Preview

Positional and Personal Power

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
3026 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Positional and Personal Power
"Drawing from positional sources of power is more effective in organizational settings than drawing from personal sources of power." Discuss.

In this coursework I shall discuss two theories explaining different sources of power that related to positional sources of power and personal sources of power. I shall outline the usage of positional sources of power and personal sources of power , I also use sources to support or against statement. After that comparison will exist between positional sources of power and personal sources of power since by using some examples. Finally, I shall decide whether I agree or disagree this statement and comment on the influence of both sources of power in contemporary organizational systems and then conclude about the most effective way for manager. As a manager of the firm, power is a significant tool to influence employees. French and Raven's(1959,p434-435) shows that power can be divided by five sources that include legitimate power,reward power,coercive power,referent power and expertise power. Hales(2001,p435) develops further on French and Raven's theory claiming that coercive power, reward power,expertise power and referent power can involve both a personal and a positional source, except legitimate power which is only belonging to positional sources of power. It is manifest that positional power is depends on the role of the person in the organization whereas personal power is derived by the individual's personality, skills and capabilities. Now, it is turning to explain the usage of positional power and personal power by analysing the theory of French and Raven(1959,p434-435). Legitimate power appears to be derived from the formal position of a person in the organization which means the higher the position, the greater the power. For example, the boss has the power to decide to recruit or cut staffs, make capital expenditures and investment decisions. Actually, legitimate power is really useful.As


Bibliography: Situation Management Systems,Inc.(1998). Character building:The Positive Use Of Positional Power. [Online] Available http://smsinc.com/resources/articles/the_positive_use_of_positional_power.html [accessed on 27 November,2011]
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Five Form of Power Unit 7
    • 632 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Five Form of Power Unit 7

    Coercive Power I have seen used before in a larger company were you felt like a number because of the type of power. You had your chain of command if you were down at the bottom of the pole like a new hire it was very confusing at time, because you would have multiple bosses that sometimes felt they had the power. You would have one boss tell you what to do and another boss tells you another thing. Coercive Power management when used right can be effective, but if used wrong can be little an employee. If used right it gets everyone going in the right direction and keeps them on the right track. Legitimate power is when someone in authority complies with orders given to them because they believe that the position or title that the person holds gives him the right to use that power. I see this type of…

    • 632 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    BUS610 Week 6 Discussion 1
    • 283 Words
    • 1 Page

    BUS610 Week 6 Discussion 1

    The term power can be defined different ways but our text, Organizational Behavior (2012), maintains that “power is the ability to influence the behaviors of others using formal and informal means” (Baack, 2012). Power does not necessarily have to equate with results; a powerful person can lead an organization or offer their opinion to others who, based on the speaker/leaders inherent power, will respond accordingly. Power also describes “any ability to do something, including abilities of non-human agents. So we speak of the ‘power of an engine or a machine’, the ‘power of speech’ or ‘the power of the West’” (Hamilton, 2013). The primary distinction between power and domination is that one person or group has the power to do something versus the power over something or someone else. Oftentimes, leaders such as managers or organizational heads, take the power of their position and further it to that of a dominator who commands their subordinates, offers ultimatums, and manages in an autocratic sometimes tyrannical manner. Power and domination can work concurrently if balance is employed. A leader can take the power of their position to agreeably get subordinates to perform in a specific manner – the balancing act is exercising both power and domination in a way that isn’t abrasive, by figuring out a way to make employees or subordinates feel involved in the decision-making and action processes.…

    • 283 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Managing Across the Organization
    • 767 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Managing Across the Organization

    A manager needs to understand the interdependency of departments, internal partnerships, and the influence of power and politics to effectively manage across the organization. Effective managers use various political tactics to increase their power within the organization to coordinate and support the work of their peers and subordinates to meet company objectives. Managers regularly acquire and use power. Power-oriented behavior has an impact on managerial career progress, on job performance, on organizational effectiveness, and on the personal lives of employees (Obholzer, 1995). It involves the combined topics of power, influence, authority, and organizational politics. When running an organization, all these factors should be taken into consideration.…

    • 767 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Forms Of Power: Working In The Dental Field
    • 852 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Forms Of Power: Working In The Dental Field

    Power refers to the capacity that someone has to influence the behavior of another person. The most important part of aspect of power is that it is a function of dependency. The greater someone is dependent on another person, the greater their power is over that person. There are five forms of power; three of them which are considered formal power and the remaining…

    • 852 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Influencing Group Communication
    • 1001 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Influencing Group Communication

    The five bases of power are coercive power, reward power, legitimate power, expert power, and referent power. Three of these powers are formal powers and two of these powers are personal powers. The three types of formal power are coercive, reward, and legitimate power. Coercive power is dependent upon fear of negative results. Reward power is dependent upon positive rewards or benefits. Legitimate power is dependent upon a person’s structural position or ranking position in an organization. The two types of personal power are expert power and referent power. Expert power is based upon one’s experience and knowledge of a skill or trade. Referent power is based upon one’s personal traits and likeable resources. Personal bases of power seem to be more effective in the workplace structure because they are “positively related to employees’ satisfaction with supervision, their organizational commitment, and their performance” (Robbins & Judge, 2009). These bases of power affect communication in the Colstrip Electric organization tremendously. There are 10 people in the same office as me, and all of them use different bases of power to accomplish their duties. Some of my coworkers are more successful because their use of the bases of power is more effective.…

    • 1001 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Influencing Group Communication
    • 974 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Influencing Group Communication

    Personal power comes from an individual’s unique characteristics. You don’t have to have a formal position in an organization to have this power. Two bases of personal power are…

