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Duration
2 weeksWeekly study
10 hours
Power and Influence in the Workplace
Understand whether power and leadership are co-dependent or independent
This course will introduce you to the key differences and similarities between power and influence and its effect upon leadership, employee and organisational performance.
You will be introduced to key theories that explain the concept of power, whether designated or socially constructed, and assess its effect on leadership behaviours.
The course will guide you towards evaluating the cost on performance of the misuse of power and influence at an individual and organisational level.
What topics will you cover?
- Understand key theories of power and influence
- Recognise that power is dynamic; designated, acquired or socially constructed and easily lost
- Summarise the effect of influence and resistance within organisational settings
- Understand the effects of power and influence on individual, team and organisational performance
- Evaluate the effect of perceptions of power on behaviour
- Analyse the effect of the misuse of power on performance
Learning on this course
On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.
What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...
- Describe similarities and differences between power, authority and influence
- Evaluate key theories that attempt to explain power and influence strategies within organisational contexts
- Assess positive and negative outcomes of power influence and coercion in the workplace
- Summarise the relationship between influence and organisational commitment, compliance and resistance
- Explain if power is necessary for effective leadship
- Evaluate subjective and objective measurements of power leadership and their effects
Who is the course for?
This course is for people seeking a better understanding of leadership, power and influence in an organisational context who want to understand how it effects ourselves, others and organisational performance.
Please note that the staff described in the ‘Who will you learn with?’ section below may be subject to change.
Who will you learn with?
A former police officer, academia came late in life. These days, practice, teaching and research combine occupational and forensic psychology, with masters degrees and doctorates in both subjects.
Assistant Professor in Business and Organisational Psychology at Coventry University,
Dr Anne Turner - PhD, FHEA, CPsychol, BSc (Hons)
Research Interests Inc: Enclothed Cognition, remote e-workers
Learning on FutureLearn
Your learning, your rules
- Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
- Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
- Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores
Join a global classroom
- Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
- Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
- Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others
Map your progress
- As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
- Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
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