The Bases of Power and the Use of Power by Managers

1541 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Organizational power and control

Power is defined as “the potential ability to influence behaviour, to change the course of events, to overcome resistance, and to convince people to do things that they would not do otherwise.” (Pfeffer, 1992. p.29). Power in organisational can be broken into bases of power. These bases of power are able to be grouped into two general labels - formal and personal. It is the aim of this essay to identify, describe and differentiate the bases of power, as well as analogise the use of power by managers in an organisational setting accompanied with examples. To do this, this essay will firstly address the bases of power as well as the two general labels; followed by describing and differentiating between the bases under their respective label. Next this essay will demonstrate the use of power by managers in an organisation, and finally the six bases of power will be applied to managers through examples.

The various bases of power, as identified by French and Raven, are reward, coercion, legitimate, expert, referent and informational. The last of these six bases, informational, was originally extracted from the bases expert. (Raven, B. H. 1993.) As stated before, these bases of power are grouped into two categories – formal and personal. The formal bases of power include: coercion, reward, legitimate, and information. Therefore both expert and referent are categorised as personal. Personal power originates from an “individual’s unique characteristic,” (Answers.com. 2014) which can otherwise be referred to as being reflective on the individual in power to their personality and mentality towards influencing others. Formal power can come from the ability to “coerce or reward, from formal authority, or from control of information.” (An...

... middle of paper ...

...12. Influence of Power Bases on Leadership Strategies Adopted by Managers’ in Information Technology Organizations. European Journal of Business and Management, 4 (11), pp. 101--108. Accessed from: [Accessed on: 18th Mar 2014].
Pfeffer, J. 1992. Managing with power. Boston, Mass.: Harvard Business School Press.
Pfeffer, J. 1992. Understanding power in organizations. California Management Review, 34 (2), pp. 29--50. Accessed from: [Accessed on: 3rd Mar 2014].
Raven, B. H. 1993. The bases of power: Origins and recent developments. Journal of Social issues, 49 (4), pp. 227--251. Accessed from: DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-4560.1993.tb01191.

Show More
Related

  • Forced Labor in "King Leopold’s Ghost"

    1342 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sociology 1010. York University. 11 January 2010 Landstreet, Peter. A. The “Power and Power Relations Lecture”.

    Read More

  • Power

    713 Words  | 2 Pages

    Power. It is defined as the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events. Throughout time, certain individuals have acquired power in their society as a way to govern and keep order among their community. Power is not a new concept; it was used in the past by many emperors, kings, and queens, and is still being used by presidents, prime ministers, and dictators. Although, it has been used to further progress societies into what the world is like today, not all power has been used for the best of mankind. But what goes awry to make power turn corrupt? In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, it is illustrated how power can turn corrupt, when authoritative figures, who possess power, abuse it for their personal gain, rather than for the common good of the society.

    Read More

  • Women in Islamic Cultures

    976 Words  | 2 Pages

    Power- an ability || physical strength || controlling influence || a person of great influence

    Read More

  • Power, Authority, and Conflict

    1622 Words  | 4 Pages

    Power is a difficult concept to identify; it has been defined in several ways by many scholars. Hinings et al. (1967) state that power is analogous to bureaucracy, while Bierstedt (1950) and Blau (1964) state that it is purely coercion (Stojkovic et al, 2008). Moreover, Hall and Tolbert (2005) identify that there are five types of power, reward, coercive, legitimate, referent, and expert (Stojkovic et al, 2008). According to studies these five types of power are important and needed in a criminal justice agency for greater effectiveness and efficiency.

    Read More

  • Control And Leadership

    1061 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sears Holdings is a company in transition. Now, faced with adversity and the threat of bankruptcy looming its leadership has come under scrutiny. “Great leaders not only have drive; they want to lead. Also important is a high need for power, a preference to be in leadership rather than follower positions. A high power need induces people to attempt to influence others, and sustains interest and satisfaction in the process of leadership. When the power need is exercised in moral and socially constructive ways, rather than to the detriment of others, leaders inspire more trust, respect, and commitment to their vision (Bateman, pp 399, 2007).”

