Power

Power Plot Summary

Introduction

Power permeates every aspect of organizational life, yet many people fail to recognize its importance or actively avoid engaging with it. This reluctance stems from the misconception that power necessarily corrupts or that seeking it reveals character flaws. However, power is neither inherently good nor bad—it is simply a tool that enables individuals to accomplish their goals, whether personal or organizational. Understanding how to acquire and wield influence effectively is crucial for anyone navigating complex organizational environments. The strategies for building power are based on systematic research rather than anecdotal evidence. While many leadership books offer sanitized versions of success stories, the reality is that performance alone rarely determines who rises to positions of influence. Instead, power often flows to those who understand organizational dynamics, cultivate strategic relationships, and position themselves advantageously. By examining the attributes of powerful individuals, the structural factors that enable influence, and the tactical approaches that prove effective across various contexts, we can develop a comprehensive framework for navigating power dynamics in any organizational setting.

Chapter 1: Performance Alone Is Not Enough: The Political Reality of Organizations

Job performance has a surprisingly weak connection to career advancement and power acquisition. Studies consistently show that outstanding work, while important, explains relatively little of the variation in who gets ahead. For instance, research on performance evaluations reveals that supervisors' prior relationships with employees affect ratings more than objective measures of accomplishment. Similarly, studies of promotions in organizations demonstrate that factors such as educational credentials, organizational tenure, and political connections often outweigh actual job performance. The disconnect between performance and advancement creates situations where exceptional employees may find themselves trapped in their current roles precisely because they excel in them. Managers become reluctant to lose high performers to other positions or departments, effectively penalizing them for their competence. Conversely, individuals who understand the political landscape can progress rapidly despite merely adequate job performance if they cultivate the right relationships and visibility. This reality means that getting noticed by those in power is crucial. Many capable individuals remain invisible because they fail to ensure their accomplishments are recognized. The phenomenon known as the "mere exposure effect" explains why familiarity breeds preference—people tend to favor what they remember, making visibility essential for advancement. Standing out, being memorable, and making positive impressions on influential decision-makers creates opportunities that might otherwise go to others. Another critical aspect of organizational success involves defining the dimensions of performance that matter. No one excels on all possible metrics, so highlighting the areas where you perform well while downplaying others can shape how your contributions are evaluated. This requires understanding what your superiors value and aligning your work accordingly. For example, a manager might emphasize cost savings to one audience while highlighting innovation to another, depending on what each values most. Perhaps most importantly, making those in power feel better about themselves significantly influences advancement opportunities. People naturally gravitate toward individuals who enhance their self-esteem and affirm their competence. Effective flattery, genuine appreciation, and highlighting how your work supports others' success creates goodwill that translates into tangible benefits. Even when it feels uncomfortable, acknowledging others' contributions and making them look good establishes a foundation for your own progress.

