Influence Without Authority

Cohen and Bradford model influence as exchange, arguing that you obtain cooperation by trading things the other person values rather than by holding power over them. The book sets out the currencies people trade in, covering inspiration, task support, position, relationship and personal currencies, then gives a process for working out what a potential ally actually cares about. There are chapters on influencing your boss, on peers and cross functional partners, on colleagues you find difficult, and on shifting a whole organisation from a position in the middle of it. The third edition adds material on influencing in networked and distributed organisations. Read it when persuasion by argument alone has stopped working.