Many safety professionals struggle to get leadership support and commitment to health and safety programs because they lack time, have conflicting demands, and won’t even know half of our acronyms! Furthermore, despite the argument that our job is solely focused on what is best for people, the truth is that people and businesses are interdependent; one cannot survive without the other. As a result, our leadership teams must consider other aspects when making decisions.
In my Expo lecture, I’ll discuss power kinds and how to interact with them. French & Raven first distinguished five power types in 1959; a sixth, informational, was subsequently added. Since Google will give you a wealth of reading material on this topic, I won’t go into detail on each variety here. However, I can argue that you may adjust your communication style to (hopefully) get the decisions you desire by knowing the power types of your leadership. This can also be a helpful activity for self-reflection on how you manage and collaborate with your teams. Naturally, people can possess multiple kinds of power.
Here are some strategies for communicating with each:
1. Reward Power
- Tactics: Highlight the benefits and rewards of compliance or achieving goals. Use positive reinforcement and acknowledge achievements.
- Example: Focus on the incentives and express appreciation for their support and contributions. You could work with the senior manager to introduce an incentive scheme, e.g. for employees to make suggestions on improvements, rewarding the best suggestions and encouraging certain behaviors.
2. Coercive Power
- Tactics: Being aware of someone with coercive power will influence how you present your case – ‘because it’s the right thing to do’ will not win the day. Use clear and direct communication. Emphasize the consequences of actions and ensure that rules and expectations are well understood.
- Example: Outline the repercussions of not doing something. You could look at regulations to support your case, for example, employers must carry out – and act upon – a risk assessment. Therefore, if your risk assessment is robust, then it should follow that the controls must be implemented to ensure you are working to the law and less likely to be subject to an intervention (which can be costly).
3. Legitimate Power
- Tactics: Show respect for their position and authority. Use formal language and follow established protocols.
- Example: When addressing a senior executive, act or dress more formally, and adhere to organizational procedures to show respect for their legitimate power.
4. Referent Power
- Tactics: Build rapport and establish a personal connection. Use persuasive communication and appeal to their values and ideals.
- Example: When engaging with a charismatic leader, share stories and examples that align with their vision and values to build a strong connection.
5. Expert Power
- Tactics: Acknowledge their expertise and seek their advice. Use data and evidence to support your points and show that you value their knowledge.
- Example: When discussing a project, present well-researched information and ask for their input to demonstrate respect for their expertise.
6. Informational Power
- Tactics: Be transparent and share relevant information. Use logical arguments and provide detailed explanations.
- Example: Provide comprehensive data and clear reasoning to support your case. If you don’t have it internally yet, look at external data: although a couple of years old now, the Deloitte paper on mental health is a great example of demonstrating ROI for mental investment (£5.30 for every £1 spent) if you wanted to help make a case for such initiatives.
At the Safety & Health Expo, I’ll explore power types and other tactics in greater detail. Audience questions are encouraged – I want you to leave with inspiration and practical ideas to positively influence your organization’s leaders.
“Speaking the Right Language” will take place at 2.45 pm on Monday 2 December at the SHP Operational Excellence Stage at the Safety & Health Expo.
Register for your free ticket to join NEBOSH and Dee there: https://www.anticipate-event.com/london/en/attend/attend/tickets.html?utm_source=partner&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=eme24ant-pf-nebosh&utm_content=whats-is-anticipate-article