Chapter 2: Personal Qualities That Build Power: Will and Skill Components

Building influence requires developing specific personal qualities that fall into two fundamental dimensions: will and skill. Will encompasses the internal drive and determination that push individuals to seek power despite obstacles, while skill involves the capabilities needed to convert ambition into actual influence. Both dimensions can be cultivated through conscious effort and practice. Ambition forms the cornerstone of will, providing the motivation to overcome inevitable setbacks on the path to power. Historical figures like Abraham Lincoln demonstrated remarkable persistence through early political failures, never abandoning their aspirations despite discouragement. Similarly, business leaders who achieve significant influence typically possess unquenchable ambition that helps them endure frustrations and setbacks. This quality manifests as a relentless focus on long-term goals rather than short-term irritations, allowing individuals to maintain their trajectory toward influence. Energy complements ambition by providing the capacity for sustained effort. Powerful people consistently demonstrate exceptional stamina, often working longer hours and maintaining higher intensity than their peers. This energy serves multiple purposes: it enables accomplishing more work in less time, signals commitment that inspires similar effort from others, and demonstrates dedication that impresses superiors. Physical energy and mental focus combine to create the endurance necessary for navigating complex political environments while still delivering results. Focus represents the third component of will, directing energy toward specific domains rather than dispersing effort across too many activities. Like sunlight concentrated through a magnifying glass, focused attention generates greater impact. Individuals who specialize in particular industries, organizations, or functions develop deeper expertise and stronger networks than generalists who frequently change direction. This concentrated effort accelerates learning and relationship-building, creating a foundation for influence in chosen domains. On the skill dimension, self-knowledge provides the basis for strategic development. Successful individuals engage in structured reflection about their interactions, noting what works and what doesn't. This deliberate analysis helps identify patterns and refine approaches, creating a virtuous cycle of improvement. Regular self-assessment allows individuals to recognize their strengths and weaknesses objectively, enabling targeted development rather than random efforts. Confidence serves as another crucial skill component, affecting how others perceive and respond to attempts at influence. People instinctively look for cues about others' status and capability, with confident behavior signaling competence. Even in situations of uncertainty, projecting assurance creates a positive impression that encourages cooperation. This doesn't require natural self-assurance—confidence can be developed through preparation and practice until it becomes genuine. The capacity to understand others' perspectives completes the skill set needed for power. Empathy enables identifying what matters to various stakeholders and framing proposals accordingly. This ability to see situations through others' eyes facilitates creating win-win scenarios and building coalitions necessary for implementing changes. Rather than diverting focus from personal objectives, empathy provides the insights needed to align others' interests with your own, creating mutual benefit that builds sustainable influence.

Chapter 3: Strategic Positioning: Where to Start and How to Stand Out

The organizational location where you begin your career significantly impacts your path to power. Research consistently shows that starting in more influential departments accelerates advancement, with employees in powerful units receiving better compensation and moving up more quickly than equally talented individuals elsewhere. These effects persist over time, as initial advantages compound through greater visibility and access to senior decision-makers. Surprisingly, the most obvious routes to power aren't always the most effective. Many people gravitate toward an organization's core activities—the departments currently recognized as most critical to success. While logical, this approach places you in direct competition with the most talented individuals in the organization, all vying for limited advancement opportunities. A more strategic approach involves identifying emerging areas of importance where competition is less intense but future influence potential is high. Consider the example of a finance professional who joined a technology company with no engineering background. Rather than attempting to compete directly with technical experts, he created a role analyzing strategic decisions that gave him visibility with senior leadership. As the company grew, financial analysis and strategic planning became increasingly important, elevating his influence despite his lack of technical credentials. His positioning provided access to key information and relationships that ultimately proved more valuable than specialized expertise. Diagnosing departmental power requires examining multiple indicators. Relative compensation levels often reveal the organization's true priorities, with higher salaries signaling greater importance regardless of official rhetoric. Physical location provides another clue, as proximity to senior leadership correlates with influence. The backgrounds of those in leadership positions also indicate which departments serve as pathways to power, as organizations typically promote from their most valued functions. The critical factor in departmental power is typically control over resources that address the organization's most pressing challenges. As competitive pressures evolve, so do the departments holding the greatest influence. During periods of rapid growth, sales and marketing might dominate; during financial crisis, accounting and finance gain influence; when innovation becomes crucial, research and development rises in importance. Anticipating these shifts allows positioning yourself in functions that will become increasingly critical. Standing out within your chosen domain requires strategic differentiation. Rather than blending in, successful individuals find appropriate ways to distinguish themselves through exceptional performance, innovative approaches, or unique perspectives. This distinctiveness makes them memorable when opportunities arise. Contrary to conventional wisdom suggesting conformity as the safest approach, research shows that underdogs succeed precisely by breaking established patterns and creating new rules.

