POWER AND AUTHORITY IN EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION

Meaning. Power is the capacity of a person to influence others and alter their actions,
beliefs, and behaviors. However, it's important to note that there is a difference between
power vs. influence. Authority is the legitimate power that a person or group is granted
to practice over others within an organization.

What is the difference between power and authority in an organization?

Power is a personal trait derived from knowledge and expertise, while authority is a
formal title or position given by an organization or another personal. Authority is
legitimate and formal, while power is neither. Both power and authority can be lost, and
authority is especially easy to be taken away.
Power refers to the ability to have one's will carried out despite the resistance of others.
According to Max Weber, the three types of legitimate authority are traditional, rational-
legal, and charismatic.

What is the major difference between power and authority?

Power is an entity's or individual's ability to control or direct others, while authority

is influence that is predicated on perceived legitimacy. Consequently, power is
necessary for authority, but it is possible to have power without authority.
What are the 7 types of power?

In her book, Lipkin writes about these specific types of power and why it's important
for leaders to understand what type of power they're using.

 Legitimate Power. ...

 Coercive Power. ...
 Expert Power. ...
 Informational Power. ...
 Power of Reward. ...
 Connection Power. ...
 Referent Power.

 Why is power and authority important?

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  Power and authority are extremely important because they provide you with a
practical means for achieving organizational goals through leading the effort
and productivity of other people. Authority and power, wisely used, are never
dissipated. ... Both authority and power are most effective when they are least
evident.
What are 3 types of authority?

Weber divided legitimate authority into three types:

 The first type discussed by Weber is legal-rational authority. ...

 The second type of authority, traditional authority, derives from long-established
customs, habits and social structures. ...
 The third form of authority is charismatic authority.

 Powerful leaders are usually extremely persuasive, and can easily influence others
to buy into their purpose. In general, power is connected to credibility and
influence. When you're influencing people, you're capturing their hearts and
moving them. But not everyone knows what to do with power once they have it.
 "Power tends to get to people's heads," says Nicole Lipkin, author of What Keeps
Leaders Up At Night. "We’re not really trained to handle power well."
 In 1959, psychologists John French and Bertram Raven developed a framework for
understanding different types of power. In her book, Lipkin writes about these
specific types of power and why it's important for leaders to understand what type
of power they're using.
 Legitimate Power
 This power happens when someone is in a higher position, giving them control
over others. "If you have this power, it's essential that you understand that this
power was given to you (and can be taken away), so don't abuse it." Lipkin says.
 "If Diane rises to the position of CEO and her employees believe she deserves this
position, they will respond favorably when she exercises her legitimate power,"
Lipkin says. "On the other hand, if Diane rises to the position of CEO, but people
don't believe that she deserves this power, it will be a bad move for the company
as a whole."
 Coercive Power
 "There is not a time of day when you should use it," Lipkin tells us. "Ultimately,
you can't build credibility with coercive influence—you can think of it like
bullying in the workplace."

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 Expert Power

 This power comes directly from your top-level skills and years of experience. Once
you hold this knowledge, your peers will regard you as an expert.

 "If Diane holds an MBA and a PhD in statistical analysis, her colleagues and
reports are more inclined to accede to her expertise," Lipkin says. "This gives Diane
a great deal of influence."

 The great thing about this power is that no one can take it away from you. It's
knowledge that you hold. However, in order to remain an expert and to keep your
status and influence, you need to continue learning and improving.

 Informational Power

 This is a short-term power that doesn't necessarily influence or build credibility.

For example, a project manager may have all the information for a specific project,
and that will give her "informational power." But it's hard for a person to keep this
power for long, and eventually this information will be released. This should not
be a long-term strategy.

 Power of Reward

 "When you start talking financial livelihood, power takes on a whole new
meaning," Lipkin says. This power is held by those who can motivate people to
respond in order to win raises, promotions and awards.

 Lipkin gives this example: "Both Diane and Bob hold a certain amount of reward
power if they administer performance reviews that determine raises and bonuses
for their people."

 Connection Power

 This power creates influence by proxy and is all about networking. You can attain
this power by gaining favor and being a source of information for the people you
connect with.

 "If I have a connection with someone that you want to get to, that's going to give
me power. That's politics in a way," Lipkin says. "People employing this power
build important coalitions with others ... Diane's natural ability to forge such
connections with individuals and assemble them into coalitions gives her strong
connection power."

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  Referent Power

 This is the most important and real power that leaders should adopt, because it's
all about the quality of the relationship developed with others and how those
relationships are built.

 "This power depends on personal traits and values, such as honesty, integrity and
trustworthiness. People with high referent power can highly influence anyone
who admires and respects them."

 In short, when people perceive you in a power position, they are relying on you
and there's a lot you can achieve through influence.

Power versus authority, why the difference matters

Power and authority. These two terms carry a lot of weight, especially in the
workplace.

