Power

Differentiate among the different types of power and identify strategies to increase your personal power base.

I searched online for different types of power and found that there are 5 types of power. John French and Bertram Raven identified these five bases of power in the 1960's. There are two different categories of power: Formal Power and Personal Power.

Formal Power:

Coercive

Coercive power is conveyed through fear of losing one’s job, being demoted, receiving a poor performance review, having prime projects taken away, etc. This power is gotten through threatening others. For example, the VP of Sales who threatens sales folks to meet their goals or get replaced.

I had a supervisor like this. He kept telling the employees that they needed to work hard, do the job right, and follow all of the rules or we would be replaced by people in "the tall pile of resumes that he has on his desk."

Reward

Reward power is conveyed through rewarding individuals for compliance with one’s wishes. This may be done through [giving] bonuses, raises, a promotion, extra time off from work, etc. For example, the supervisor who provides employees comp time when they meet an objective she sets for a project.

I think that everyone uses this type of power, almost everyday. Parents use it to make their kids eat their vegetables, or to act correctly at the grocery store. I use it to have my nieces and nephews do what I want them to while I am watching them.

Legitimate

Legitimate power comes from having a position of power in an organization, such as being the boss or a key member of a leadership team. This power comes when employees in the organization recognize the authority of the individual. For example, the CEO who determines the overall direction of the company and the resource needs of the company.

Personal Power

Expert

Expert power comes from ones’ experiences, skills or knowledge. As we gain experience in particular areas, and become thought leaders in those areas, we begin to gather expert power that can be utilized to get others to help us meet our goals. For example, the Project Manager who is an expert at solving particularly challenging problems to ensure a project stays on track.

My husband builds cabinets, furniture, and picture frames. He has become the "expert" in both his and my families when it comes to having something built or fixed.

Now that I am a nurse my family calls me with all of their health questions because they believe that I am an "expert" in that now.

Referent

Referent power comes from being trusted and respected. We can gain referent power when others trust what we do and respect us for how we handle situations. For example, the Human Resource Associate who is known for ensuring employees are treated fairly and coming to the rescue of those who are not.

I have been doing interior design work for my family and I am now the person that they come to when they have design questions, whether it be furniture or clothing. They trust that I have a good eye for those things and that I will give them my honest opinion.

Out of these 5 types of power I believe that I have most (if not all) of them in some way or another. I'm sure that I am coercive in some circumstances, there are many circumstances where I am driven by fear. I definitely have reward power, especially when it comes to motivating people to do what I want them to do. I have legitimate power in my home, but not else were. That is something that will come if/when I get a job and if/when I climb up that ladder. As explained above I also have expert and referent power.

I think for me to increase my power base that I need to use the power that I have and add to it. I think that as my life goes on and when I get a job, become a mother, and so on that my power base will expand. I will have more people/things that I have power over.

What are your thoughts about power and how it is used?

I think that power can be used for good or bad. Some people use the power that they have to help others, lift others up, and to help people grow. Others use their power to tear people down and to hurt people. Hitler had great power over Germany, but he used it to do horrible things and killed many people. Bill Gates is a very powerful person, but he uses his money and power to help others.

I think that power can be a great thing and it can drive people to do incredible things if used well. An example would be if I were driven by power and I really wanted to work high up in healthcare. That power could push me to be a manager and continue up that ladder. It could help me grow and learn. Right now that is not something I want and I am not really driven by power, but that's not the point. If people use power for good it can be a great thing.

Reference: http://quickbase.intuit.com/blog/2011/08/26/the-5-types-of-power-in-leadership/