Chapter 4: Creating Resources and Networks: Building Your Power Base

Power fundamentally derives from controlling valuable resources that others need. In organizational contexts, these resources include budgets, headcount, information, expertise, and relationships. Individuals with resource control gain influence because others must engage with them to accomplish their goals. This creates a virtuous cycle where initial resource control leads to greater influence, which in turn enables acquiring additional resources. What's less obvious is that resources can be created almost from nothing through initiative and creativity. When starting from a position with little formal authority, look for small but important tasks that others avoid. These overlooked responsibilities often provide disproportionate leverage because they affect issues others care about. For example, organizing meetings between senior leaders and new employees, creating communication channels across departments, or gathering information about market trends can position you as an invaluable connector while building relationships throughout the organization. Attention and support represent universal resources anyone can provide. People appreciate being listened to and having their ideas taken seriously. By showing genuine interest in others' perspectives and priorities, you create goodwill that translates into reciprocal support. This approach works especially well with those who feel marginalized or overlooked within the organization, as they often respond positively to inclusion and respect rarely offered by others. Building external relationships creates another valuable resource pool. Professional associations, community organizations, and industry groups provide opportunities to connect with individuals outside your immediate environment. These connections yield information, expertise, and perspectives unavailable internally. Additionally, being seen as someone who can access external resources enhances your value to the organization, particularly when these resources address important challenges. Association with prestigious institutions constitutes a special form of resource. Affiliation with recognized organizations transfers some of their status to you, creating opportunities that might otherwise remain closed. Leveraging such connections allows arranging introductions, organizing events featuring prominent individuals, or creating forums where valuable exchanges occur. Through these activities, you position yourself at the center of important interactions while controlling access to valuable relationships. Networks function as perhaps the most enduring resource because they persist across role changes and organizational boundaries. Effective networking involves building and maintaining diverse connections rather than focusing exclusively on immediate colleagues. Research demonstrates that "weak ties"—relationships with individuals outside your immediate circle—often prove more valuable than close connections because they provide access to different information and opportunities. Strategic networking includes mapping organizational influence patterns to identify where relationship-building efforts will yield the greatest returns.

Chapter 5: Communication and Reputation: Speaking and Acting with Power

How you communicate and present yourself significantly impacts your ability to acquire and maintain power. People form impressions within milliseconds of an encounter, and these impressions prove remarkably durable. Understanding the principles of effective self-presentation allows conveying authority and confidence even before formal power has been established. Acting with power requires projecting confidence even when feeling uncertain. Research shows that adopting confident postures and speaking patterns actually changes internal states, reducing anxiety while increasing assertiveness. This becomes a self-reinforcing cycle as others respond positively to confident behavior, which further enhances self-assurance. The key insight is that acting precedes feeling—by consistently behaving as if you belong in positions of influence, you gradually internalize that identity. Body language communicates volumes about status and authority. Maintaining an expansive posture with shoulders back and chest forward signals confidence, while contracted postures suggest submission. Making deliberate movements, establishing appropriate eye contact, and occupying physical space strategically all contribute to perceptions of power. Even small adjustments in how you enter rooms, position yourself during meetings, or interact with others can significantly affect how your contributions are received. Speaking with power involves specific linguistic techniques that enhance persuasiveness. Using concise, declarative sentences communicates certainty, while tentative language undermines credibility. Creating a sense of shared identity through inclusive language ("we" rather than "I") builds connection with listeners. Strategic pauses add emphasis to important points, and organizing information in triads (three key points) creates a sense of completeness and memorability. Emotion management represents another crucial aspect of communication. Research demonstrates that displaying anger strategically can enhance status perceptions, as anger signals dominance and confidence. Conversely, expressing sadness or uncertainty typically diminishes perceived competence. This doesn't mean becoming aggressive—rather, it suggests channeling emotional energy appropriately when defending important positions or addressing significant issues. Reputation extends beyond immediate interactions to shape how others perceive you even in your absence. Building a positive reputation requires consistency between your actions and your intended image, strategic visibility that highlights your strengths, and third-party validation that overcomes the self-promotion dilemma. Having others speak about your capabilities proves more effective than touting them yourself, as external praise avoids appearing arrogant while still establishing credibility. Physical settings and contextual factors also influence communication effectiveness. Meeting in spaces you control, managing environmental cues like seating arrangements, and controlling timing all affect how messages are received. These seemingly minor factors create subtle power dynamics that can significantly impact outcomes. Being attentive to these contextual elements allows engineering situations that maximize your influence.

