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    Power-Five Sources of Power

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    Grave Raider GaZi

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    Power-Five Sources of Power

    Uploaded by

    Grave Raider GaZi
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    Power

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    Power-Five Sources of Power

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    Grave Raider GaZi

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    Power- the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events

    Five Sources of Power


    Legitimate Power
    Legitimate power is also known as positional power. It's derived from the position a person holds in an
    organization's hierarchy. Job descriptions, for example, require junior workers to report to managers and
    give managers the power to assign duties to their juniors. For positional power to be exercised effectively,
    the person wielding it must be deemed to have earned it legitimately. An example of legitimate power is
    that held by a company's CEO.

    Expert power
    Knowledge is power. Expert power is derived from possessing knowledge or expertise in a particular
    area. Such people are highly valued by organizations for their problem-solving skills. People who have
    expert power perform critical tasks and are therefore deemed indispensable. The opinions, ideas and
    decisions of people with expert power are held in high regard by other employees and hence greatly
    influence their actions. Possession of expert power is normally a stepping stone to other sources of power
    such as legitimate power. For example, a person who holds expert power can be promoted to senior
    management, thereby giving him legitimate power.

    Referent Power
    Referent power is derived from the interpersonal relationships that a person cultivates with other people
    in the organization. People possess reference power when others respect and like them. Referent power
    arises from charisma, as the charismatic person influences others via the admiration, respect and trust
    others have for her. Referent power is also derived from personal connections that a person has with key
    people in the organization's hierarchy, such as the CEO. It's the perception of the personal relationships
    that she has that generates her power over others.

    Coercive Power
    Coercive power is derived from a person's ability to influence others via threats, punishments or
    sanctions. A junior staff member may work late to meet a deadline to avoid disciplinary action from his
    boss. Coercive power is, therefore, a person's ability to punish, fire or reprimand another employee.
    Coercive power helps control the behavior of employees by ensuring that they adhere to the organization's
    policies and norms.

    Reward Power
    Reward power arises from the ability of a person to influence the allocation of incentives in an
    organization. These incentives include salary increments, positive appraisals and promotions. In an
    organization, people who wield reward power tend to influence the actions of other employees. Reward
    power, if used well, greatly motivates employees. But if it's applied through favoritism, reward power can
    greatly demoralize employees and diminish their output.

    Politics- the activities associated with the governance of a country or other area, especially the debate
    or conflict among individuals or parties having or hoping to achieve power.

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