In the 1900s two men, John French and Bertram Raven respectively, defined five main sources of power from which leaders can derive their influence. A leader could easily have multiple power bases to draw from, so it is not as if a person can only have his or her influence derived from just one of these categories. A person could even have all five bases motivate others to behave in a certain way. The power bases are not logically exclusive. And, of course, these concepts and practices existed before they were formally codified in the 1900s (just as logic was not invented by Aristotle).
Clearly, politics and business heavily involve leadership. But part of my reason for writing this out is simply because I often have information I've put on my blog locked within my mind upon writing it, and I could benefit from this in light of a college class that has thus far been taught in a way that is both very vague and ineffective in teaching on leadership.
Expert power exists when someone holds power/influence because of his or her knowledge, expertise, and/or skills. By nature this power can be quite narrow, focused into a very particular area, and thus someone who has expert power in one scenario may have none of it in another situation. People need to be careful to never believe that an expert is correct simply by nature of being an expert, though.
Legitimate power rests on the perceived authority of a position itself. For instance, someone might listen to the president of the United States simply because of the office held by him (or her, although there has not yet been a female American president). There is a great irony about some instances of "legitimate power": just because someone is respected for his or her position doesn't mean that he or she should even be in the position to begin with! The problem with this power base is that no one actually has intellectual or moral authority simply by holding a position, only by operating in accordance with reality. Someone with legitimate power might not deserve or be qualified for his or her role, regardless of what others think.
Referent power is rooted in social connections with others. A leader with a strong referent power base can inspire change, easily obtain the allegiance of others, and maintain strong relationships with subordinates. Those who have certain personalities may possess this kind of influence without having to develop it over time. In a more informal sense, people who are not leaders of a political, religious, or business entity can still have referent power. Empathy can greatly help cultivate referent power, although empathy is not logically necessary to have it--even a charming sociopath or psychopath could have it too. A manipulative person and genuine person alike could have referent power.
Reward power is, as the name directly suggests, based on the bestowing of rewards to reinforce desired behaviors. In a business setting, rewards might include additional one-time compensation, raises, promotions, new responsibilities, or even internal company recognition. A Theory Y leader might gravitate towards this power base, with Theory Y being the belief that people tend to be self-motivated and others-oriented, and the contrary Theory X holding that people tend to be lazy and selfish. Both theories are false and fallacious, of course, because they extrapolate from one person or set of persons to others, when all people are individuals with their own at least partly unique motivations and characteristics. The reward power base could certainly foster referent power, an example of how one base could connect with another.
Coercive power is the inverse of reward power, derived from the meting out of punishments or the fear of what punishments might be imposed. It could stand on the mere threat of punishment and not necessarily only the carrying out of punishments. Thus, this power can be wielded without ever even punishing anyone in actuality, as simple intimidation or expectation can be sufficient to establish this base. A person who leads mostly or solely through coercive power is a tyrant, a person who rules through illegitimate fear. A Theory X leader could easily emphasize coercive power.
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