Information Power: How Knowledge Becomes Influence

Last updated on September 30th, 2026 at 08:31 am

When a London hospital switched to a new scheduling system, the most powerful person on the ward for three months was not the head consultant. It was the junior administrator who had attended the training.

Information power is the influence you gain by having, controlling, or explaining information that other people need.

As the hospital’s new system showed, it can shift quickly, and it can give real sway to people with no senior title at all.

In a world run on data, from office spreadsheets to social media feeds, knowing what others do not know has never been more valuable, or more open to misuse.

The sections below explain what information power is, how it differs from expert power, and what research shows about sharing versus hiding knowledge, plus practical ways to use it ethically.

What Is Information Power?

Psychologist Bertram Raven added informational power to the original five bases of power in 1965.

It comes from information or explanations that persuade on their own merits, so people change their minds because the facts make sense, not because of who delivers them.

In everyday use, the term also covers control over information, such as knowing about plans, data, or decisions before others do.

Both forms give a person sway, which is why it sits alongside the other bases described in the main bases of power.

For the broader picture of how power works, see power and its many forms.

Two Faces of Information Power

	Persuasive Information	Controlled Information
Source	Facts and explanations that convince	Access that others lack
Example	An analyst whose data changes a decision	An assistant who knows the boss’s schedule
Lasts	Once shared, it keeps working	Fades once others get the information
Main risk	Misleading with selective facts	Hoarding and gatekeeping

The first kind becomes stronger when shared, while the second kind can tempt people to keep secrets.

Information Power vs Expert Power

The two are easy to confuse, since both involve knowledge. Expert power comes from trust in a person’s skill, so people follow advice because of who gives it.

Information power comes from the content itself, so the same facts would persuade no matter who shared them.

A surgeon recommending treatment uses expert power, while a colleague forwarding a clear research summary uses information power.

Many people hold both, as explained in authority rooted in know-how.

Examples in Everyday Life

It shows up wherever some people know what others need.

• At work: An executive assistant who knows about upcoming changes before anyone else.

• In IT: A systems administrator who alone knows how the company’s software fits together.

• In negotiations: A buyer who knows the seller’s deadline can push for a better price.

• In families: The relative who manages the family’s finances and paperwork.
• In the media: Journalists and editors who decide which stories the public sees.

• Online: Platforms and algorithms that choose what information appears in your feed.

Economists call uneven knowledge information asymmetry, and George Akerlof shared a Nobel Prize partly for showing how it can distort markets such as used-car sales.

What Research Shows About Sharing vs Hiding Knowledge

Holding back information can feel like a way to stay powerful, but research suggests it tends to backfire.

A 2014 study by Matej Černe and colleagues found employees who hid knowledge from coworkers became less creative themselves.

The researchers traced this to a cycle of distrust, in which colleagues stopped sharing knowledge with the person who hid it.

The effect appeared in a field study of 240 employees and a lab experiment with 132 students.

It was stronger in competitive workplaces and weaker where the culture valued learning and teamwork.

In other words, hoarding information may protect your position in the short term while cutting you off from the knowledge you need later.

Information Power at Work

Inside organizations, it flows to people at the center of communication, such as project coordinators, assistants, and IT staff.

Managers hold it through access to budgets, strategy, and performance data, and they can build trust or suspicion depending on how openly they share it.

Teams that are kept in the dark fill the gap with rumor, which is why transparency during change matters so much.

In my observation, the employees who become indispensable are rarely those who guard knowledge; they are those who make everyone around them better informed.

The Dark Side of Information Power

• Hoarding: Keeping knowledge to yourself to stay indispensable slows the whole team.

• Gatekeeping: Controlling who gets access to decision-makers or data in order to control outcomes.

• Selective truth: Sharing only the facts that support your case while hiding the rest.

• Misinformation: Spreading false or misleading information to steer opinion, from office rumors to online campaigns.

• Privacy abuse: Using personal information about others to pressure or embarrass them.

The line between honest persuasion and manipulation is covered in how persuasion works.

Information Power in the Digital Age

Search engines, social media platforms, and data companies hold more information power than any organization in history, because they decide what billions of people see.

At a personal level, anyone who can find, check, and explain information quickly now holds a valuable form of influence.

The same tools also make misinformation easy to spread, so the ability to check sources has become a form of power in its own right.

How to Build and Use Information Power Ethically

1. Become a Reliable Source

Check facts before sharing them, and correct mistakes openly, since credibility is what makes information persuasive.

2. Explain, Don’t Just Report

Turn raw data into clear explanations people can act on, which multiplies the value of what you know.

3. Share Generously

Research on knowledge hiding suggests sharing builds trust and keeps useful knowledge flowing back to you.

4. Build Wide Networks

Relationships across departments and communities give you early access to useful information.

5. Respect Confidentiality

Protect private and sensitive information, and share it only with people who have a legitimate need.

6. Communicate Openly as a Leader

Leaders who keep teams informed about plans and changes build trust, a principle explored in clear communication at work.

Conclusion

The hospital administrator’s influence came from knowing the new system, and it grew into lasting respect once she trained everyone else.

Information power comes from facts that persuade and from access others lack, and it can belong to anyone, regardless of title.

Research suggests hoarding knowledge tends to backfire, while sharing it builds trust and keeps information flowing back.

This week, share one useful piece of knowledge with a colleague who could benefit from it, and notice what comes back to you.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is information power?

Information power is influence that comes from having, controlling, or explaining information others need, so people change their views or actions based on the facts.

What is an example of informational power?

An executive assistant who knows about changes before anyone else, or an analyst whose clear data changes a management decision, both hold informational power.

What is the difference between information power and expert power?

Expert power depends on trust in a person’s skill, while information power depends on the information itself, which persuades regardless of who shares it.

Is hoarding information a good way to gain power?

Rarely, since research on knowledge hiding found it triggers distrust, leads colleagues to stop sharing in return, and reduces the hider’s own creativity.