PERSONAL POWER STRATEGIES: AN EXPERIENTIAL EXERCISES Developments in Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 14, 1987 100 PERSONAL POWER STRATEGIES: AN EXPERIENTIAL EXERCISES Philip Hunsaker and Johanna Hunsaker University of San Diego OBJECTIVES The objectives of this exercise are to (1) provide participants with feedback from their peers about the degree of influence they have relative to others in their group, (2) to become more aware of what influence strategies they prefer to use, (3) to get a better understanding of what strategies they utilize well and which they should try to improve, and (4) increase their awareness of how they react to situations requiring that they use power for personal gain. TIMING The timing of each step of the exercise is as follows: Task #1: 15-30 minutes. Task #2: 10-15 minutes. Task #3: 30 minutes. Task #4: 10 minutes. Task #5: 35-40 minutes. Class debriefing: 15-30 minutes. PREPARATION The instructor should review the French and Raven bases of power as well as other influence strategies. On the day of the exercise each participant should bring $1.00 to class and be prepared to risk it. Members who don’t want to “buy into” this learning experience can opt to be observers. This generally has not happened in our experience with the exercise. Make sure your have as many index cards (or better yet, “Hello” stickers) as you have participants. STUDENT INSTRUCTIONS Divide into groups of seven participants. Task 1 Discuss the seven bases of power: legitimate, reward, coercive, referent, expert, information, and association. Through consensus, rank order these bases from most important to least important in terms of their effectiveness in influencing classroom behavior. Task 2 Physically line up according to the degree of influence each person had in establishing the power base ranking in Task 1. Again rely on group consensus to determine a continuous order of influence from number 1, most influential, to number 7, least influential. Physically reposition and discuss the lineup until all are satisfied that it is the best possible representative ranking. Assign each person a number corresponding to his or her place in the lineup. The most influential person becomes number 1, and so on. Write each person’s number on a card or sticker and ask them to wear or display the number throughout the remainder of the task activity. Discuss why the rankings came out the way they did. Task 3 Assign each person the number of votes that they now display (i.e., their place in the previous influence ranking). Collect $1.00 from each participant and place the bills in a pile in the center of the group. Participants now decide how to divide up the total pot according to the following instructions. ______ Your objective is to influence the group decision so as to win as much money for yourself as possible. You may use any personal influence strategies (e.g., coalition formation, holding out, charisma, rationale development, etc.) not outlawed in these instructions. _______ At least two people (one-third of the group) cannot receive any money back at all. The pot can be divided among the remaining group members in any proportion decided upon, e.g., one member can receive it all, it can be evenly divided among the remaining two-thirds, or it can be distributed in unequal proportions. ______ The money allocation decision is to be determined by the casting of votes. Each group member may cast the number of votes on his or her placecard or sticker (i.e., formal organizational power). ______ The voting procedure is to be determined by the group, e.g., only one voting round placing your votes for the person(s) you want to receive money; several rounds of voting for the person you want to receive the money until only two people are left; etc. ______ Do not attempt a hasty vote. Wait until all group members have had their say and indicate a readiness to vote. ______ It is not legitimate to: (1) use any chance procedures such as matching coins or drawing straws, (2) simply give your votes to someone else and not participate in the decision, (3) agree to return the original $1.00 contributions after the exercise, or (4) agree to buy everyone drinks after class. In other words) at least two people must never get their money back, and it is not possible to opt Out of the political process. ______ If the group cannot decide on the money allocation within a thirty-minute time limit, the instructor gets all the money. Task 4 Individually write down the answers to the following questions: 1. What were your feelings as your participated in this exercise? 2. From what power bases did you draw? 3. What influence strategies did you utilize? Developments in Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 14, 1987 101 Task 5 Discuss your answers with others in your group. Give one another feedback regarding the effectiveness of individual behavior. Discuss why those winning the conflict were more successful. Row might the outcome have been different in different circumstances? Finally, share what you learned about yourself regarding your feelings and your style of using power in conflict situations. FURTHER TEACHING NOTES Variations: Since the total exercise can take up to 2 hours and 30 minutes, it may be desirable to leave out certain segments, or shorten some so that certain aspects can be concentrated on. The following combinations are very good modules: 1. Do Tasks 1 and 2. Then go to Task 4, followed by a class debriefing. Time: 35-55 minutes. 2. In on-going task groups, skip Task #1, and begin with Task 2 by referring to decisions made in the task group. 