Types of Power
- Legitimate/Positional Power. This is a traditional form of power that managers gain simply by title or status within the organization. Employees comply with their managers’ directives because they believe the supervisor has the right to make the requests, and as employees, they have an obligation to do as directed. This type of power is usually effective unless the request has overtones of impropriety or arrogance.
- Expert Power. This type of power is apparent when the leader has advanced knowledge or expertise in an area that is considered valuable to the organization. The employees comply because they believe the supervisor has superior knowledge about the way to do something.
Team members’ responses to this form of power are likely to be positive if the request is persuasive and if team members share the leader’s goals. However, if the request seems pompous or insulting, the leader may meet significant resistance.
- Reward Power. A leader who uses positive reinforcement, awards bonuses for performance, or recognizes employees for jobs well done epitomizes this type of leadership. Employees comply with directions in order to obtain rewards that they believe are controlled by the leader.
Reward power is most effective if the employees view the leader as sincere rather than manipulative. Over time, this type of power may lose its appeal as team members become desensitized to the reward.
- Coercive Power. Coercive leverage is the polar opposite of reward power. Leaders who wield coercive power use punishment, embarrassment, or public degradation as a means to ensure employee performance. The employees comply to avoid punishment by the person in charge.
This use of coercive power usually is not effective. People are highly resistant to being forced into any decision. Supervisors who gravitate toward this form of influence often see high turnover in their teams and do not engender loyalty.
- Referent Power/Friendship. It’s all about “who you know.” A leader with a significant amount of referent power may have many connections in political or community circles or a powerful social network that can be used to his or her advantage. The employees comply because they admire or identify with the supervisor and wants to gain approval. This form of influence is most effective when team members share the leader’s goals.
- Charismatic Power. These leaders, because of their powerful, positive energy, are able to influence many followers , even those who are resisters. . Employees are transported into a world where they blindly follow the instructions of the team leader, who has a natural ability to persuade and inspire others.
This power can be most effective when the leader is able to capture the emotions of team members and draw them into his or her sphere of influence. Followers are said to “drink the Kool-Aid,” which refers to the near hypnotic effect these leaders have in influencing the beliefs and actions of others.
- Moral Power. Most commonly reserved for religious leaders or civil rights activists, moral power is the degree to which a person, by virtue of his or her perceived moral stature, is able to persuade others to adopt a particular belief or take a particular course of action.
Moral power is based on whether one is perceived as morally well intentioned and capable, and whether one has the moral standing to speak to an issue. More specifically, a leader’s good qualities can lead to his or her having moral power over an employee who may be inspired to replicate the leader’s actions.
Implications
How leaders actually use their power and under what circumstances is a pivotal function of the leaders’ success. Research suggests that effective leaders rely more on personal than positional power. Nevertheless, positional power is still important because without it the leader lacks sufficient authority to influence team members.
The effectiveness of the method of influence (rational persuasion, pressure/exchange tactics, legitimate requests, and personal appeals) varies with the status of the team member and the purpose of the attempt to influence. We know that effective leaders tend to use power in subtle ways that minimize status differences and avoid threats to the team members’ self-esteem.
Research indicates that leaders who exercise reward and coercive powers often overuse them to the extent of resentment and negative productivity. In the same way, a leader lacking sufficient positional power to reward competent team members, make necessary changes, and deal with chronic low performers will find it nearly impossible to create a high-performing team.
This leads us to conclude that leaders with expert, reverent, and charismatic power are likely to be the most effective. These forms of power persuade team members to engage with the leader and his goals, assisting in moving his agenda forward. For school business officials to be most effective, it is important to engage team members with a compelling vision (positional leadership) combined with charismatic and expert leadership.
It is worth the time and effort to reflect on how you use the power you hold. Perhaps the next time you must influence your team, you will consider the various forms of power and intentionally choose the method that will be most effective.
Resource
Leadership in Organizations, Second Edition, by Gary A. Yukl, State University of New York at Albany. 1989, 1981 by Prentice Hall, Inc., pp. 34-53.