To achieve desired outcomes in today's VUCA , matrixed world, formal authority is no longer enough. Even those with formal authority may struggle to drive the required performance through their teams. This is where the skill of influencing without authority comes in. It's a skill that lies at the heart of true leadership –and it can be learnt. Learning and Development professionals, in particular, often lack formal authority and find it hard to communicate their value to their organizations, leading to transactional relationships with stakeholders and learners and to, often, ineffective training programmes. But those with formal authority, such as sales managers, may find that their authority doesn't readily translate into influence. Rather than settling for delivering poor outcomes, both learning and development professionals and first-line sales managers can learn how to use influence to generate the right outcomes for their organization – regardless of any formal authority.

We define influence as the capacity to have an effect on the development or behaviour of the individual; but it is also about maximising the effect of stakeholders towards the achievement of the greater good.

Its usefulness is inarguable, and everyday situations such as the following illustrate this:

Without strong influencing skills, there is limited ability to have an impact on outcomes.

Meet Anna, an Experienced Learning and Development Professional Working in a Global Pharmaceutical Company.

Unfortunately, Anna's experience is not unique in the learning and development “world” where, not having any formal authority, professionals often struggle to influence stakeholders. Her transactional response is typical, and it highlights her perceived inability to influence Sally. Sally's predicament is a common one, too, and it is a reminder that authority does not always equate to influence. It’s also clear that the relationship between Anna and Sally is a perfunctory one.

A study showed that when people feel sidelined at work, they tend to act in one of three ways to cope: pro-socially (finding ways to be more helpful), anti-socially (seeking ways to retaliate or ostracize others) or retreating. Belonging is a core human need, yet we can respond in ways that hold us back from being visible as leaders.

Research has shown that when learning and development professionals do not have an influence in the decision-making process, training programmes are less effective and have a lower impact on the organization. For instance, a study by Arthur et al. (2003) found that when there was a lack of partnership and collaboration between learning and development professionals and line managers, the training programmes were less relevant, less effective, and less likely to have a positive impact on the organization's performance.

There’s even more compelling research, though. A meta-analysis conducted by Sitzmann et al. (2010) found that involving learning and development professionals in the design and implementation of training programmes led to higher levels of learning transfer and improved job performance. The study also found that training programmes that were designed and implemented in collaboration with stakeholders across the organization, i.e. with learning and development as true partners, were more likely to be aligned with the organization's strategic goals and objectives, resulting in a higher return on investment for the organization.

By contrast, research by Professor Robert Brinkerhoff (What if Training Had to Work) exploring some of the reasons for non-application of training points to the following consistent findings:

Trainees being sent to training without adequate preparation.

Trainees not having a clear line of sight as to why the training was important, exactly what they most needed to learn, and how they could use it to drive their (and their business unit’s) performance.

Trainees being trained at the wrong time, when they were not positioned to make the most of it in their work

Managers not supporting or reinforcing or holding employees accountable for new learning and performance.

A Model of Influence

Influencing is a learnable skill, and it’s a skill that does not require formal authority. However, it does require trust and good relationships.

Our approach to equipping clients with the ability to influence, with or without formal authority, necessarily starts with mindset. It starts with seeing yourself as a highly valuable asset to your organization, but not merely because of your job or department.  Technical competency is just the price of admission in any influencing situation – the ultimate goal of influencing must be for the good of the organization.

Influencing tactics and strategies abound, and one tactic that is widely shared is from the American writer and global leader Dale Carnegie. In How to Win Friends and Influence People, Carnegie reflects the idea of putting the needs and desires of others first. He uses an example from fishing to illustrate this, telling us that while he could bait the fish with his favourite treat of strawberries and cream, he uses what the fish actually prefer: worms or grasshoppers. This concept is a familiar one: by putting the needs of your clients and prospects first in all interactions, you can build strong relationships and increase the likelihood of success in any influencing situation.