Chapter 6: Overcoming Opposition and Setbacks

Even the most carefully designed path to power inevitably encounters opposition and setbacks. How individuals respond to these challenges often determines whether they ultimately succeed or fail. Effective leaders develop strategies for overcoming resistance while maintaining focus on their core objectives. Conflict avoidance represents a common mistake when facing opposition. Many people prefer harmonious relationships and try to sidestep disagreements rather than addressing them directly. However, conflicts typically intensify when ignored and become more difficult to resolve. A more effective approach involves engaging with opposition early while providing face-saving options for adversaries. This might involve incorporating elements of others' ideas, acknowledging legitimate concerns, or finding ways for opponents to support modified proposals without appearing to capitulate. Maintaining perspective about what truly matters prevents becoming distracted by peripheral battles. When facing opposition, ask what victory would actually entail and focus exclusively on the elements essential to your core objectives. Engaging in every possible conflict disperses energy and creates unnecessary enemies. Strategic leaders differentiate between fundamental issues requiring firm stands and secondary matters where compromise preserves relationships without sacrificing critical goals. Depersonalizing conflicts significantly enhances effectiveness in overcoming opposition. When others resist your initiatives, their opposition typically stems from perceived threats to their interests rather than personal animosity. Understanding their perspective allows addressing underlying concerns rather than responding emotionally to surface behaviors. This approach transforms potential adversaries into allies by demonstrating how your proposals actually advance their objectives when properly understood. Persistence represents perhaps the most powerful strategy for overcoming opposition. Many initiatives fail not because they're fundamentally flawed but because their champions abandon them prematurely. Opposition often derives from inertia rather than principled objection, with resistance diminishing as ideas become familiar. By maintaining consistent pressure over time, you can gradually erode resistance while demonstrating commitment that earns respect even from initial opponents. Advancing on multiple fronts creates additional avenues for progress when facing blockages. When direct approaches meet resistance, indirect methods often prove successful. This might involve building external support that creates pressure for internal change, developing pilot projects that demonstrate value before full implementation, or finding alternative sponsors when initial champions withdraw. The key insight is avoiding dependence on single pathways that can be completely obstructed by determined opposition. Setbacks require particularly thoughtful responses that distinguish temporary reversals from permanent defeats. After experiencing failures, many people withdraw from visibility due to embarrassment or damaged confidence. This natural reaction proves counterproductive, as it reinforces negative perceptions while eliminating opportunities for redemption. A more effective approach involves continuing engagement, explicitly addressing what happened while emphasizing lessons learned and future directions. This demonstrates resilience that actually enhances long-term credibility despite short-term setbacks.

Chapter 7: Power Dynamics: Organizational Realities and Personal Strategies

Power dynamics permeate all organizations regardless of their formal structures or stated values. Hierarchy emerges spontaneously even in groups explicitly designed to be egalitarian, as status differentiation appears to be a fundamental aspect of human social organization. Rather than pretending these dynamics don't exist or wishing they would disappear, effective individuals develop strategies for navigating them successfully. Organizations often present themselves as meritocracies where performance determines advancement, but reality proves more complex. Research consistently shows that political skills and strategic positioning influence career trajectories more than objective accomplishments. This doesn't mean performance is irrelevant—rather, it indicates that results must be complemented by relationship management and strategic self-presentation to translate into advancement opportunities. The employment relationship has fundamentally changed in recent decades, with organizations demonstrating decreasing loyalty to employees regardless of performance. Mass layoffs during profitable periods, benefit reductions, and the elimination of career security have shifted risk from institutions to individuals. This changed environment makes political skill and power acquisition even more important for professional survival, as organizational protection has largely disappeared. This reality creates ethical tensions for many individuals who view political behavior as manipulative or inauthentic. However, influence skills prove essential for accomplishing worthy objectives in complex organizations where responsibility frequently exceeds formal authority. Without the ability to build coalitions, overcome resistance, and secure resources, even the most noble initiatives remain unimplemented. Seen from this perspective, developing power becomes not just self-serving but necessary for creating positive organizational impact. Hierarchical decision-making presents its own problems despite apparent efficiency. Concentrating authority in few hands limits the diversity of perspectives considered and increases vulnerability to individual biases. Political processes, while sometimes appearing messy and inefficient, often produce better outcomes by incorporating multiple viewpoints and creating necessary checks and balances. The wisdom of crowds frequently outperforms individual judgment, particularly for complex decisions with multiple dimensions. Personal strategies for navigating organizational realities start with accurate perception. Understanding power distributions, recognizing unstated priorities, and identifying informal influence networks enables operating effectively within existing systems. This doesn't require cynicism—rather, it involves pragmatic assessment of how decisions actually occur rather than how they should theoretically be made. Taking responsibility for your own career path represents the most fundamental strategy for navigating power dynamics. Organizations make decisions based on institutional priorities that may not align with your personal interests. By developing power, you create options that reduce dependence on any single organization while enhancing your ability to shape decisions that affect your work life. This approach recognizes that while power dynamics can't be eliminated, they can be mastered.

