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Getting leadership buy-in and commitment to health and safety initiatives is a common challenge for many safety professionals; they are time-poor, have competing pressures and won’t know half our HSE acronyms! And despite the rationale that our work is all about what’s doing best for people, the reality is that the people and the business are symbiotic, one cannot exist without the other and so our leadership teams have to take other factors into account when they make decisions.

One area I will touch on in my Expo presentation is power types and how to communicate with them. Five power types were originally identified by French & Raven in 1959, with a sixth – informational – added later. I won’t detail each type here as Google will provide you with extensive reading on this area. What I will say, though, is that, by understanding your leadership’s power types, you can tailor your communication to (hopefully) get the decisions you want. This can also be a useful self-reflection exercise in how you lead and work with your own teams. And, of course, people can have more than one power type.

Here are some strategies for communicating with each:

1. Reward Power

• Tactics: Highlight the benefits and rewards of compliance or achieving goals. Use positive reinforcement and acknowledge achievements.

• Example: Focus on the incentives and express appreciation for their support and contributions. You could work with the senior manager to introduce an incentive scheme, e.g. for employees to make suggestions on improvements, rewarding the best suggestions and encouraging certain behaviours.

2. Coercive Power

• Tactics: Being aware of someone with coercive power will influence how you present your case - ‘because it’s the right thing to do’ will not win the day. Use clear and direct communication. Emphasise the consequences of actions and ensure that rules and expectations are well understood.

• Example: Outline the repercussions of not doing something. You could look at regulations to support your case, for example, employers must carry out – and act upon – a risk assessment. Therefore, if your risk assessment is robust, then it should follow that the controls must be implemented to ensure you are working to the law and less likely to be subject to an intervention (which can be costly).

3. Legitimate Power

• Tactics: Show respect for their position and authority. Use formal language and follow established protocols.

• Example: When addressing a senior executive, act or dress more formally, and adhere to organisational procedures to show respect for their legitimate power.

4. Referent Power

• Tactics: Build rapport and establish a personal connection. Use persuasive communication and appeal to their values and ideals.

• Example: When engaging with a charismatic leader, share stories and examples that align with their vision and values to build a strong connection.

5. Expert Power

• Tactics: Acknowledge their expertise and seek their advice. Use data and evidence to support your points and show that you value their knowledge.

• Example: When discussing a project, present well-researched information and ask for their input to demonstrate respect for their expertise.

6. Informational Power

• Tactics: Be transparent and share relevant information. Use logical arguments and provide detailed explanations.

• Example: Provide comprehensive data and clear reasoning to support your case. If you don’t have it internally yet, look at external data: although a couple of years old now, the Deloitte paper on mental health is a great example of demonstrating ROI for mental investment (£5.30 for every £1 spent) if you wanted to help make a case for such initiatives.

At Safety & Health Expo, I’ll explore power types and other tactics in greater detail. Audience questions are encouraged - I want you to leave with inspiration and practical ideas to positively influence your organisation’s leaders.

“Speaking the right language” will take place at 2.45pm on Monday 2 December at the SHP Operational Excellence Stage at Safety & Health Expo.

Register for your free ticket to join NEBOSH and Dee there: https://www.anticipate-event.com/london/en/attend/attend/tickets.html?utm_source=partner&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=eme24ant-pf-nebosh&utm_content=whats-is-anticipate-article