Understanding Power
It can be frustrating to talk to our teams, set a direction, and then see everybody go back to what they were doing without changing anything. We have all heard of — or worked for — that boss. The one that likes to use threats to get stuff done. Or the one that promises the bonus if we hit some goal. But what about a boss we are excited to work for…just because?
One of the first challenges for a new manager is to understand and navigate power dynamics. Without insight, it can feel like walking around in a room of glass walls — we consistently bounce around because we can’t see what we’re walking into.
Types of power
The first thing to notice is that power is a social concept — a mental construct — and it can be nearly impossible to ignore. In the 50s, psychologists John French and Bertram Raven released a paper describing so-called bases (plural of basis) of social power. Antonio Pierro, along with Bertram and their team, later expanded on the work and highlighted how the use of each power basis affected the organizational commitment of employees.
Before going too much further, the main six categories — or bases — of power that we will look at are:
- Coercive power;
- Reward power;
- Legitimate power;
- Expert power;
- Referent power;
- and Informational power.
Coercive power
Coercive power is when we force others to comply with our wishes based on perceived negative consequences. The boss that tells us to do something, or else, is relying on coercive power.
Reward power
While coercive power focuses on negative outcomes, reward power is its opposite. It is the carrot on the stick. The boss that promises a big bonus in exchange for our compliance is using reward power.
Legitimate power
Legitimate power is sometimes called positional power and is granted by our role within the organization. The boss that directs us to do something because they’re the boss is using legitimate power.
Expert power
Expert power stems from our demonstration and capacity in a given domain — and doesn’t require us to be in a position of authority. The person who gets us to do something because they know more about the topic than we do is using expert power.
Referent power
Back to that boss you’d work for just because you like them: they have referent power over you. Like expert power, this source doesn’t require a position of authority. Often we see referent power from those who we would label as highly charismatic.
Informational power
Unlike expert power, where the holder has direct knowledge, informational power is access to the information within the organization. The boss that shares the details of a board meeting or knows how to get answers from HR is using informational power.
Harsh and soft sources
Antonio Pierro, from earlier, and his colleagues, divided these sources of power into two categories: harsh and soft. While you can probably guess which ones are which, the harsh sources are coercive, reward, and legitimate power. The soft sources are the others: expert, referent, informational. They wanted to find out which category of power most positively affects emotional commitment in organizations. Organizational commitment helps keep turnover low, morale high, and helps the bottom line!
Depending on your view of what it means to be in charge, the results may or may not surprise you. Soft sources of power, by far, yield the best results and help employees increase their organizational commitment. Drea Zigarmi and her team, in their own study, later confirmed that expert and referent power had the most compelling positive effect. On the other hand, legitimate power had the most significant negative impact.
Soft sources of power, by far, yield the best results and help employees increase their organizational commitment.
The takeaway
Those who get into management because they enjoy controlling others may want to notice that their thirst for power backfires harshly on the organization. Positional power is one of the last bases of power to reach for. Are there valid reasons to use it? Of course. It’s a tool, and like all tools, it has its place.
Within the harsh bases of power, positional power can happen overnight, and coercive power is everywhere if we look hard enough. So, to keep our team’s morale and engagement high, we need to learn to build upon our softer sources of power — even if they are the slowest to realize.
Because of this understanding, we aim to help you lead with kindness, empathy, and compassion. It isn’t easy, but the reward is well worth the wait.
Consider using your power for good.
References
Pierro, A., Raven, B. H., Amato, C., & Bélanger, J. J. (2013). Bases of social power, leadership styles, and organizational commitment. International Journal of Psychology, 48(6), 1122–1134. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207594.2012.733398
Zigarmi, D., Roberts, T. P., & Alan Randolph, W. (2015). Employees’ perceived use of leader power and implications for affect and work intentions. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 26(4), 359–384. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.21216