Summary

Power represents neither an inherently corrupt force nor an optional skill—it constitutes a fundamental dimension of organizational life that determines who succeeds and who fails regardless of performance or potential. The strategies for acquiring and wielding influence follow consistent patterns that can be learned and applied across diverse contexts. By understanding these principles and developing the associated skills, individuals can significantly enhance their ability to accomplish objectives, navigate challenges, and create positive impact. The most successful power strategies combine complementary approaches rather than relying on single techniques. Positioning yourself in promising organizational locations, developing resource control, building effective networks, communicating with authority, and responding strategically to opposition collectively create momentum that becomes self-reinforcing. Each element strengthens the others, creating a virtuous cycle where initial influence facilitates acquiring additional power. This integrated approach proves far more effective than exceptional performance alone, which rarely translates directly into advancement without supporting political skills.

About Author

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Jeffrey Pfeffer

Jeffrey Pfeffer is the Thomas D. Dee II Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University where he has taught since 1979. He is the author or co-author of thirteen books including The Human Equation: Building Profits by Putting People First; Managing with Power; The Knowing-Doing Gap: How Smart Companies Turn Knowledge Into Action; Hidden Value: How Great Companies Achieve Extraordinary Results with Ordinary People; Hard Facts, Dangerous Half-Truths, and Total Nonsense: Profiting from Evidence-Based Management; and What Were They Thinking? Unconventional Wisdom About Management, as well as more than 150 articles and book chapters. Pfeffer’s latest book, entitled Power: Why Some People Have It—And Others Don’t was published in 2010 by Harper Business.Dr. Pfeffer received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from Carnegie-Mellon University and his Ph.D. from Stanford. He began his career at the business school at the University of Illinois and then taught at the University of California, Berkeley. Pfeffer has been a visiting professor at the Harvard Business School, Singapore Management University, London Business School, Copenhagen Business School, and for the past 8 years a visitor at IESE in Barcelona.From 2003-2007, Pfeffer wrote a monthly column, “The Human Factor,” for the 600,000-person circulation business magazine, Business 2.0 and from 2007-2010, he wrote a monthly column providing career advice for Capital, a leading business and economics magazine in Turkey. Pfeffer also was a regular blogger for the Corner Office section of BNET (CBS Interactive), and currently writes for the Harvard Business Review website, Bloomberg Business Week online, Inc., and for the “On Leadership” section of The Washington Post. Pfeffer has appeared in segments on CBS Sunday Morning, 60 Minutes, and CNBC as well as television and radio programs in Korea and Japan and has been quoted and featured in news articles from countries around the globe.Pfeffer currently serves on the board of directors of the nonprofit Quantum Leap Healthcare. In the past he has served on the boards of Resumix, Unicru, and Workstream, all human capital software companies, Audible Magic, an internet company, SonoSite, a company designing and manufacturing portable ultrasound machines, and the San Francisco Playhouse, a non-profit theater. Pfeffer has presented seminars in 38 countries throughout the world as well as doing consulting and providing executive education for numerous companies, associations, and universities in the United States.Jeffrey Pfeffer has won the Richard I. Irwin Award presented by the Academy of Management for scholarly contributions to management and numerous awards for his articles and books. He is listed in the top 25 management thinkers by Thinkers 50, and as one of the Most Influential HR International Thinkers by HR Magazine. In November, 2011, he was presented with an honorary doctorate degree from Tilburg University in The Netherlands.

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