About this course: This course will improve your ability to influence people in situations where you cannot use formal authority. You will learn about effective ways to build, develop, and sustain a power base in your organization. You will also learn influence tactics that enable you to be more persuasive and influential in working with your superiors, peers, and even subordinates. In addition, you will learn how to build and maintain high-quality relationships to further maximize your informal power and ability to influence others. Importantly, you will distinguish between influence and manipulation and learn how to protect yourself from the unwanted influence of others. The influence strategies you learn in this course will make you a more confident and influential leader, presenter, and decision-maker. You will more effective in pitching business ideas to your superiors, influencing customers, and building coalitions across stakeholders. This course will not only give you strategic guidance on how to develop and maintain your network for influence and power, but we will also equip you with specific tactics and strategies that are proven to work for gaining power and influencing people.

Created by: University of Michigan

Taught by: Scott DeRue, Ph.D., Edward J. Frey Dean at the Ross School of Business
Management and Organizations, Ross School of Business
Taught by: Maxim Sytch, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Management and Organizations Michael R. and Mary Kay Hallman Fellow
Management and Organizations, Ross School of Business

Basic Info	Course 3 of 5 in the Leading People and Teams Specialization
Language	English
How To Pass	Pass all graded assignments to complete the course.
User Ratings	4.7 stars Average User Rating 4.7See what learners said

Syllabus

WEEK 1

Building Your Base of Power

To lead effectively, you must have power. Your power can be formally defined, for example your position or job title. Your power can be informal, for example your expertise or charisma give you power that enable you to influence others. In this module, we will explore the meaning of power and where it comes from, helping you identify your bases of power and opportunities to increase you power over time.

14 videos, 2 readings

Video: 01.01 - Welcome
Reading: Help us learn more about you!
Video: 01.02 - What You Will Learn in this Course
Video: 01.03 - Defining Power in Organizations
Video: 01.04 - The Benefits of Power
Video: 01.05 - The Dark Side of Power (Part 1)
Video: 01.06 - The Dark Side of Power (Part 2)
Video: 01.07 - Bases of Power: Structural, Personal and Cognitive (Part 1)
Video: 01.08 - Bases of Power: Structural, Personal and Cognitive (Part 2)
Video: 01.09 - Strategies for Building Structural Power (Part 1)
Video: 01.10 - Strategies for Building Structural Power (Part 2)
Video: 01.11 - Strategies for Building Your Personal Power
Video: 01.12 - Strategies for Building Your Cognitive Power
Video: 01.13 - With Power Comes Responsibility
Video: 01.14 - Recap: Building Your Base of Power
Reading: Unit Lecture Slides

Graded: Building Your Base of Power

WEEK 2

Influencing People Without Relying on Formal Authority

In this module, you will acquire a rich arsenal of influence tactics that will help you change people’s viewpoints and behaviors. These influence tactics will enable you to influence up in organizations (e.g., when you have to influence your boss) and laterally, such as when you have to influence your peers. More generally, these tactics will allow you to execute effectively in those situations when you either do not have or cannot rely on formal rank and formal power.

9 videos, 7 readings

Video: 02.01 - Social Proof
Reading: Social Proof Videos
Reading: Introduction to Jeff Brodsky, Chief Human Resources Officer at Morgan Stanley
Video: 02.02 - Informal Influence and Power
Video: 02.03 - Authority and Influence
Reading: Stanley Milgram Video
Video: 02.04 - Cognitive Biases and Influence
Reading: Alex Laskey Opower Video
Video: 02.05 - Liking, Scarcity, and Reciprocity
Video: 02.06 - Message, Speech, and Influence
Reading: Hans Rosling TED Talk
Video: 02.07 - Non-verbal Influence
Reading: Handshake video
Video: 02.08 - Time of Day & Influence
Video: 02.09 - Your Influence Toolkit
Reading: Unit Lecture Slides

Graded: Influencing People Without Relying on Formal Authority

Graded: Influencing for Positive Results

WEEK 3

Developing High‐Quality Relationships to Enhance Influence and Power

In addition to acquiring a tactical portfolio of influence tools that can be applied in group and individual meetings, effective leaders devote a lot of time to building and maintaining social relationships with various stakeholders. In this module, you will learn how build and maintain social relationships in order to maximize your informal power and influence in organizations.

10 videos, 2 readings

Video: 03.01 - Networks and Power
Video: 03.02 - Power and Dependence
Video: 03.03 - Resources in Social Exchange
Video: 03.04 - Jeff Brodsky on Building Relationships (Part 1)
Video: 03.05 - Jeff Brodsky on Building Relationships (Part 2)
Reading: Introduction to John Beilein, Head Coach, University of Michigan Men's Basketball Team
Video: 03.06 - John Beilein on Building Relationships (Part 3)
Video: 03.07 - Building a Reputation
Video: 03.08 - Energy and Influence
Video: 03.09 - Building Relationships for Influence
Video: 03.10 - Building Influence From Day #1 on the Job
Reading: Unit Lecture Slides

Graded: Developing High‐Quality Relationships to Enhance Influence and Power

WEEK 4

Protect Yourself from Unwanted Influence

As a leader, people will try to influence you to make a particular decision or take a particular course of action. It is essential you are able to protect yourself from the unwanted influence of others, especially when those others might be attempting to manipulate you in ways that are not in the best interest of your team or organization. In this module, you will learn specific strategies and tactics that you can use to protect yourself and your team from the unwanted influence of others.

8 videos, 2 readings

Video: 04.01 - Why You Must Protect Yourself and Your Team
Video: 04.02 - The Difference Between Influence and Manipulation
Video: 04.03 - What is the Difference Between Influence and Manipulation
Video: 04.04 - Strategies and Tactics: Minimize Biases That Allow Others to Influence
Video: 04.05 - Strategies and Tactics: Flip the Influence Tactic
Video: 04.06 - Strategies and Tactics: Reframing the Power Relationship
Video: 04.07 - Protecting Yourself from Others' Manipulation
Video: 04.08 - Recap: Protecting Yourself from Unwanted Influence
Reading: Unit Lecture Slides
Reading: Post-course Survey

Graded: Protect Yourself from Unwanted Influence

Graded: Protecting Yourself from Unwanted Influence

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Ratings and Reviews

Rated 4.7 out of 5 of 1,499 ratings

Great!

This is an excellent course. The lecturers are very knowledgeable and experienced. Also, the videos are well curated and developed.

Interesting topic and good professors.

It's a very good course!!!