    Read More

  • Impact of Power Imbalance in Conflicts

    1126 Words  | 3 Pages

    Tost, L., Gino, F., & Larrick, R. P. (2013). When power makes others speechless: the negative impact of leader power on team performance. Academy Of Management Journal, 56(5), 1465-1486. doi:10.5465/amj.2011.0180

    Read More

  • Braynion: The Five Sources Of Power And Leadership

    743 Words  | 2 Pages

    According to the "Power and Leadership" essay written by Paula Braynion, "the first thing one encounters when trying to understand power is a difficulty in arriving at a concise definition, as there are many and varied definitions and perspectives seeking to explore and explain the concept." (Braynion, para 1) There are two main kinds of power to look at when figuring out how power and leadership relate. The first kind of power is formal power which is obtain by an individual from having a formal or privileged position in an organization's hierarchy, for example a VP or a CEO would have formal power over his or her employees. The second kind of power is known as informal power or influential power, this power is based on the ability to influence others rather than the ability to control rewards and punishment. Informal power is the result of peers and other employees choosing to follow an

    Read More

  • Comparing Foucault's 'Truth And Juridical Forms'

    2238 Words  | 5 Pages

    They are not only its inert or consenting target; they are always also the elements of its articulation” (Foucault, “Two Lectures” 34). Power may take various forms, all of which are employed and exercised by individualsand unto individuals in the institutions of society. In all institutions, there is political and judicial power, as certain individuals claim the right to give orders, establish rules, and so forth as well as the right to punish and award. For example, in school, the professor not only teaches, but also dictates, evaluates, as well as punishes and rewards.

    Read More

  • Importance Of Power In Nursing

    812 Words  | 2 Pages

    Usually, the belief is that the managers, administrators, presidents or even the supervisors, have the greatest source of power, because they are at the top of the ladder in the hierarchy of the organization. The reality is that they need

    Read More

  • Leadership Assessment

    1349 Words  | 3 Pages

    The literature generally suggests that effective leaders express their needs and motives in ways that benefit the organization. These needs or motives, are considered to be; tenacity, power, drive and work ethic (DuBrin et al. 2006). The power motive is significant, as it plays a major role in the relations taking place within the organization. Power over others is an inevitable part of leadership, but it also carries with it the risks associated with the misuse or abuse of power (Wikipedia, 2008).

    Read More

  • The Structure of Power in American Society by C. Wright Mills

    812 Words  | 2 Pages

    C. Wright Mills in his article “ The Structure of Power in American Society” writes that when considering the types of power that exist in modern society there are three main types which are authority, manipulation and coercion. Coercion can be seen as the “last resort” of enforcing power. On the other hand, authority is power that is derived from voluntary action and manipulation is power that is derived unbeknownst to the people who are under that power.

    Read More

  • Characteristics Of A Leader Is An Effective Leader

    1993 Words  | 4 Pages

    Unfortunately, being inspiring to employees is not enough. These situations occur when employees face challenges in accomplishing goals. In such situations, a leader needs to exercise power and influence to push forth the desired goals. While the course identified five sources of power, I believe only three should be considered for an effective leader. The first is legitimate power (6), which is often considered the first source of power in the organizations I have worked in. The source of power comes...

    Read More

  • Compare and Contrast of the Three Faces of Power

    1832 Words  | 4 Pages

    Some theorists believe that ‘power is everywhere: not because it embraces everything, but because it comes from everywhere… power is not an institution, nor a structure, nor possession. It is the name we give to a complex strategic situation in a particular society. (Foucault, 1990: 93) This is because power is present in each individual and in every relationship. It is defined as the ability of a group to get another group to take some form of desired action, usually by consensual power and sometimes by force. (Holmes, Hughes &Julian, 2007) There have been a number of differing views on ‘power over’ the many years in which it has been studied. Theorist such as Anthony Gidden in his works on structuration theory attempts to integrate basic structural analyses and agency-centred traditions. According to this, people are free to act, but they must also use and replicate fundamental structures of power by and through their own actions. Power is wielded and maintained by how one ‘makes a difference’ and based on their decisions and actions, if one fails to exercise power, that is to ‘make a difference’ then power is lost. (Giddens: 1984: 14) However, more recent theorists have revisited older conceptions including the power one has over another and within the decision-making processes, and power, as the ability to set specific, wanted agendas. To put it simply, power is the ability to get others to do something they wouldn’t otherwise do. In the political arena, therefore, power is the ability to make or influence decisions that other people are bound by.

    Read More

  • How Does The External Environment Affect Employment Relations?

    1292 Words  | 3 Pages

    The concept of industrial relations involves the interaction of employers and employees, for that reason without power and authority will be a lack of direction and control over the system of industrial relations. Authority frequently comes from the duties and responsibilities delegated to a position holder in a bureaucratic structure whilst Power is the possession of authority, control, or influence by which a person influences the actions of others, either by direct authority or by some other, added intangible

    Read More

  • Four Leadership Style Essay

    1244 Words  | 3 Pages

    Legitimate Power – This is power that comes from holding a position within an organization

    Read More

More about The Bases of Power and the Use of Power by Managers

Open Document