Power
American sociologists John French and Bertram Raven in 1959 published the article The Bases of Power which defined power as the capacity to influence others (Robbins, 1994, 152). The fact that power is a tool determines its effectiveness especially because it can lead to positive or negative outcomes depending on how it is used.
Power involves:
- A leader
- Team/ Subordinates/organisation
- Resources
Apart from the fact that power involves a leader and the led, it is indeed a useful resource that enables leaders to gain compliance or commitment from others. To many people, power has different meanings. More often than not, people regard power as evil or corrupt while to others; power is a dirty world.
How power relates to leadership
Getting things done requires power. Power can also be viewed as a resource that people use in relationships. When a leader uses power to influences subordinates, it is referred to as downward power. On the other hand, subordinates can also exercise upward power when they influence the decisions made by their leader. It is only effective leaders who involve their teams in getting things done. As part of an organizational life, power can be good or bad. However, great leaders are those who use the power vested in the for the benefit of the people they are leading ( ). Apart from being visionary, they possess some personal power to enact it. Moreover, effective leaders can overcome resistance. Epitomes of great leaders include:
- The late Steve Jobs of Apple computers
- Bill Gates of Microsoft
- Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook,
- Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com,
- Phil Knight of Nike,
- Barack Obama – former US president.
- Sam Walton of Wal-Mart etcetera.
Analyze the five sources of power
Power can be drawn from a variety of sources. Each power supply has a different effect on the target of that power. Some derive from individual characteristics while another draw from the organizational structure. One of the most influential theories of authority comes from the work of French and Raven who asserted that there are five sources of power which are grouped into two broad categories:
- Organizational power ( legitimate, reward, coercive)
- Personal power (expert, referent and informative)
Personal sources of authority are more strongly related to employees’ job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and job performance.
The five sources of power:
Organizational power
Legitimate power.
- Also referred to as positional power.
- It relates to the power that individuals obtain from their role and status within an organization. Legitimate power often involves formal authority delegated to the holder of the position.
- Legitimate power comes from holding a position of power such as being a boss or being in the management team.
Reward power.
- Reward power is a type of organizational power drawn from the financial and material superiority of a leader who confers bonuses, incentives, finance as well as positions to the subordinates.
- A leader who is in a position of motivating the followers through:
o Benefits, rewards, promotions, pay rise, bonuses, offering extra time or even dishing out gifts is said to be practicing reward form of power.
Coercive power.
Coercive power arises of threats, sanctions or other negative consequences.
Examples of threats include:
- Direct punishments
- Withholding the desired resources or rewards.
- The threat of losing the job.
- A negative review of job performance.
- Losing a tender etcetera.
Personal power
Referent power.
- Referent power is the ability to be to attract others and building their loyalty.
- It is based on personality and interpersonal skills of the leader.
- A good example is a charismatic leader with excellent, admirable character traits.
- , A referent power leader can win hearts through his or her character.
- The positive feelings ignited by the head who excises this form of power cause the leader to amass a large following.
Expert power.
- Expert power is said to occur when a person uses his or her skills, experience and knowledge to influence juniors.
- Many organizations are in demand of expert power
- It applies to a particular activity, expertise or profession.
- Gaining expertise in a given area makes one proficient of suitable to hold leadership positions. Expert power is especially important to leaders who require to train others to become leaders as they use their own skills and experience to influence others.
- A good example of where expert power is practiced is an experienced project manager. The project manager has the skills and is able to solve challenging problems that arise during the execution of duties.
Informative power.
Informative power can be seen at the instance in which a person has the much required facts and knowledge considered useful and valuable by others.
The ability to possess such a knowledge helps create a favorable image of the leader to the followers.
Informative power is essential in building credibility and rational persuasion.
Ideally, this form of power is essential in initiating beneficial exchanges with others who seek the information.
Conclusion about power.
- All these types of power can be used to achieve the overall objectives of a firm.
- The more source of power one can access, the greater is the individual’s overall power and ability to get things done.
- It is not a must for one to be in a leadership position to have power.
- The more a person has personal power, the more the respect.
Summarize the relationship between influence and power
The concept of leadership, management, and power is among the most widely debated topics in the academic and political spheres ( ).
Times are changing, and the pursuit of leadership by organizations and individuals is perpetual. With this in mind, there is need to draw the line to bring clear distinctions between power and influence as both relate to effective and enduring leadership.
Leadership is the ability to induce a person to do something that someone would not have otherwise done ( ).
Power and influence are two dynamic terms used in describing leadership types. Though of them relate to leadership, they are certainly different.
Influence is a much broader concept. Ideally, it refers to the actions of a person which has the power to alter the behavior, attitudes, values, feelings and such of someone else ( ). On the other hand, power is one of many other forms of influence ( ). Influence evokes respect. As a matter of fact, influence is the most desirable trait of an effective leader. There is something about the influence that keeps the followers passionately follow their leader even when the head is wrong. For example, Mahatma Gandhi was the most influential personality in India. All the power he possessed was derived from his influence. Though he had no post and power from above, he was greatly influential.
