An anecdotal picture of two young fishes unaware of their environment ("what is water?") typifies what is not such an uncommon outcome; we usually end up making a costly wrong decision because of an inability to scan the situation we are in and gather more information.
Power is, in fact, a multidimensional and complex discipline that one might not think of in the beginning. And yes. Power can be exercised in those multi-dimensions using the various influence tactics (pathos, logos, ethos, might, agency, etc.). The organizational processes of the use of influence and power within an organization is usually an overlooked framework model that if explored could facilitate smart-decision making based on organization's business processes. For example, the Allison's models can help us understand the way of exercising influence. One particular theme that inspired me was the importance of trust and relationship, as illustrated in an HBR case. It was illuminating to see that employee selling his idea by framing in a way to get the boss' attention.
Another classic HBR case talks about how one should be flexible and multifaceted, i.e., what to prioritize first, what will work, and how to reap the investments of relationships. It gives us an example of how important is to be flexible, prioritize the actions needed to get things done and be careful in balancing these activities to gain the others' cooperation. The main takeaway from the case was the importance of flexibility, intentionality, and relationships. It also demonstrated how an ethical conflict in the decision making was resolved by using the approach of "comfortably weighing lesser evils." The framework that underlies most of the work in power and influence is French and Raven (the bases of social power):
- Reward power
- Coercive power
- Expert power
- Referent power
- Legitimate power