VARIOUS KINDS OF
LEADER´S POWER

OBJECTIVES
Ability to identify and use different kinds of power.
Learn about various leader´s power.
To understand how others view power.

SEVEN DIFFERENT KINDS OF POWER USING
POWER FROM POSITION VS. POWER FROM PERSON
POSITION PERSON
Position power:
Derived from top
management and
is delegated down
the chain of
command.
Personal power:
Derived from the
follower based on
the individual’s
behaviour.
Leaders derive power from their positions and personalities.

THE SOURCE OF POWER
InformationLegitimateConnection
ExpertReferentRewardCoercive
POSITION PERSON
4

POWER FROM POSITION
• Based on fear.
• Involves threats and/or punishment to influence
compliance.
• Followers believe that failure to comply will lead to
punishments.
• This is the power to force someone to do something against their
will. It is often physical although other threats may be used. It is the
power of dictators, despots and bullies. Coercion can result in
physical harm, although its principal goal is compliance.
Demonstrations of harm are often used to illustrate what will
happen if compliance is not gained.
Coercive POSITION

POWER FROM POSITION
• A common trap that people in such roles can fall into
is to forget that people are obeying the position, not
them. When they either fall from power or move onto
other things, it can be a puzzling surprise that people
who used to fawn at your feet no long do so.
Coercive POSITION

POWER FROM POSITION
• Based on the leader’s “connections” with influential or
important persons inside or outside the organization.
• Based on the user’s relationship with influential people.
• Induces compliance because others aim at gaining
favour.
• When an individual has a connection with someone important
or powerful, they are said to possess the power of connection
and may have substantial influence on others despite them not
directly having any other forms of power. If you are connected
to the manager of the organisation, your workmates give you
“respect”. It is also common with political connections
especially in those parastatal organisations that have (had?)
very high political aroma.
POSITIONConnection

POWER FROM POSITION
• Based on the user’s ability to influence others with something of
value to them.
• In this case the leader has the ability to provide rewards for
other people.
• One of the main reasons we work is for the money we need to conduct
our lives. There are many more forms of reward -- in fact anything we find
desirable can be a reward, from a million dollar yacht to a pat on the
back.
• Reward power is thus the ability to give other people what they want,
and hence ask them to do things for you in exchange.
• Rewards can also be used to punish, such as when they are withheld. The
promise is essentially the same: do this and you will get that.
POSITIONReward

• Based on the user’s position power given by the
organisation, the position held by the leader.
• The power of the leader is accepted by those who
are the power is aimed at.
• The higher the position, the more legitimate power a
leader will gain from the position.
• Legitimate power is that which is invested in a role.
Kings, policemen and managers all have legitimate
power if the others accept their role. The legitimacy
may come from a higher power. Legitimate power
can often thus be the acceptable face of raw
power.
PERSONPOSITION Legitimate

POWER WITHIN PERSON
• Based on the user’s personal power relationship with others
and the leader’s personal traits.
• Leaders scoring high referent power are generally liked and
admired.
• This is the power from another person liking you or wanting to
be like you. It is the power of charisma and fame and is
wielded by all celebrities (by definition) as well as more local
social leaders. In wanting to be like these people, we stand
near them, hoping some of the charisma will rub off onto us.
Those with referent power can also use it for coercion. One of the
things we fear most is social exclusion, and all it takes is a word
from a social leader for us to be shunned by others in the group.
ReferentPERSON

POWER WITHIN PERSON
• Based on the leader’s possession of information that is
perceived as valuable.
• Based on data desired by others.
• We may be looking for some information, which another
person has or has access to, and that information is may
be so valuable to our own job or success. The person
having that information may influence our behaviour in
the sense we have to comply with his or her wishes in
order to access for them to make it available to us
PERSON Information

POWER WITHIN PERSON
• Based on the user’s skills and knowledge, which gain the
respect of others.
• When I have knowledge and skill that someone else
requires, then I have Expert power. This is a very
common form of power and is the basis for a very large
proportion of human collaboration, including most
companies where the principle of specialization allows
large and complex enterprises to be undertaken.
PERSON Expert

SUMMARY
Based on fear
Based on Iinks with important people
Based on rewards, pay, promotion, or
recognition
Based on position
Based on access to information
Based on personal traits
Based on the Ieader’s skill and
knowledge
COERCIVE POWER
CONNECTION POWER
REWARD POWER
LEGITIMATE POWER
INFORMATION POWER
REFERENT POWER
EXPERT POWER
POSITIONPERSON

KEY MESSAGE
Use full spectrum of your power.
Formal power goes within the position but
informal power goes within the person.

Do you have access to all spectrum of power?
Which one do you over use?
Which one you don´t use at all?
What to know more: contact us
http://www.develor.sk/