Power, on the other hand, refers to the authority of getting something done. Unlike influence, power evokes fear. Power is seen to be imposed. While some people derive their power from influence, others derive their power from the positions they hold.
DISTINCTIONS
Power is coercive while influence is psychological.
Power comes along with certain physical sanctions which are applicable in power situations. When put into practice, power dictates that rules should be followed strictly!!
Influence, on the other hand, is psychological, persuasive and voluntary. People under the influence have the alternatives. Rather than being compelled, they are persuaded ( ). Successful leaders are influencers rather than power-centered. The ability to influence is an essential characteristic of effective leaders.
Power is positional while influence is personal.
It is quite common for people ascribe power to positions of leadership. A CEO, for example, possesses some degree of power. That form of power has more to do with the position rather than the occupant of the person. Influence, on the other hand, is all about the individual holding the position. More to that, it is attributed to the person by what they are rather than what they are.
Power is wielded while influence is granted.
In this case, power involves how leaders utilize their posts of power. Leaders can be Types of leaders: autocratic, bureaucratic, democratic, charismatic, situational, transactional and transformational ( ). It is quite clear that power comes along with the job description and title that one holds. Influence, on the other hand, is granted by those being led. While power demands, influence commands! Moreover, influence is dependent, and the influencer plays a greater role than just influence. Power is manifested when exercised while influence is demonstrated throughout. Unlike power which ought to be enforced, with influence, there is no need to enforce or coerce.
Power is presented while influence is respected.
Leaders who enforce the flat side of the power are often disliked, hated and rejected by the people following them. With influence, however, one earns respect from of those they lead.
Power is valid only for a limited time while influence is lifelong.
People in leadership position having the power brought about by the stature of the job only hold power as long as they are in office. However, when they vacate office, they cease to possess the skills. On the other hand, leadership with influence continue to have the impact on the people the led and this last whether or not they are in leadership positions. According to Boris Yeltsin, the first president of post-Soviet Russia once said, You can build a throne with bayonets, but you can’t sit on it for long. Leaders ought to cultivate to accumulate both power and influence and learn to use both judiciously and appropriately.
Determine how relationships between leaders and staff affect influence and power
Leaders usually fashion their behavior to accomplish the mission of the organization and when they do so, they influence the employee’s job satisfaction.
Leaders determine the values, culture, change tolerance and employee motivation. They shape institutional strategies including their execution and effectiveness. Leadership cause direct effects and significantly influences relationship upon organizations and success.
Ideally, when the interaction between the leadership and employees is sound, the proletariats are motivated to make a greater contribution to the team. They collaborate more, communication more and are also encouraged to pursue the organization’s missions and objectives passionately. A healthy relationship between a leader and the staff will result in many ways. The power comes from authority. If workers embrace power, the leader will have an easy time managing the team. Organizational efficiency led by the manager is dependent on each department. The manner in which the manager makes decisions, delegates’ responsibility and interacts with employees influences the entire organization.
How relationships between leaders and staff affect influence and power Communication. Leadership styles change communication and productivity. Communication is slow, especially where the systems are bureaucratic since the messages have to scrutinized and subjected to vigorous inspections including checking whether they conform to the institution’s guidelines for submission ( ). Ideally, these systems inhibit communication a great deal! Ideally, this discourages employees from accessing the essential information they require to do their errands. Autocratic leaders who do not involve employees in decision making use the information and systems to suit their needs.
Employee output. The leadership style adopted by the management has the impact of influencing the results posted by the performance of an employee at work. In the instance where employee input is highly valued in an organization, efficiency and productivity are assured. A manager who excises democracy and listens to the voice of the employees not only improves the relationship with the juniors but encourages them to perform and become even better in the job!
Staff Morale. Excising various leadership styles posts different influences on the morale of employees. The leadership style in an organization establishes whether an employee will be productive and contributive in the company. Autocratic leaders who tend to dismiss, alienate and disengage employees in the company’s operations kill the motivation of the employees in working. On the contrary, democratic leaders who are open to employee involvement and permit them to be part of the company’s success raise the team spirit and encourage the workers to be more productive at work and to have a high morale while utilizing their gifts into the enterprise’s activities!
Goals. Leaders with clearly defined organizational goals efficiently use the employees’ productivity. Depending on the style of leadership adopted by the management, employees align themselves with the organization’s objectives. A transformative leader, for example, motivates the junior staff to pursue their dream passionately and put their best foot forward in achieving the company’s missions and visions ( ). Such leaders set specific employee goals and give employees all the implements they require to achieve aims and objectives. A company with empowered meets its goals.