Course overview:

Designed for individuals at any stage of their career, this course is meant to debunk the fallacies that we have about power and to explore the fundamentals of power in interpersonal relationships, in organizations, and in society. In doing so, it will lift the veil on power, revealing to you what it really is, and how it works, ultimately unleashing your potential to build and use power to effect change at home, at work, and in society. It is meant for those who want to make things happen, despite the obstacles that might stand in your way. This course is also intended to prepare you to use power responsibly, resist its corruptive perils, and exercise it to make the world a better place. As such, it will equip you to leverage power and influence not for personal gain, but to challenge the status quo in order to address some of the most pressing social and environmental problems of our time, from fighting racism to reducing economic inequalities, saving the planet, and protecting democracy.

The course introduces conceptual models, tactical approaches, and assessment tools to help you develop your own influence style and understand political dynamics as they unfold around you. By focusing on specific expressions of power and influence, this course will give you the opportunity to observe effective—and ineffective—uses of power in different contexts and stages of a person’s career. The subject matter will challenge you to define for yourself what constitutes the ethical exercise of power and influence in your life.

The course will be held this fall across the Harvard Business School and Harvard Kennedy School campuses on Tuesday evenings from 4:45PM – 6:45PM. I am pleased to announce that this course is jointly sponsored by both schools and will be open to students from each, as well as a set number of cross registrants and auditors from the other schools. By opening the classroom in such a way, the course will mirror the necessary collaboration across sectors that organizations and industries must adopt in order to address the multidimensional crises we face today and successfully effect change.

Educational Objectives:

After introducing the fundamentals of power that will enable you to understand power across contexts and levels of analysis, the course will help you develop a deeper understanding of political issues through five interrelated modules and corresponding key questions that we will cover over the course of our week together:

MODULE 1 – Understanding the Nature of Power: What must I understand about the nature of power to help me “see” power and influence my environment?

MODULE 2 – Assessing and Building Your Sources of Power: What sources of power can I draw upon and cultivate, and how can I accurately map my sources of power and that of others?

MODULE 3 – Earning Trust and Exercising Influence: What does it take to earn people’s trust? How can I evaluate and develop my own personal influence style?

MODULE 4 – Encountering Entrenched Power in Organizations & Society: Why does the status quo persist, and why is it so difficult to change?

MODULE 5 – Leading Change in Organizations and Society: What leadership roles must I assume if I want to participate in collective movements for change? And, how can I do so effectively?

Course Pedagogy:

The course will rely on a mix of traditional case studies, biographical case studies of historical figures, exercises, and class visits by guests who experienced different paths to and through power. The exposure to the development and use of power in many different social settings including the private, public, social enterprise and non-for-profit sectors, and at various points in history will allow a comprehensive analysis of power in action. In addition, self-assessment tools will be included throughout the course to help you assess your own bases of power and influence style. As part of the course, you will also engage in two in-class simulations, as well as an individualized, personal coaching session, all of which will be debriefed in class.

A number of readings, both required and recommended, will supplement the case material and the various simulations and exercises described above. The course builds on the book “Power, For All: How It Really Works and Why It is Everyone’s Business” (Simon & Schuster, 2021) that I co-authored with Tiziana Casciaro. Some of the chapters of the book will be assigned together with other readings throughout the course, but you do not need to have read the book (except for chapter that will be assigned reading for session 1) before the beginning of class.

Grading:

Grading is based on class participation, including successful completion of the various exercises, simulations and assignments (50%), and the final project (50%).