4210- Power and Assertiveness
Presented by
Teri Pierce, MSN, RN
Nursing 401
Rev F10
Learning Objectives
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The learner will:
differentiate among different types of power.
understand the authority-power gap.
identify ways to empower employees.
understand the politics of power
identify and use appropriate strategies to
increase his or her personal power base
• learn assertiveness tips and techniques
Definitions
• Power – that which enables one to accomplish
goals.
• Authority – right to command, comes with
formal position in an organization
• Politics – art of using legitimate power wisely
• Empowerment –to enable, develop or allow
Types of Power
• Coercive – punishment – opposite of reward
• Reward – ability to grant favors or rewards
– Managers who do this tend to have loyal employees
• Expert – having knowledge, expertise or experience
– Because you know what to do, you get to make the
decisions
• Legitimate – power of the position
Types of Power
• Referent – power by association
– Other’s perception, people identify with what you symbolize.
Physicians are thought of to have power, just because they’re
doctors… We give our mentors power because we respect
them. Also includes charisma
• Informational – have information others need
• Credibility – objectively determined truthfulness, follow
through
– You’re reliable, one of the biggest ways leaders can influence
others. If you lose your credibility, you lose your power
• Self – power gained over one’s own life
– Gained thru reflection and maturity and thinking about what
you mean and who you are blah blah blah
Authority-Power Gap
• The more power the subordinate believes the
manager to have, the smaller the gap
• Small gap – effective, efficient unit
• Wide gap – organizational chaos
• Bridging the gap
– Employees need ot think you are doing a good job
as a manager and that you have their best interest
in line, they’re not being controlled by you.
– You’d rather under promise than over promise.
Empowering Employees
• Must have responsible employees
• Organization must be committed (to the
employees)
• Manager willing to help employees grow
• Eliminate barriers
– Queen bee syndrome
• Manager must role model
• Develop employee power bases
Building a Power Base
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Maintain life-work balance
Develop power attributes
Strive to make a contribution
Learn from others
Understand the organization
Increase knowledge and skills
Be visionary
Be flexible
Politics of Power
• Power, once gained, is not indefinite
• Read the environment- new employees
• Beware of the facts
– “Political Suicide” – lying to someone
• Be proactive
• Expand personal resources
– Keep options open
Politics of Power
• Develop political alliances
– Networking
• Be sensitive to timing
• Don’t forget the ‘little guy’
• Align your goals with the organization’s goals
– Present solutions, not just problems
Assertive Communication
• The ability to express positive and negative feelings in an
open and honest way that doesn’t infringe on other people’s
rights. Allows for constructive confrontation and mutual
problem resolution
• Advantages
– increases self esteem, can lead to mutual respect, reduces anxiety,
keeps us from being taken advantage of by other people
• Disadvantages
– Can have negative consequences (others don’t like what you’re
saying), causes conflict that has to be dealt with. Also, just
because you’re assertive doesn’t mean you always get what you
want.
• Characteristics of assertive communication
– ‘I’ statements
• Keeps focus on the problem, not on the person. Not a personal attack
Assertiveness Myths
• It is uncaring to be assertive
• If someone says ‘no’ to my request, they don’t
like or love me
• I shouldn’t have to say what I need – people
close to me should know
Assertive Statements
• 3 Parts
– Empathy-validation
• Try to say something that shows your understanding of the
other person’s feelings
– State the problem
• This piece describes your difficulty or dissatisfaction
– State what you want
• Specific request for a specific change in the other person’s
behavior
Assertiveness Tips
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Use assertive body language
Use “I” statements
Use facts, not judgments
Make clear, direct requests
Techniques for Difficult Situations
• Broken record
– Keep repeating what you said in a low, pleasant voice
• Fogging
– Way to deflect negative criticism and avoid a fight, agree with part of
the statement but retain your right to chose your behavior and continue
to support your argument
• Defusing
– If someone is very angry, you let them cool down before you talk about
the issue
• Content to Process Shift
– Stop talking about the problem, and bring up what the person is acting
like right now
• Assertive inquiry/stop action
– Similar to above, say wait a minute (stop the action) and then ask, Dr.
Jones, what is the real problem here?
• Summarization
– Summarizing what has been said
"The Power of ONE"
Video from You Tube
References
• Marquis, B.L., & Huston, C.J. (2009). Leadership roles
and management functions in nursing: Theory and
application (6th ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott,
Williams, & Wilkins.
• Google Images
• You Tube