Most people might think of these two forms of influence as the same, especially
regarding authority vs. power in management.

Although it appears that there’s a fine line between them, they are different in many
ways.

For those in a leadership position, it’s crucial to understand how their methods of
influence impact others.

An effective leader understands how to use a combination of both power and

authority to achieve team goals. How leaders use their control can determine the
success or failures of their teams.

Let’s take a look at the difference between power vs. authority and how they develop
in the workplace.

What is power?

Power is a person’s capacity or ability to exert their will over someone else.

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Every employee, including managers, exerts a form of power in their places of
work. Different types of power are useful in different situations.

An example of the exertion of power at work would be a manager insisting that his
team adopt a particular work style he prefers. He does this even though they may
prefer to use a different creative style.

Power can be earned through an educational background or by gaining experience in

the field. Or it may be bestowed upon an employee by a company’s management,
executives, owners, or shareholders.

How someone chooses to use their power at work depends on their personality and
position. This work situation will guide the appropriate way for each person to
exercise their power.

For example, an employee might try to exercise a type of power that isn’t appropriate
for the situation or for their role. As a result, their colleagues may not be receptive to
their commands. If a manager or executive were to issue the same request in an
appropriate situation, they might be willing to comply.

What is authority?

Authority is the formal and often legal right that a person holds to make decisions
and give commands to others.

Economist and sociologist Max Weber identified three types of authority. These are
traditional authority, charismatic authority (not to be confused
with charismatic leadership), and legal-rational authority.

In the workplace, authority gives someone the power to enact organizational

changes to a workplace. High executives, owners, and officials tend to have authority
in order to achieve a business’s key objectives.

Authority is often tied to the hierarchy of a company. Authority flows downward,

with commands delegated from manager and leaders to direct reports. An official
cannot perform their duties without permission granted from a higher authority.

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Authority is usually exercised to get a task done through another party. An example
would be a team manager requesting that an employee complete a report by a specific
deadline. Upper management specifies this deadline.

The concept of authority is based on designation. It is restricted only to the

organization, making it more legitimate and persuasive than power.

For example, a manager needs authority. It makes their position real and quantifiable,
and gives them the power to designate tasks to their direct reports. Whenever there
is a chain of business relations in a company, it is authority that binds them and
provides a framework for responsibility.

Authority itself can be delegated. In fact, delegation of authority is an important skill

for leaders to have. It empowers team members to do the work they are best suited
to.

6 differences between power and authority

Here are the key differences between power and authority in the workplace. We’ve
also provided power and authority examples for context.

1. Meaning

Power is the capacity of a person to influence others and alter their actions, beliefs,
and behaviors. However, it’s important to note that there is a difference
between power vs. influence.

Authority is the legitimate power that a person or group is granted to practice over
others within an organization.

2. Source

The source of power depends on the type of power.

Some people see power as something they receive from an external source. This could
be an assigned title or position that gives someone control. For example, a police
officer would have legitimate power. His power comes from his position.

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Some people see power as a personal trait that is derived from status, charisma, and
even financial and social standing. It is an acquired ability that often stems from
superior knowledge and expertise.

In this case, power is the self-granted right to control the decisions and actions of
others.

Position and office determine a person’s authority in a specific situation. Authority

is attached to a position it is conferred to. This means that whichever person holds
the position is also granted the authority attached to it. The higher that person’s
ranking or position, the higher their authority will be.

3. Hierarchy

The hierarchy of power vs. authority is very different.

Power does not follow a specific hierarchy. It can instead flow in any direction. This
could be from superior to subordinate, subordinate to superior, or junior to senior.
Or it could be between people working on similar levels but different departments.

Power is not confined by any boundaries. And, it is usually complicated by an

element of politics in the workplace.

In contrast, authority is hierarchical in nature. It always flows downward. An

authoritative superior can delegate authority to a subordinate or junior employee.

4. Ability to be lost

You can lose both power and authority. But power is easier to lose than authority.

Power is lost quickly through mistakes, as well as poor actions and behaviors.
However, it’s important to note that people often become more powerful the longer
they work in a given industry.

Because power is built on expertise and experience, a person who makes repeated
mistakes in business can lose their credibility — even if they were very powerful
before.

Authority is more technical and static in nature. It’s only lost when a person in a
position of authority loses the position associated with the authority.

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An organization can take authority away from someone by removing them from their
positions. Or by removing responsibilities from that position that formerly gave them
a certain amount of authority.

Take an example of a company manager during a department restructuring. They

might move into a new position with similar pay but with less authority.

5. Formality

Power is more informal. It may be obtained through illegitimate or informal means,

such as nepotism and corruption or organizational networks.

Authority, on the other hand, is both legitimate and formal. It needs to be granted by
a person or entity in a superior position and can get revoked under specified
circumstances or misuses.

