Do you know the secret sources of power in your company? Who holds backdoor power?
The shadow side of organizations
Part of navigating politics is knowing how to get things done efficiently and effectively. Every company has different structures, hierarchies and processes. Those provide some of the official channels for getting work done.
But there is also a shadow-side to organizations – back channels, deal making and employees with backdoor power. You can enhance your ability to get things done by understanding and identifying who holds backdoor power.
Legitimate power versus backdoor power
The article ‘What type of power do you hold’ introduced the six types of power identified by social psychology – legitimate, referent, expert, reward, coercive and informational.
These definitions provide useful ways to think about power, but reality is much messier.
Power comes in many forms and does not always fall cleanly into those categories. One nuance you should understand is the difference between official power and backdoor power.
Official power is easy to describe and recognize, but leaders vary in how they leverage their official power. Backdoor power, in contrast, is less obvious and often hard to define and identify.
Official power
As you learn to navigate politics, you should understand who holds official power. The most obvious answer refers to people who are high up in the hierarchy. These senior leaders have power due to their position – also known as legitimate power.
Other people wield official power due to their roles as well. This applies to employees in HR and Finance who control processes like employee relations and payroll. Other position-based official power could include project leaders, legal staff, compliance officers and cybersecurity.
Variations in official power
Even people with legitimate, official power have different levels of effectiveness and influence.
Some leaders have a title but hold little influence. In these cases, other employees often know that the lame duck leader is ineffective and work around him or her.
Peers in similar roles can have different levels of influence based on their level of organizational savvy, networks, and of course, their knowledge and competence.
For example, two VPs in the same department could have different levels of influence. They both hold the same title, so they have the same legitimate power. But, perhaps, one of them proactively leads, guides and reaches success while the other one stays passive.
Over time, the proactive leader will cement her influence while the passive VP fades away. The proactive leader claims more power to accomplish tasks, set priorities and influence the direction of the company.
Backdoor power
Even trickier than variations in official power, backdoor power also plays a role in organizations.
Backdoor power is not obvious. You can’t predict it based on an organizational chart. Employees who hold backdoor power don’t hold a power position. They gain their power through relationships or other types of influence.
Employees with backdoor power can make things happen and are often considered well-connected. They might function as an adviser, the ‘go-to’ team member or the ‘ideas’ person.
Sometimes their power is based on having great ideas or a dominant personality and sometimes it is about their network and relationships.
Backdoor power is not good or bad.
As with most political skill, it depends on how the powerful person chooses to use it. If you understand it, you can often avoid missteps and increase your effectiveness.
Balance integrity with your political skill
As with all types of navigating politics, you must balance your interaction with backdoor power people with integrity. Be cautious to not cross the line to manipulation.
Focus on the good of the organization and use your political savvy, and understanding of power dynamics, to deliver good work and find career success.
Learning to deal with employees that hold backdoor power can bolster your political skill.
Four Tips for dealing with backdoor power employees
Be aware that you must navigate politics
Accept the fact that organizational politics exist and that you need to understand power dynamics.
Bolster your observation skills. Watch and listen with peers and bosses and teams. Think about situations from the perspective of others and try to determine their motivations and priorities.
Pay attention to body language in meetings to gauge how people are feeling. Observe who seems to be friends as well as colleagues.
Observing and mentally mapping relationships helps uncover backdoor power.
Identify employees with backdoor power
Use these questions and observations to determine who in your company might hold backdoor power. Sometimes the backdoor power employees have a positive influence and sometimes they have a negative one.
- Who seems to be generally respected and often mentioned as a role model?
- Who gets featured in legendary company stories and fond jokes?
- Who is in the favored, inner circle of the boss or other power players?
- Who always seems to know everything that is going on?
- Who acts an adviser to the boss?
- Who can get away with bending the rules?
- Who can always seem to avoid blame for team issues?
- Who sometimes gets credit for other people’s work?
Understand how information flows
Information is power. Social psychologists identified Informational Power as one of the six established types. Information does not always flow according to the hierarchy, and early access to information can create backdoor power.
For example, a trusted direct report might see critical information first, because the boss brainstorms with that person. Administrative assistants often have access to key information going to their boss.
HR and Finance and the technology team often have system access to confidential information.
Cultivate the relationships
In some cases, it will serve you well to cultivate a relationship with the backdoor power employee. Maybe one person has the ear of a senior leader you want to meet. That person could provide an introduction. Sometimes it is helpful to know someone who is in the inner circle.
The next article will describe some types of people who often hold backdoor power.
