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    Interactive assessment

    Influencing Without Authority

    Assess your ability to influence outcomes, decisions, and people when you don't have formal authority, one of the most critical skills for individual contributors and leaders alike.

    In most organisations, the majority of important work happens across boundaries, cross-functional projects, peer relationships, upward influence. Cohen and Bradford's (1989) research established that effective influence without authority depends on understanding what others value, building genuine relationships, and exchanging resources in ways that create mutual benefit. This assessment reveals where your influencing capability is strong and where it most needs development.

    Questions or items
    20 questions or items
    Completion time
    Around 10 minutes
    Dimensions
    Stakeholder Understanding, Trust & Credibility Building, Communication & Framing, Reciprocal Exchange
    What you receive
    Personalised results with result bands, section scores and development guidance.

    What it covers

    • Stakeholder Understanding
    • Trust & Credibility Building
    • Communication & Framing
    • Reciprocal Exchange

    Rate each statement from 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree). Answer based on your actual behaviour in recent situations, not how you would like to behave. The most useful insights come from honesty.

    Results: Personalised results with result bands, section scores and development guidance.

    How this interactive diagnostic works

    Read what it covers here first. Nothing is saved or sent until you continue. Your result is calculated once every required item is answered.

    If it asks for your first name and work email, you enter them in the diagnostic itself. This page sends nothing.

    Statements in this diagnostic

    Statements are grouped by section. Answer each one for the situation named in the instructions, using the scale shown.

    Stakeholder Understanding

    Your ability to understand what others value, what drives their priorities, and what matters to them before attempting to influence (Cohen & Bradford, 1989).

    1. Before trying to influence someone, I take time to understand what matters most to them professionally and personally
    2. I actively seek to understand the pressures, constraints, and priorities of people I need to work with
    3. I can accurately predict how different stakeholders will respond to a proposal or request
    4. I adjust my approach based on what I know about a person's goals, concerns, and working style
    5. I invest time in understanding the organisational context and political landscape before taking action

    Trust & Credibility Building

    The degree to which you build genuine relationships and credibility that make others willing to be influenced by you.

    1. People would describe me as someone who reliably follows through on what I commit to
    2. I invest in relationships with key stakeholders before I need anything from them
    3. I have a reputation for being transparent and honest, even when the truth is inconvenient
    4. I acknowledge the expertise and perspective of others rather than positioning myself as the authority
    5. When I make mistakes, I acknowledge them openly rather than defending or deflecting

    Communication & Framing

    Your skill in communicating ideas persuasively, connecting your requests to what others care about and framing proposals in ways that resonate.

    1. I connect my requests and proposals to the goals and priorities of the person I am trying to influence
    2. I can explain the 'why' behind a request in a way that makes sense from the other person's perspective, not just mine
    3. I adapt my communication style to what works best for the person I am engaging with
    4. I use stories and concrete examples to make abstract ideas tangible and compelling
    5. When I encounter resistance, I listen to understand the concern before attempting to address it

    Reciprocal Exchange

    Your ability to identify, offer, and exchange resources, help, information, recognition, support, in ways that create genuine mutual benefit (Cohen & Bradford, 1989).

    1. I proactively help others with their priorities, not just when I need something in return
    2. I think about what I can offer to others (information, connections, support) before making a request
    3. I create visibility and recognition for others' contributions, especially when it costs me nothing
    4. I am known as someone who shares information generously rather than hoarding it
    5. When I ask for help or support, I think about how I can make it easy for the other person to say yes

    How the result is read

    Your answers are totalled for each section and overall. Each total falls into one of the bands below.

    • Developing, 20 to 44: Your influencing capability is at an early stage, there are significant gaps in one or more of the four dimensions. The good news: influence is a learnable skill. Start with Stakeholder Understanding (the foundation of everything else) and build from there.
    • Emerging, 45 to 64: You have real strengths in some dimensions of influence but clear development gaps in others. Focus on your lowest-scoring dimension first, it is likely to be the bottleneck that limits your overall effectiveness.
    • Capable, 65 to 82: Strong influencing capability across most dimensions. The opportunity now is to deepen your mastery, particularly in the dimension(s) where you scored lowest, and to be more deliberate and strategic in high-stakes situations.
    • Advanced, 83 to 100: Exceptional influencing capability. You likely have a reputation as someone who gets things done even without formal authority. Your opportunity is to develop these skills in others and to use your influence capability to take on bigger, more complex challenges.

    Sources named in this diagnostic

    • Cialdini, R.B. (2001) Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. Rev. edn. New York: HarperCollins.
    • Cohen, A.R. and Bradford, D.L. (1989) Influence without authority: The use of alliances, reciprocity, and exchange to accomplish work. Organizational Dynamics, 17(3), pp. 5-17.
    • Grant, A. (2013) Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success. New York: Viking.
    • Ibarra, H. and Hunter, M. (2007) How leaders create and use networks. Harvard Business Review, 85(1), pp. 40-47.

    Where to take the next step

    Our human skills programmes develop interpersonal, communication and influence capabilities.

    Explore Human Skills Programmes

    Frequently asked questions

    What does the Influencing Without Authority measure?

    In most organisations, the majority of important work happens across boundaries, cross-functional projects, peer relationships, upward influence. Cohen and Bradford's (1989) research established that effective influence without authority depends on understanding what others value, building genuine relationships, and exchanging resources in ways that create mutual benefit. This assessment reveals where your influencing capability is strong and where it most needs development.

    How many questions are in the Influencing Without Authority?

    It contains 20 questions grouped into 4 dimensions: Stakeholder Understanding, Trust & Credibility Building, Communication & Framing, Reciprocal Exchange.

    How is the Influencing Without Authority scored?

    Responses are totalled within each section and across the diagnostic, and each total falls into a result band.

    What happens after I complete the Influencing Without Authority?

    Once the required items are answered, you enter your first name and email to see your results: an overall interpretation, section scores and development guidance.

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