Let’s Find Your Power
(and Understand Influence)
Cynthia Dai, Industry Fellow, UC Berkeley CET;
CEO, Dainamic Consulting, Inc.
Introduction: Cynthia Dai
What is power?
• The ability to influence others to do your will
• Three possible responses:
–
–
–
Resistance
Compliance
Commitment
• Power distance is different in different cultures
• Power can corrupt!
Points of Power
Six principles of social influence
Cognitive dissonance drives us to be consistent.
Social Proof=peer pressure=conformity
Which line matches the standard?
Standard
A
B
C
The research subject doubts himself.
Test your iNfluence Quotient
1. Upon first entering the office of the manager of a company with
whom you would like to do business, you notice a diploma from
Kyushu University on the wall. You should:
a. Mention that you went to the same university prior to
discussing business.
b. Mention that you went to the same university after
discussing business.
c. Not mention this personal similarity in a business meeting.
d. Discuss the fact that you went to the same university only if
the client brings up the topic.
Test your iNfluence Quotient
2. Your company is launching a new product and you must make a
marketing decision: offering a sale price on the product for a
“limited-time” or offering a sale price for a “limited number” of
the product. Which approach do you recommend to get the
greatest interest from the public?
a. “limited-time”
b. “limited-number”
c. Either option will produce the same positive results
d. Neither option will produce positive results
Test your iNfluence Quotient
3. You are responsible for motivating your company’s sales force
to increase its annual performance. Which of the following
strategies would be the most effective?
a. Set a goal for each employee based on his or her prior
year’s performance and inform each of the goal.
b. Ask each employee to set a reasonable private goal for
themselves.
c. Ask each employee to publicly state a reasonable goal for
the year.
d. Ask each employee to set an unrealistically high personal
goal, and keep it private.
Test your iNfluence Quotient
4. Employees are quitting, so you organize an office retreat to
energize your employees. You want to give each a gift for
attending that will increase the employee’s commitment to the
company. Which strategy is likely to produce the best results?
a. Give them all the same, expensive gift with your company’s
name engraved on it.
b. Give them no gifts, but thank them for attending.
c. Give each employee a personalized gift that is meaningful,
even if it is not expensive.
d. Give gifts only to those employees who complete the
evaluation forms for the retreat.
Test your iNfluence Quotient
5. If you have a new piece of information, when should you
mention that it is new?
a. before you present the information
b. in the middle of the presentation of the information
c. after the presentation of the information
d. you should not mention that it is new information
Test your iNfluence Quotient
6. You are attempting to sell your services to a medium-sized
software company. They have never done business with you
before and are uncertain as to whether they should choose your
company as the service provider. You will increase your
persuasiveness the most by:
a.
b.
c.
d.
Providing them with a testimonial from NTT Docomo, who utilizes your
services currently.
Providing them with a master list of all of your clients.
Talking about other clients’ experiences with your company in general
ways, without providing any specific testimonials.
Providing them with several testimonials from other medium-sized
software companies who are your current clients.
Test your iNfluence Quotient
7. You have an important meeting with a potential client who is
impressed with your product, but is not in a hurry to buy. What
would give you the best chance of persuading the prospect to
buy your product in the shortest time?
a. Emphasize what the prospect will lose if he does not buy
your product at the present time.
b. Emphasize the positive features and benefits of your
product.
c. Ask the prospect to outline his objections to your product.
d. Begin with a request for a commitment and then try to close
the sale.
Test your iNfluence Quotient
8. You are attempting to persuade company management to
implement a costly plan. Because they are very concerned
about costs, you have developed two alternate plans that are
cheaper but less complete. When you present, which strategy
should you use to obtain the best results?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Describe the least expensive plan first.
Describe the mid-range plan first, and then ask them if they would like to
hear the alternate plans.
Describe the most expensive plan first, then the mid-range, and then the
least costly plan.
Ask them which plan they are most interested in and then describe that
plan only.
Why do we care about social influence?
• To learn how to influence others
– Leaders must get work done through others
– Team members meet to influence each other and make decisions
• To understand the effect of influence on us
– Affects our ability to “see facts” clearly, therefore to make sound decisions
– Be aware of when influence is valid, and when it is not
• Groups need “pure” information to avoid process loss
– Uninfluenced and uncensored
– First advocacy effect, but how can everyone go first?
– Impact of stereotypes and filters
Why study about power?
•
•
•
•
•
•
Understand your own power
You can work on strengthening your Points of Power
Understand that everyone has their own special powers
Power can be used to achieve great things, both good and evil
How will you use it?
How can you avoid becoming corrupt?