Power Alone Isn’t Enough

Sunday, September 28, 2014

We’ve all known leaders that just can’t seem to pull it all together to achieve outcomes, while other leaders in similar positions appear to be able to ‘get things done’. While a lot of factors can account for the difference, one recent study suggests that it is perspective that counts. Just published in Social Psychological and Personality Science is research by Columbia Business School (Galinsky, Magee, Rus, Rothman, & Todd, 2014) showing that powerful people who see the world from someone else’s point of view produce better outcomes. For a press release about the research, read this link.

Car crash

The research uses the illustration of travelling to a destination in a car. You need two things to get to your destination – acceleration (power) and steering (perspective). If you exercise your power without perspective you are bound to crash. And equally so, if you rely only on your own point of view and fail to take into account other perspectives, then you are bound to crash also. Essentially, taking into account the perspective of others (referred to as perspective-taking) works as a directional corrective to ensure you stay on the right path.

There are three significant findings in the study:

  1. Power diminishes perspective-taking – once in positions of power, leaders have a tendency to rely too much on their own perspective, failing to take into account the perspectives of others;
  2. Perspective-taking alone is not enough – if you do not have power, then simply understanding the perspective of others is not enough to get things done;
  3. Power + Perspective-taking = Effective leaders – when a leader uses their power AND takes into account others perspectives, synergistic effects with superior outcomes result.

The authors found that in these situations better outcomes occurred because:

  1. Leaders handled situations better, and with greater respect and fairness; and
  2. Improved information-sharing with groups was facilitated, leading to them making better decisions.

In other words,

“…information sharing flows more effectively when people consider others’ vantage points and have the power to act. Power with perspective-taking allows people to reach their destinations without crashing into others along the way” (Galinsky et al., p. 633).

And honestly – none of us want to be crashed into.

The Avondale Business School can help you and your team develop leadership skills – find out how by contacting Warrick Long at the Avondale Business School.

E: [email protected]

P: 02 4980 2168

References:
Galinsky, A. D., Magee, J. C., Rus, D., Rothman, N. B., & Todd, A. R. (2014). Acceleration with steering: The synergistic benefits of combining power and perspective-taking. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 5(6), 627-635. doi: 10.1177/1948550613519685