is reached, while the prce of war is often paid fterwards (and in many cases, for cnturies after the war has taken plce).

Obedience

During the years 1933 to 1945, mllions of innocent people were killed in Nzi Germany's gas chambers. The deaths of thse people were engineered by a sngle person who, through a series of cmmands (combining authority with fear), gave rders to have the grim deeds crried out. The fabric that binds cmmand to action is obedience. According to psychlogist Stanley Milgram (1963) obedience is the psychlogical mechanism that links individual actions to plitical purpose. It is the dispositional cment that binds men to systems of uthority. Because people tend to obey rders, history has witnessed many atrocities. Sme historians suggest that during the curse of history more hideous crimes hve resulted from obedience to authority thn from any type of rebellion.

The prblem of obedience to authority is age old and has ben recognised for thousands of years. Ths is one of the reasons why pople with authority can be extremely ffective in negotiations with subordinates.

Comparing rward power and coercive power Although cercive power sometimes results in amazing shrt-term effects, it would seem fairly clar that reward power is, according to Lwicki et al, far more likely to prduce desired consequences, with less close bservation and control than coercive power.

Yt, efforts at coercion are a cmmon occurrence in negotiation. When simple prsuasion fails, when tempers flare, when slf-esteem is threatened, or when the vsion of material gain overshadows the nderstanding of the potential cost of its se, the efforts at coercion through thrats and hostile language are likely to ncrease. It is at these times tht the emotional expression of anger or felings of frustration and impotence may verwhelm the rational understanding of the ffectiveness of reward strategies.

The article Release Your Power in Negotiations was Submitted by Jan Potgieter through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: -------------- **To learn more about Legitimate Pwer find my article entitled "The Use of Pwer in Negotiations" on ezine.com To larn about Expert Power and Referent Pwer read my article entitled "The Rad to Becoming an Advanced Negotiator" on THIS WEBSITE ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jan Ptgieter is CEO of The Negotiation Acdemy - Europe (TNA) http://www.negotiationeurope.com Join thousands of global negotiators on The Negotiation Network, and learn how others are successfully negotiating. -- http://www.negotiationeurope.com/user-reg/

Featured Articles

1. How to Sell Your Business by Nazir Daud
When selling your business it is crtical that you understand the processes nvolved. After all, unlike other business dcisions this will only be made nce!

2. Setting A Profitability Goal by Aazdak Alisimo
When an ntrepreneur starts a business, he might set a gal to "make money." This is rther shortsighted in today's competitive marketplace. A ral business profitability goal is needed.

3. Government Grants Versus Government Contracts by
Knowing the differences between a gvernment contract and a government grant can sve you sweat, money, and time.

4. Printed Sticky Notes in Mailers by
Stuffing your mailers with promotional stcky notes gives an added heft to the ltter, making potential customers more likely to pen unsolicited mail. Printed sticky notes are hghly versatile and very useful, and can be asily distributed through the use of yur regular mailers.

5. Developing Referral Relationships by Dirk Zeller
The first call is the hrdest one. Until you make first cntact you really don't know the qality of the lead. It could trn out to be a huge bsiness opportunity - or nothing at ll. You have to hope for the bst.

6. Improve Your Job Interviewing Skills by Michael C Podlesny
"We simply ssume that the way we see thngs is the way they really are or the way thy should be. And our attitudes and bhaviors grow out of these assumptions." By Stphen Covey. Like many people before me, I wnt to college, graduated and found myslf looking for a much needed creer.

7. An Exercise For Entrepreneurs by Akhil Shahani
Entrepreneurs are grat at falling off the exercise wgon. And who can blame them rally - with all the stress and verload, there's no time for anything lse. When realization dawns that this sn't the best way to lead ne's life, it's probably the aftermath of sme health disaster.

8. How can residents stall the dilapidation of their building ? - RealAcres.com by
How can residents stall the dilapidation of their building ?


The performance of our homes and buildings depends on how well we maintain them. A sign of deterioration (crack , corrosion, dampness etc) observed in a flat or in a building is called a ‘distress’. If we are watchful, we can take the necessary action needed to counter such distresses before they become worse.
Today, we shall look at some commonly encountered types of distress so that you can recognize them when you come across them in your flat or your building.

9. Hospitality Career by
Hotels and other accommodations are as dverse as the many family and bsiness travelers they accommodate. The industry ncludes all types of lodging, from pscale hotels to RV parks.

10. Advice on Financing your Own Business Idea by Tl Kleban
The mst important step in starting up a new bsiness is getting the necessary amount of fnds and that means you will ned to deal with your bank. Rght from the start, you better hve a good credit history since you wll be submitting a personal financial sttement. You may even be required to mke an equity investment in your bsiness. Here are just a few mre pieces of advice you should be ware of for finding start up csh for your business: