Power in its simplest form is all about the ability to produce effects on others through influence (Hamel 2021). A leader usually holds most if not all of the power in most situations compared to followers, but the two do affect each other. People who have the most power over others usually use certain tactics and skills to actually get people to do what they want. In most settings though, I think this is done through the usage of things, belongings, and titles to exert power over others.
For example in the workplace, there is clearly a hierarchy that is established so that people know their place, and have a consistent chain of command. To establish said hierarchy, there are different and more experienced titles that one gets as they work their way up the food chain. Most entry-level jobs start at an associate level and then it continues to manager, vice president etc. This is done to create clear power barriers, and make it easier for followers to get trapped in the system. In the workplace, the higher up you are, the more knowledge you are meant to have about whatever industry you’re in. This would be considered “expert power” because one person has a larger amount of knowledge compared to their subordinate. In the workplace there is also “legitimate power” which just means that your position of power has been assigned by your workplace or boss. In actuality, it is meant to make everyone’s lives easier as everyone has someone to look up to and report to, but it can be seen as degrading in some eyes.
Power in the corporate world is meant to motivate employees, because there is always a position higher that they are trying to chase. This ladder is created to keep that motivation up, because without it there would be no purpose to working and doing a good job. I think the power dynamic between an employee and their boss is what drives the global working landscape, and it has been this way for many years. Honestly, I think it works, and it provides a good outlet for people to self-motivate if they want to.
Hamel, R. (n.d.). Lesson 7: Introduction to Leadership, 2021
We can look at this power and influence in the corporate workplace and apply it to the Leader-Member Exchange Theory too. This theory discusses how there are two options, being a part of the in-group or the out-group. Individuals in the in-group have roles and responsibilities given to them that typically go beyond their job description (Hamel, 2021). People in the out-group are only expected to do what the formal contract of employment tells them to do (Hamel, 2021). Whether one is in an in-group or out-group depends on the follower and how willing they are to do more than what is expected. If a follower always goes above and beyond and works well with their leader, they will be a part of the in-group. However, if they only do what their job descriptions tell them to do, they will be a part of the out-group. This depends on the follower and their level of effort; some people don’t have the desire to go above and beyond so they don’t. These two groups are important to note because if one is a part of the in-group, they will likely be given more opportunities and support that could lead to the gain of power (Hamel, 2021).
In your post you discuss how in corporate jobs there is a clear hierarchy, everyone knows who they are supposed to report to, and the chain of command is always consistent. To move up this chain, as you state the follower has to continuously gain more experienced titles. The people that are in these in-groups, will most likely be the ones who can work up this chain of command. This is because in-group individuals are more likely to get more opportunities and experiences from their leaders (Hamel, 2021). It is likely that in the end, people in the in-group who are getting more tasks and roles will start having more power than those in the out-group. This can also be emphasized with the “legitimate power” you discuss where the assigned power is through one’s boss. Well, who do you think will be getting assigned more power? The individuals who are in the in-group because these are the people who are closer to their bosses. By looking at the hierarchy in an organization, we can understand who would be more likely to have growth when you take into consideration the employees who are in the in-group versus those in the out-group.
Resources:
Hamel, R. (2021). Lesson 8: Leadership-Member Exchange Theory
Hi, I think your ideas are greatly connected to what we discuss this lesson. The interplay between expert power and legitment power is interesting in the workplace, but I don’t think that higher position definitely mean that you have more knowledge in the area. Some leaders would use more legitment power (or position power) to keep a team organized, many times these teams would be task-focused team, and the leaders who are newly assigned to a team would be more likely to exert this kind of power. I believe it is important for the leaders to make decision about the situations for using these two different kinds of power in order to achieve maximum productivity with the team.