6. Legitimacy

People can acquire power through illegitimate means. Power may also be abused.
Because of this, it tends to have less legitimacy than authority. This is particularly
true in a workplace setting.

Employees are generally more likely to respect a superior’s authority than power
exerted from someone of the same rank. The legality behind authority also provides
added legitimacy in some cases.

Power vs. authority in the workplace

There are many different leadership and management styles in the workplace. Each
strikes a different balance between authority and power.

These are the most common leadership styles. Let's look at how they depend on
power and authority to keep teams motivated and productive.

1. Autocratic leadership style

The autocratic leader manages their team through control and a clearly defined
direction. Autocratic managers usually assert strong authority and have full decision-
making power. They expect unquestioning compliance and obedience from their
subordinates.

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This style demands clearly defined roles, strict hierarchies, and even stricter
reporting protocols. Staff should never have to ask who is responsible for which task.

An effective autocratic leader stays up to date on their team’s work. They make all
decisions related to the outcomes of the team.

Autocratic leadership has both advantages and disadvantages. This is especially true
considering only 22% of teams believe their leaders have any clear direction for their
company.

An example of an autocratic leader is Microsoft CEO Bill Gates. He has a clear

direction for his company and directed his team toward it by wholly maintaining his
company’s decision-making powers.

2. Visionary leadership style

This management style is also called strategic, transformational, or inspirational

management. Visionary managers focus their efforts on conveying the general vision
and mission of their company, project, or department to their team and direct reports.

Visionary managers hold a certain amount of authority. But they don’t exert power
over their teams by involving themselves in everyday details.

Instead, they motivate and align their teams to allow everyone to move in the same
direction. They trust their team members to handle the finer details.

This management style requires:

 A high degree of emotional intelligence

 Comfort with taking risks
 Change management abilities

Warren Buffett is an example of a visionary leader who has made millions with his
relaxed but informed approach to business.

3. Consultative leadership style

The consultative leader bases their leadership strategies on input from their team.
This highlights the difference between power and authority.

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While they have the authority to make final decisions, they waive power in favor
of listening to each team member’s viewpoints. Then, they make a decision in line
with these opinions.

This form of leadership tends to arise when a leader is unfamiliar with every aspect
of a situation. They ask for the views of the team on the ground in order to make an
informed decision.

An example would be in a chemical processing business where the subordinates are

scientific experts who know more about the handling of products than their
managers.

Leaders may also choose this leadership style if they are humble enough to consider
all of the views of their team members before making a final decision. This
willingness to take other opinions into account can often lead to far better, more
sustainable decisions.

The main challenge with consultative leadership is that it takes more time than a
directive approach. Plus, it relies on team members’ varying degrees of knowledge
and experience.

4. Participative leadership style

Participative leaders involve themselves completely in their team. They act as a

member instead of a superior.

Participative leaders discuss all possible decisions with their team before making
them. They seek consensus and opinions to make choices that reflect the entire team’s
values.

Participative leaders hold the authority to make final decisions on behalf of the team.
But they choose not to exercise any power over their subordinates. Instead, they
integrate themselves into the team as a member just like any other.

In this leadership style, the entire team takes ownership of final decisions. This
creates a high degree of accountability.

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CEO of Toyota Motor North America Jim Lentz is an excellent example of a
participative leader. He actively guides his team through challenges and failures
to address problems and minimize damages.

Understand power vs. authority to become a better leader

The difference between power and authority lies in their legitimacy, source, and
ability to be lost or enforced.

Using authority vs. power in management is a balancing act. Effective leaders need
to use their authority wisely without exerting too much power over their team
members.

Good leaders should take their team’s ideas into account. And they should make key
decisions that reflect their whole organization, rather than their sole opinions and
motives.

Contact BetterUp to learn more about key management styles. Discover how
our personalized coaching services can optimize your management approach. Our
coaches can help you create a more productive and empowered team dynamic.

These are the key types of authority and authority examples in modern society.

 Founder authority. Founder authority is usually held by the founding member of

a group or organization. ...
 Ownership authority. ...
 Punitive authority. ...
 Relational authority. ...
 Reward authority. ...
 Results authority. ...
 Expert authority. ...
 Reverent authority.

5 Types of Authority Available to Managers

As a leader, you have authority over critical resources. What’s the basis of that
authority? Generally, authority could be defined as: the power, the right, the clout to
influence people and get them to do what you want and need them to. But in active
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leadership we can delineate that definition a bit further. Here are several types of
authority that can be leveraged.

Legal – based on the ability to influence others based on your official authority and
position.

Expert – based on the ability to influence others based on your knowledge and expertise

Reverent – based on the ability to influence others based on your behavior, manner and
approach

Reward – based on the ability to influence others by giving or withholding rewards

Punitive – based on the ability to influence others by imposing a penalty for fault, offense
or violation

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