The problem with power, IMD professor Jennifer Jordan

The proverbial saying, “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely,” suggests that as a person’s influence increases, their moral sense diminishes. But how does that square with today’s business world?

IMD Professor Jennifer Jordan says it’s more complex than that. Power is the engine that drives decision making, but it also acts as a magnifying glass, exacerbating positive or negative tendencies that are already there. 

Power can also be transformative – which, says Jordan, is something to look out for. In Episode 15 of ManagementCast, she describes the problems and pitfalls of power, and how the modern executive can avoid them.

Jennifer Jordan is a social psychologist and a digital transformation expert. Her work has appeared in numerous scientific journals and in 2019 she was named by Poets&Quants as one of the world’s leading business school professors under 40. Jordan’s research focuses on ethics and influence, and she has delivered custom programs and consultancy services for a wide range of companies, including Barilla, KONE, and Shell.