Legitimate power is based on a person’s position within an organization. It is the authority of the position that gives the individual power, such as teachers having power to assign their students homework (PSUWC, Lesson 7, p. 5). Because the power is situational and remains with the position and not within the person, there is no guarantee that a person put in a position of authority will make a good leader.
In order to be a good leader a person in a position of legitimate power must also hold other characteristics of a leader. Legitimate power is not always respected or, ironically, seen as legitimate by others. For example, not every student will follow a teacher’s directions to do homework or give respect to a teacher just because of their position of authority. To be successful, a teacher must be able to use their power to lead and not to force.
According to Northouse (2013), leadership is the process of an individual influencing a group of individuals to achieve a common goal. A good leader cannot simply rely on their positional authority to influence others; I think there must be a combination of power along with some other characteristic of a good leader. If a person with legitimate power is not out to be a good leader, then they are likely to just abuse their power. Some people simply have a need for power, but when they are abusing that power it is likely a personalized need. This would include people that are “selfish, impulsive, uninhibited, and lacking in self-control” (PSUWC, Lesson 7, p. 6). They use their power for their own selfish needs instead of using it to lead others for the better of their organization (PSUWC, Lesson 7, p. 5).
I think unfortunately there are too many people that will abuse their legitimate power. Bosses, teachers, even parents can abuse their legitimate power. In order for anyone, in any profession, to be a good leader having legitimate power isn’t enough. Leadership doesn’t require legitimate power but legitimate power does require leadership to be successful.
Resources
Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
PSU World Campus (2014). PSYCH 485: Leadership in Work Settings. Lesson 7: Power and Influence. Retrieved from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/su14/psych485/001/content/07_lesson/06_page.html.
To play Devil’s Advocate, I will disagree with your stance on the ineffectiveness as a leader utilizing legitimate power. Legitimate power comes from “having a position of power in an organization, such as being the boss or a key member of a leadership team…when employees in the organization recognize the authority of the individual” (Abudi 2011).
Analyzing this idea externally, without being a participator of an organization, it is easy to think if the CEO of a company tells his/her employees to perform a job task, they will, without hesitation do so, in order to receive their paycheck that they are working so hard for. When you view a company from the perspective of the employees it is understandable that not all employees will respect their authority however, to perform apt to their job requirements, they will follow an order.
Looking back to Ancient Egypt, research shows that pharaohs such as King Tut were the rulers of the people. King Tut came to power before his teenage years; He was the Pharaoh and lord of the land. At such a young age, King Tut had nothing more than legitimate power, yet he still ruled and was eventually mummified as royalty members are without ever losing respect from his people. A more current example is Queen Victoria. Born into royalty, she inherited the British thrown, also at an early age. The people of Great Britain did not owe Queen Victoria any respect, but due to her legitimate power, she served a reign longer than any other woman which came to be known as the Victorian Era.
Admittedly, legitimate power may not always be enough to hold the influence a leader has over his/her followers. However, there are many cases throughout history that show that legitimate power is a reliable source of power and can enable a leader to rule/ influence people.
Abudi, G. (2011, August 26). The 5 Types of Power in Leadership. The Fast Track. Retrieved June 24, 2014, from http://quickbase.intuit.com/blog/2011/08/26/the-5-types-of-power-in-leadership/
I think that your idea is completely right; just because you have legitimate power does not mean that you are a good leader.
In my opinion, I think that people need to earn legitimate power. Just because a person is put in a position does not mean that they are respected. Without respect of their followers, their power is worthless. In order for someone with legitimate power to be a leader they need to give respect to get respect and treat their followers as they would like to be treated.
There are so many cases when professors are disrespected by students even though they technically have “legitimate power”. In order for the teachers to be a good leader, they need to show their authority through respectful methods instead of strictly punishments.
I think this post is good, but do you have any specific examples of when you saw this happening? I can definitely think of many examples of people with legitimate power being disrespected by others or only providing negativity, making them a bad leader.