Power is described as the ability to influence behavior, to change the course of events, to overcome resistance and to get people to do things that they would not otherwise do. Throughout the course of history, leaders have been responsible for helping groups obtain a number of goals. Ideally, leaders use their power to steer groups toward desired outcomes or the greatest good for the greatest number of people. However, leaders have been known to use their power in the service of their own self-interest.
Five experiments identified factors within both the person and the social context that determine whether leaders wield their power to promote group goals or self-interest. In most cases, leaders behaved in a manner consistent with group goals.
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The harsh–soft bases of power are differentiated by the amount of freedom that the target feels in choosing whether or not to comply. Harsh power bases, as the name suggests, constrain individuals’ freedom to comply with the leaders’ demands. Harsh power bases include coercion, reward, and legitimacy of position, equity, and reciprocity. Soft power bases, on the other hand, endow organizational members with more freedom and autonomy in accepting the demands from the influencing agent. Soft power bases include expert, referent, informational power, and legitimacy of dependence. Compared to harsh power bases, soft power bases are typically received more favorably and are associated with more positive individual and organizational outcomes. Despite these differences, not all leaders are inclined to bring soft power bases into play. Different leaders have different leadership styles that influence which bases of power they will …show more content…
Cooperation compared to competition and independence has been found to induce mutual assistance, exchange of information and resources, attraction and support, and productivity, especially on more complex tasks.
Experiments suggest that goal interdependence affects power and influence in the leader relationship. In cooperation, compared to competition, superiors and subordinates expected mutual assistance, exchanged resources, and developed confidence and liking. Managers in cooperation, compared to competition and independence, used collaborative rate than coercive influence, gave assistance when requested, and responded to the specific problem of the subordinate appropriately. An analysis of interviews with 46 hospital employees and managers reveals that power and influence can be affected by the dependence of employees and managers upon each other. Results indicate that cooperative interdependence contributes to productivity and leads to efficient completion of
Power allows people to do anything they want. They can use it in different ways, they can tell people to obey them, they can use it to hurt someone they hate, and even rob. They can also use it in a positive way, they can help people and do a lot of good things with it.
Power is authority and strength, which is any form of motive force or energy, ability to act, or control. When too much power is given, a dictatorship government can form, in which all decisions are made by one authority. In the book Animal Farm, by George Orwell the author portrays how “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely” (Lord Acton).
The authors, Nelson and Quick describe that relationship oriented leader’s do well in situations of intermediate favorableness by determining the “degree of fit between the leader and the situation” (Nelson & Quick, 2013). Relations...
Power is a quality, a tool, and a weapon utilized for a variety of reasons. It is in the form of a quality in which it gives the possessor, a sense of control. In the form of a weapon, power is possessed in order to produce a negative environment of hurt and punishment. But, in the form of a tool, power may be used in order to gain something more, something positive. Thus, power creates a sense of superiority which may result in consequences on both side of the spectrum, the good or the bad.
Leadership is a process by which an individual influences others to accomplish a mutual objective and most scholars can agree that leadership can be defined as the nature of the influencing process. Leaders carry out this process by applying their leadership attributes, such as beliefs, values, ethics, character, knowledge, and ski...
John C. Maxwell once wrote, “Leadership is the power of one harnessing the power of many.” Rousseau, in The Social Contract Theory writes that leadership is necessary to create law. A leader must have the ability to provide for all, no matter the case. Thus, they must have the “power of many” in order to understand the will of the people. A population cannot create laws for itself without guidance from some higher power. An effective leader must be able to harness the power of many in order to create effective laws and rules for the collective good.
There are always people who, in a group, come out with better qualities to be a leader than others. The strongest people however, become the greater influences which the others decide to follow. However, sometimes the strongest person is not the best choice. Authors often show how humans select this stronger person to give an understanding of the different powers that people can posses over others.
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).
The ideology of power and leadership is defined in many different ways throughout history. The generalization has a common definition but each individual aspect is vastly different for each individual.
Power has been defined as the psychological relations over another to get them to do what you want them to do. We are exposed to forms of power from the time of birth. Our parents exercise power over us to behave in a way they deem appropriate. In school, teachers use their power to help us learn. When we enter the work world the power of our boss motivates us to perform and desire to move up the corporate ladder so that we too can intimidate someone with power one day. In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness Kurtz had a power over the jungle and its people that was inexplicable.
Particularly, two members within my group began to emerge as leaders due to their knowledge, skills, as well as experience working with our chosen population. Although I always view them as ‘experts’ in this topic, our group became less focused on our goals and more concerned about the ‘power struggle’ between our two leaders, before we could reach any consensus. Essentially, our group had two authoritarians butting heads and trying to take lead throughout the beginning of the group process. Thus, the other members or ‘followers’ contribution, like mine, seem to not matter unless they adhered to either leaders’ opinions without question. According to Stringer (2014), “Leadership… Is defined according to its function of facilitating organizational and operational processes, rather than defining and controlling them” (p. 31). The researcher further states that active participation is the key to encourage and motivate group members to invest their time and energy to shape the quality of the group's production. Therefore, our group needed to find ways for all members to have a chance to participate fully and apply their individual strengths, in order to enhance our group’s
Authoritarian leaders, provide clear expectations about what, when, and how something is to be done. However, these leaders lead with an iron fist, marking a clear delineation between the leaders and the followers (Bass, 2008). This sort of leadership style inherently alienates group members since they feel they have no input on changes being made. Research has shown that employees are less creative and less innovative under this style of leadership (Bass, 2008). A successful leader achieves his goals by granting power to his followers through influence (Nye,
Large groups of people are subject to a phenomenon known as groupthink which is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people, in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2008). The responsibility that comes with wielding that much power over a group of people can be heady and needs to be taken seriously for the simple fact that it can be abused. Lack of responsibility is easy to see as multiple examples are spread throughout history; Adolf Hitler or Joseph Stalin are great examples of abuse of power, but Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandi exemplify how this responsibility can be used for the greater good as
university president for instance has more power than a dean of a business school, but they both have formal power. Personal power, on the other hand, is the capacity to influence others that comes from being viewed as knowledgeable and likable by followers. This is a type of power that derives from the interpersonal relationships that leaders develop with followers (Yukl, 2006). Some argue that when leaders have both position and personal power, it is advisable to use personal power most of the time. Overuse of position power may erode the ability of a leader to influence people (Goffee, & Jones, 2007). Of course, it is important to know when it is most appropriate to use position power and to be able and willing to use it (Daft, 2005; Goffee,
When power becomes legitimate, it is then recognized as authority (Denhardt et al, 2001). Power becomes authority when it is accepted and even desired by society. As stated by the course study notes, “authority refers to a situation where a person (or group) has been formally granted a leadership position”. An individual has authority when everyday norms and regulations support the exercising of power by that individual. In an organizational setting, “authority is hierarchal and vested in positions” (Week 9 Study Notes), which are defined by “organizational charts, positions and rules” (Week 9 Study Notes). Generally, power in authority also involves the possibility of rewards such as promotions and good performance reviews.