The study of leadership would likely be incomplete without mention of power. For many years, it was argued that leadership was the control of power, “with a common theme of domination” (Northouse, 2013, p. 2). However, over time, researchers were able to distinguish power “as a function of the leader, the followers, and the situation” (The Pennsylvania State University, 2013, Lesson 7: Power and Influence). Specifically, power has been defined as “the capacity or potential to influence” others (Northouse, 2013, p. 9).
People derive power from various sources, including themselves, their followers and the situation. There are five distinct forms of power, which are: expert; referent; legitimate; reward; and coercive (Northouse, 2013; PSU, 2013). Expert power is determined by the amount of knowledge that one possesses and on which others must depend. Referent power is determined by the strength of regard follower’s have for a leader, such as someone who is highly respected. Legitimate power is determined by a formal power structure, such as with an organizational hierarchy that defines certain positions as supervisors. Reward power is determined by the leader’s control over resources, such as benefits. Lastly, coercive power is derived from fear, force and punishment (Northouse, 2013; PSU, 2013).
Although expert and referent power have been found to have the best performing followers, it is possible to use more than one form of power, for any given situation with any given followers (PSU, 2013). Sometimes a single situation with different followers might involve different forms of power.
Take for example an organization that has a formal hierarchy with a President, Vice-President, Treasurer, and several executive board members. The hierarchy determines that there is legitimate power given to the President that takes precedent over the other members. Likewise, the President might have expert power, as they have amassed large amounts of knowledge about the organization, and they might as well have reward power, with the ability to make decisions that control team resources. However, it might be the case that the members of the organization are unhappy with the President due to some policy changes, and therefore the leader has lost some of their referent power. Having no regard for the President, the executive board members and the rest of the President’s cabinet may challenge the President due to the loss of referent power. The President may then result to using coercive power in order to enforce rules.
The aforementioned example demonstrates how there is not one single form of power that is best. Leaders must develop an awareness of different sources of power, and understand what the appropriate form of power is for the follower(s) and situation(s).
References
Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
The Pennsylvania State University. (2013). Lesson 7: Power and Influence. PSYCH 485: Leadership in Work Settings. [Online Lecture Notes]. Retrieved from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/fa13/psych485/001/content/07_lesson/03_page.html