    • 974 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    dada
    • 333 Words
    • 2 Pages

    dada

    Max Weber, the ‘founding voice’ on power in organisations saw power as a pervasive aspect of organisational life (Clegg, Kornberger and Pitsis, 2011, p 252).…

    • 333 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Nursing Leadership And Power Questions
    • 1123 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Nursing Leadership And Power Questions

    Using power effectively is a learned skill that is not perfectly balanced as a science. When power is improperly manipulated, it can damage and discredit a manager's ability to influence its followers. Incorporating the correct power base for the appropriate situation takes time and energy to fully understand its repercussions.…

    • 1123 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    African culture
    • 1286 Words
    • 6 Pages

    African culture

    This chapter opens into the topic of “Power.” Power is an important key factor for an individual or within a group. People with power has an advantage of having a better life than others, to have power is also a key to enjoying the better things in life and survival. There is such a thing as “power over nature, oneself and others within production; agriculture, animal husbandry, handicrafts, industry, etc…” (Aborisade 34). With power, one can produce an influential affect within a group or…

    • 1286 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Communication and Bases of Power
    • 922 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Communication and Bases of Power

    Power influences our behavior and the way we communicate in the workplace. Power is defined as the affected behavior of one person from the influence of another person with higher authority. Depending on how the power is used, it may have a positive or negative effect in an organization. According to Robbins and Judge (2009), there are five bases of power that can influence individuals or groups in the workplace; they are coercive power, reward power, legitimate power, expert power, and referent power (p. 452).…

    • 922 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Power in the Workplace
    • 1031 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Power in the Workplace

    In an organization, the use of power comes in many shapes and forms. Hierarchical power is known to be the typical distribution of power in most organizations. For example, a business usually consists of a President, followed by a general manager, department manager and finally, the employees. Decisions occur in a hierarchical linear process, from the bosses down to the employees. Other forms of power in organizations can be more subjective. Power may not always take the typical hierarchical or down-the-ladder approach. That being said, the use of power can greatly affect desired outcomes. In a study of Midwifery students, Kantek and Gezer argue that “the use of power strategies in teacher–student relationships affects students’ learning, school experiences, motivation, accomplishment, satisfaction, future career expectations, mood, and method of handling conflict” (2010). The inappropriate use of power in an organization can result in immediate and irreparable effects. These effects can foster less than favorable work environments leading to unreceptive and unmotivated workers. Conversely, power can take a more inspirational or contagious approach. This type of power is known as referent power. Peers and coworkers alike are influenced by individuals that possess this type of power. In this paper, a case study will be presented that identifies an organizational problem highlighting the effects of power. This will set in motion the opportunity for future research and finally, a group action plan that…

    • 1031 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Conflict Management Case Study
    • 1178 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Conflict Management Case Study

    All five forms of interpersonal power appear in various parts of the case study. Coercive power is represented in the case study when John Lasseter began working for the Disney animation studio and came to realize that the powers that be expected nothing but coercion from their employees. People were expected to comply with the way things have always been done. New ideas were neither encouraged nor supported. In addition, top managers sought no input from employees, choosing to make all decisions themselves. When Lasseter started working for Pixar, he experienced reward power. The work he completed for them was heralded and recognized by executives for his innovation. His attitude revealed that he places less importance on monetary reward and more significance on the intrinsic reward of doing a good job.…

    • 1178 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Bases of Power in an Organization
    • 835 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Bases of Power in an Organization

    Leadership in an organization can be defined as the approach and manner in which directions are provided, plans implemented and workers motivated. The bases of power can be said to be the ways and methods which the managers of an organization use in order to influence the behavior of the employees. It is also referred to as the possession of authority on the employees and having an influence over other people. Power is extremely beneficial tool in an organization because it depends on it and the way it is used; it leads to either positive or negative change. Power is categorized into five bases according to French and Raven in 1960. Dependency, on the other part, is reliance of an organization on certain employees or even an employee relying on the organization. Overreliance of an organization on different individuals or a few workers is usually highly discouraged. This is because an organization can fail due to an individual’s failure. In the given scenario, the organization is dependent on the employee 2 because he is the only one who can prepare the company’s financial statement. The five bases of power are legitimate, reward, coercive, expert and referent (David, 1992).…

    • 835 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    EXERCISE FOR GAINING POWER
    • 901 Words
    • 4 Pages

    EXERCISE FOR GAINING POWER

    Rosabeth Kanter (1979) argues that much of what is labeled “poor management” in organizations is simply individuals protecting their diminished power bases. Instead of criticizing these managers as incompetent, she proposes we bolster their feelings of personal power. If we solve the real problem of perceived lack of power, the undesirable symptoms of poor leadership often evaporate. This point of view is consistent with the principles discussed in this chapter.…

    • 901 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Basis of Power
    • 1720 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Basis of Power

    When speaking on power, the Greek philosopher Aristotle once suggested "What lies in our power to do, it lies in our power not to do". Although not always apparent, everyone possesses power in one form or the other. Power can be defined as the influence that one person has over another person. The influence an individual possesses can be extended to others through a variety of dissimilar stratagems. In 1959, social psychologists John French and Bertam Raven completed a comprehensive study on the bases of power and concluded that power can be separated into five distinct forms. The five forms of power French and Raven defined are coercive, reward, legitimate, expert, and referent. This thesis will describe the five bases of power, which exist in the given scenario, describe the relationships between each base of power, and examine the dependencies that exist in the theoretical Corporation A.…

    • 1720 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More

Related Topics