In a group or an organization, individuals with unique talents need to develop power so that they can influence others. To develop positional power, individuals should employ strategies that will make them gain power and influence other group members.
In the case study, Adam does lack strategies that are necessary in gaining power in the fraternity. This paper will discuss strategies of attaining power and influence in a group.
Power strategies. The four most important strategies of attaining power and influence in a group are concepts of centrality, relevance, visibility, and flexibility (Whetten, and Cameron 7).
Foremost, Adam should take central position in the group to gain positional power. Because the members of his fraternity have not recognized Adam unique abilities, it is important that he should develop the concept of centrality through networking.
Adam should communicate to members of the fraternity about his feelings and he should let them understand how he feels about tasks assigned to him. He should be active in all group activities such as group meetings and gatherings.
Secondly, Adam should employ flexibility. The opinion is that, Adam should participate in the decision-making so that other group members do not make decisions that affect him negatively.
However, for Adam to participate in decision-making, he should be innovative so that other group members can develop trust in him and see him as a reliable person. Since he is good in fine arts, he should do presentations to the group members to display his talent. This way, fraternity members will develop confidence in his abilities.
Adam should develop and employ the concept of visibility. He should socialize and interact with most influential members of the fraternity. This will help him to be acquainted with all the people who will give him the chance to identify his position in the fraternity.
In addition to this, Adam should indentify a person who can mentor him so that he can be able to increase his visibility in the fraternity. Lastly, Adam should carry out tasks that are relevant to his talent.
Because Adam is good in fines arts, he should focus in doing tasks that can expand and promote his skills in fines arts. He should resist doing odd jobs assigned to him by group members and take a position that is more relevant to the goals of the fraternity (Whetten, and Cameron 7).
Influence strategy. If Adams wants to work in the forthcoming event, he should develop and use strategy of visibility. This is because his unique ability and knowledge of fine arts is necessary for the success of the fraternity, particularly in the homecoming parade. As such, Adam should interact and communicate with the group leaders about his knowledge and talent in fine arts (Kotter 4).
Secondly, Adam should develop an innovative presentation that is relevant to the homecoming parade float. Adam should then use strong presentation skills to present his project and ideas before the fraternity members. During this presentation, the group members will assess his ability to develop trust and confidence in his talent.
In summary, it is important to develop confidence and good communication skills, which are desirable leadership qualities in a group and in organizations (Kotter 4). The strategy to acquire power and influence is to build relationship by developing centrality and visibility.
In addition to this, individuals with unique abilities should always look for positions of greater flexibility that will be helpful in issues of decision-making. Most, importantly, individuals should also indentify position of relevance that is directly associated with the objectives of the organization. With such qualities, an individual can be able to gain positional power in a group.
Works Cited
Kotter, John. Power and Influence. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2008. Print.
Whetten, David A., and Cameron Kim, 8th edn. Developing Management Skills. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2007. Print.