Power

Scaling and Measurement
James M. Comer, University of Cincinnati, Editor

Comparing Alternative Measures of the French and Raven Power Bases
John T. Drea, Gordon C. Bruner II and Paul J. Hensel Twenty-five multi-item scales used to measure power sources anchor exercised power in a sales or channel setting are reviewed. The procedures for assessing the reliability and validity (convergent, discriminant, and nomological) of each scale are discussed and reviewed. Findings indicate adequate reliability for all ofthe scales. Problems in the establishment of validity for some ofthe coercive and legitimate power measures are noted. Recommendations are made regarding the use and improvement of power scales in future research.
The measurement of power is central to understanding the behavior of organizations and individuals. Power is commonly defined as "the ability of one individual or group to control or influence the behavior of another" (Hunt and Nevin 1974). Power has served as an important construct because of its hypothesized relationship to other variables such as satisfaction, role performance, and conflict. However, despite its importance, measures of power have received relatively little critical comparison and analysis. Additional research is needed into creating and testing valid and reliable multiitem scales for measuring power (Podsakoff and Schriesheim 1985). The purpose of this article is to examine alternative Likert-type summated ratings scales purported to measure the French and Raven (1959) bases of social power. The convergent, discriminant, and nomological validities of each ofthe power constructs will be examined using the criteria proposed by Peter (1979,1981), ChurchiU (1979; and Peter 1984), Gerbing and Anderson (1988), and Bagozzi and Yi (1991). Conclusions are drawn regarding the reliability and validity of each scale, and recommendations are made regarding the most sound measures as well as future scale development.

Methodology
A

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Scales attempting to capture this base of power have generally had lower reliability and weaker evidence of nomological validity compared to measures of the other power bases. There is even evidence that legitimate power as previously conceptualized has a bi-dimensional rather than a unidimensional structure (Comer 1984; Kohli 1989). The most complete testing of construct validity to the present has been performed by Comer (1984), who provided considerable data concerning the reliability and dimensionality of each scale. Internal consistencies were generally high and the procedures used for establishing construct validity were both comprehensive and rigorous. The evidence indicated that the reward, expert, and referent power scales were both reliable and valid. However, the legitimate and coercive power measures did not correlate with the other measures as expected and, as noted above, the measure of legitimate power was found to be bi-dimensional. 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