Influence Reconsidered
Influence is part reach and part focus.
Although some commentators suggest that influence is the ability to cause things to happen, the reality is more subtle. Power is the ability to make things happen. Influence is the capacity to increase the likelihood that something will happen.
Can you see the distinction? Power is the way things work in line functions (where hierarchy is the predominant management style). Influence is how things get done in staff functions. The functional manager can apply power. The program (or matrix) manager can apply influence.
Consciously or not, wielding influence is a way of applying leverage to situations. Influencers, more often that not, are advocates for a certain perspective. They are single voices in a marketplace of voices. The people with influence have an easier time being heard. Influence, in our noisy little niche, is the ability to get your message out.
On distinguishing factor is the size and scope of the audience. Imagine two influencers. One is a widely read blogger with a huge audience (say, 15,000 regular readers) of working level HR professionals. The other is an industry analyst with an audience of 2500 senior level HR managers. Which of the two is more influential?
The answer is not obvious.
The blogger is in a unique position to have grassroots influence. This is the best position from which to change the way the industry works and sees itself. Moving the hearts and minds of 15,000 people (maybe 1% of the industry)is no small thing. But, grassroots leadership requires a very clear and simple message and the ability to deliver that message repeatedly. Large, fan based audiences can be fantastic revenue sources. They can create great sentiment for change. Fan based audiences are all about entertainment and the use of celebrity.
The industry analyst, on the other hand, operates as a trusted advisor in the decision making process. An audience of 2,500 policy makers with check writing authority is enough financial muscle to make or break many vendors. The evangelical analyst (one who forecasts the future) is in a position to shape the world in which the blogger’s audience works. The trade oriented analyst (assessing vendors and near term trends) is usually the source of the core ideas that emanate from the bloggers.
Both positions are influential and complementary. It’s worth considering that this decade’s blogger is next decade’s elder statesman/analyst. One of the really interesting things about today’s industry is that career paths that were once very clear are up for grabs. Bloggers are taking the momentum they create in grassroots settings and converting it into new positions with career momentum. Analysts are taking on roles that might not have been considered before.
At HRExaminer, we’re continuing our investigation of influence. Take a look at our various automatically generated lists of influencers and our hand selected Top 100 Influencers in HR. Understanding influence and how it works is an important part of being effective in the operating word of HR and the industry that serves it.
