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Transcript
Presenter: Welcome to Mind Tools' Video Learning Series.
How do leaders exercise power in the workplace? And which approaches get the best results?
In the 1950s, psychologists John French and Bertram Raven identified five key bases of power. Raven added a sixth base – Informational Power – a few years later.
Power can be personal or positional.
Personal Power comes from your individual characteristics – your knowledge, your values, and your relationships with other people.
Positional Power comes from the position you hold, and from what it allows you to do.
There are four types of positional power. The first, Legitimate Power, comes from the belief that a person in authority has the formal right to make demands, and to expect compliance.
CEOs and presidents have legitimate power. But they only have it as a result of their positions, and only for as long as they hold those positions.
Reward Power comes from the ability to compensate others.
Powerful people can often give pay raises or promotions, for example. But, they rarely have complete control over these resources, and there may only be a limited supply of rewards available.
Coercive Power lies in the ability to punish others for disobedience, such as firing or demoting someone. Coercive power can be effective in enforcing discipline, but it's easily abused and often causes resentment.
Informational Power is derived from having control over the information that others need or want. The power comes not from the information itself, but from the ability to share, manipulate, or conceal it. You can use informational power to help others, or to hold them back.
Relying on positional power alone can result in unstable and unpopular leadership. So, the most effective leaders can also use Personal Power.
There are two types of personal power:
The first is Expert Power. This is based on high levels of skill and knowledge. When you know your subject, you can make confident, informed decisions. People will respect what you say and trust your opinion.
Finally, Referent Power is when other people see you as charismatic, likable and worthy of respect.
You don't necessarily have to do anything to earn referent power, and it can be easily abused for personal gain. So, it must be used responsibly, for the benefit of others.
Combined with Expert Power, Referent Power is a key attribute of many successful leaders.
By understanding these six forms of power, you can better understand how you're influenced by others, where your own power comes from, and how to develop leadership skills in a positive way.
To learn more about French and Raven's forms of power, see the article that accompanies this video.
Reflective Questions
Once you've watched the video, reflect on what you've learned by answering the following questions:
- Do you have personal or positional power in the workplace?
- Think about your manager, what kind of positional or personal power do they have? How do they use it?
- How can you wield the power you have at work in a positive way?
ReferencesFrench, J.R.P. and Raven, B. (1959). 'The Bases of Social Power.' In 'Studies in Social Power, Cartwright, D.,' pp.150-167. Ann Arbor, MI: Institute for Social Research. Available online
here. [Accessed March 26, 2020.]