A useful model is the Cohen-Bradford Model, from Influence Without Authority (2005) 

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Three key takeaways from the Cohen-Bradford model are as follows:

1) The Cohen-Bradford model is based on exchange and reciprocity (which can be negative or positive), using various currencies to trade for what each person desires.  There are several currencies that can be exchanged in any influencing situation:

• Inspirational (e.g. invoking a vision, excellence, moral/ethical considerations)
• Task related (e.g. assistance, organizational support, knowledge/information, challenge/stretch or new resources)
• Position related (e.g. advancement, ‘insider’ information, recognition, visibility, networks)
• Personal (e.g. gratitude, involvement, comfort level)
• Relationship related (e.g. acceptance/inclusion, understanding, personal support)

The authors also highlight the use of “negative currencies”– those things that people do not value and wish to avoid. Examples of negative currencies include “withholding payments” (e.g. not giving support) and “directly undesirable” behaviours such as escalating an issue upwards to a common boss, not cooperating when asked, and going public with an issue – thereby making lack of cooperation visible.

2) To effectively use the Cohen-Bradford model, it is crucial to gain clarity on your objectives and prioritize your goals accordingly. Here, it is important to separate personal desires from the goals that will benefit your organization. What personal factors get in the way? Thinking strategically about your goals is important: what are the primary and secondary objectives? What are the short-term or long-term objectives? What are the critical needs as against your preferences? Pragmatism is a good thing when influencing: you will invariably need to be flexible about how you achieve your goals, and you will at times need to adjust your expectation of your role and your expectation of your ally’s role.

3) Choosing potential allies to exchange with is a vital aspect of the Cohen-Bradford model, and the book provides helpful insights on how to directly exchange with a potential ally. The following points also have to be borne in mind:

• The importance of the potential ally's centrality: How much power does the person hold, including their control over necessary resources, and your level of dependence on them for success? Their power extends beyond their hierarchical position.
• The amount of effort or credits required to engage with the potential ally: Do you already have a relationship with them, or will you be starting from scratch? Are they likely to demand currencies that you cannot access or control? Will they be satisfied with maintaining communication without direct requests?
• The availability of alternatives: Do you know anyone who could influence the potential ally if you are unable to? Can you neutralize the potential ally if you cannot influence them in the right direction? Can you adjust your project to address their concerns or work around them?

According to the 2023 Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends survey (DGHCT) which polled 10,000 business and HR leaders across every industry, leadership in a boundaryless world is more important than ever. Leadership is no longer contingent on position or number of reports. The survey points out that although organizations recognise the vital importance of leadership without formal authority, only 23% of respondents believe that their organization’s leaders currently have the “capabilities to manage in a disrupted, boundaryless world.” The report posits that the lack of readiness may be due to a “misunderstanding of the implications of and opportunities within the new world we’re entering.”

In the current workforce ecosystem, where employees have more control over their work, collaborative problem-solving is crucial for generating the best solutions. However, despite this, only 34% of the DGHCT survey participants believe that their company's leaders are prepared to lead in a context where solutions are cocreated.

Developing new leaders is the No. 1 talent challenge facing organizations worldwide. According to one US (Gallup) State of the American Workplace report, on average $86 billion is lost annually due to disengaged leadership.

How Influential Are You in Your Role?

We’ve all experienced it: a deep sense of frustration when you feel accountable for delivering value without having any authority over the people that are critical to delivering that value. 

And that’s why influence is a core pillar of Purposefully Blended’s signature IMPACT^TM model. From our extensive behavioural science toolkit, we create learning solutions that equip clients with the skills needed to build credibility and effectively influence stakeholders, even if they lack the formal authority to make demands on resources.

We work with clients all over the world to help them understand the attitudes and behaviours of leaders who know how to get work done through influence, whether managing up, down, across or diagonally within their organizations.  

Our solutions are tailored to fit the modern learner and include immersive learning experiences and both informal and formal learning interventions. We subscribe to the 70-20-10 model for Learning and Development that describes the optimal sources of learning by managers who have a track record of success in driving performance. Per the model, individuals acquire 70% of their knowledge from job-related experiences, 20% from interactions with others, and 10% from formal educational events.

If you would like to improve your own influencing without formal authority skills, do get in touch for an initial, informal chat. Or, you could start by taking our free Harness Your Impact quiz and receive customised results instantly.

How's Your Organisation Faring?

Performing in a volatile, unstable, complex and ambiguous world warrants support from a trusted partner. Purposefully Blended continues to support global Learning and Development Managers with the capabilities or additional expert resource they need to identify, build and implement effective blended learning solutions consistently and at scale. We continue to equip First-Line Managers with coaching capabilities that embed, apply and sustain the learning. When these two roles work in harmony, they have a dramatic, transformative impact on outcomes.

Interested in getting our help to drive performance in your organisation?