3. Limit the time in any tasks phase or the debriefing to the minimum recommended. Exercise Debriefing. This is a particularly sensitive exercise to debrief because some people have lost money, others have won it, but feel guilty, and several people will probably feel awkward just because they had to openly use power. It is important to share that these feelings are not unusual, and that it can be a positive learning experience for the entire class to share feelings openly and work them through during the following discussion. Some suggested questions are: 1. What were your feelings at the beginning of this exercise? During it? After it was over? 2. What are some parallels in real life to the exercise you just completed? Do you have the same feelings in those situations? How do you deal with them? 3. What did you learn about your self and the use of power from this exercise? Table of Contents Volume 14, 1987 Simulation Gaming as An Experimental Context for the Study of Multicriteria Decision Making How to Multiply Your Management Game Grading the Personnel In-Basket Exercise Simulation: The Players™ Perspective The Acute Susceptibility of Nominal Grouping to Negativity The Relative Value of the National ABSEL Meetings: An Analysis of Perceptions by Faculty and Deans A Survey of Behavioral Labs Used by American Business Schools A Structured Framework for Applying Conceptual Models to Problem Analysis: Hardening Up An Expert System Approach for Teaching Marketing Case Analysis From Theory to Practice: A Model for Teaching Beginning Advertising The Use of a Simple Forecasting Technique During an Interactive Computerized Business Game An Investigation of the Relationship Between Formal Planning and Simulation Team Performance and Satisfaction The Exponential Logarithm as an Algorithm for Business Simulations Learning macroeconomic Theory and Policy Analysis Via Microcomputer Simulation Laptop: A Principles of Marketing Simulation Teaching About Sampling in a Marketing Research Class Integrating Decision Support Systems and Business Games Demand Generation in a Service Industry Simulation: An Algorithmic Paradox ABSEL - At a Crossroads? Research on Predicting Performance in the Simulation An Expert System for Financial Planners "Developing Various Student Learning Abilities Via Writing, the Stock market Game, and Modified Marketplace Game in Beginning Macroeconomics" Professional Activity Reports: Getting back to Basics Œ A Preliminary Investigation "A Comparison of Performance, Attitudes, and behaviors of MBA and BBA Students in a Simulation Environment: A Preliminary Investigation" Decision Styles and Student Simulation Performance: A Replication Personal Power Strategies: An Experiential Exercise LTL I: A Trucking Simulation Game Total Enterprise Business Games: An Evaluation Can the Skill of Management be Taught? Developing Critical Thinking and Effective Communication Meaningful Notebooks and Enhanced Learning Using a Totally Menu-Driven Data base and Decision Support (DSS) Program Using a Computerized Menu-Driven Data Entry and fiWhat-Iffl Program as a Pedagogical Enhancement for Management Simulation Using a Joint Project Involving MBA Marketing Management and Undergraduate Marketing Research Students to Teach Marketing Research Testing the PAGE Technique: Results and Further Developments A Comparison of Student Perceptions with Accepted Expectations for Business Simulations "Conflict Management in Action: Verbal Strategies, Nonverbal behaviors and Conflict Styles" Dramatic Monologues as Surrogates for Experiential Learning Influencing One™s Superior: An Assessment and Exercise Personality Traits and Organizational Cultures: Two One-Hour Experiential Learning Exercises Computype: A Strategic Marketing Game Open System Simulations and Simulation Based Research "Teaching Forecasting to the Masses: Little Decision Support Training, But a lot of Answers" Goal Setting and Performance Evaluation with Different Starting Positions Œ The Modeling Dilemma The Gamesmanship of Pricing: Building Pricing Strategy Skills Through Spreadsheet Modeling Teaching MPR Experientially Through the Use of Lotus 1-2-3 Business Simulation Through Activities of a Manufacturing Company Simulated Stock Broker Teaching Employee Counseling Skills to Management Students: A Simulation Airline: A Strategic Management Simulation Developing Simulations and Experiential Exercises on the Personal Computer: Some Critical Issues A Powerful Tool Œ For What? An Integrative Systems Approach to Simulating Free Enterprise in a Small Business Course in a Business School Profits: The False Prophet The Use of Expert Systems to Develop Strategic Scenarios: An Experiment Using a Simulated Market Environment An Interdisciplinary Workshop: Spreadsheet Modeling and Case Analysis Techniques for Beginning Executive MBA Students An Innovative Approach to an O. D. Class Œ The Creative Interaction The Application of Spreadsheet Software Technology to Complete Taxpayer Elections Experiential Learning as the Cornerstone of an Industry Management Course "Identifying, Exercising and Enhancing Right Brain Skills in the Business Classroom" Utilizing Envisionary Technology in the Business Policy Course: An Experiential Pedagogy Business Simulation in the Policy Course: A Survey of American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business The Moving Van: Vehicle to Success of Disaster for the Two-Gender Work Force Oil and Gas Well Investment Analysis Using the Lotus 1-2-3 Decision Support System Team Cohesion Effects on Business Game Performance