Power and Plannning Flashcards
What is power?
When one person can get another person to do something that they may not want to do.
An important source of power is control over the jobs and wages of employees and influence on promotion decisions.
What is authority?
Gives people the right to give commands which other accepts as legitimate. Implying voluntarily agreement.
What are the three types of of authority?
Traditional
Rational/Legal
Charismatic
What is traditional authority?
Examples are royalty.
Rupert Murdoch appointing his children to senor posts.
Nepotism- decision to appoint not based on ability.
What is Charismatic authority?
A person’s natural charisma causes followers to take a favorable assessment of the leader’s abilities.
Can supplement other forms of authority.
What is Rational/ Legal authority?
Relates to a person’s position within an organisation rather than the person as such. Legitimacy comes from belief that the person was selected in fair competition?
What happens if manager lack authority?
If managers lack authority they may have difficulty leading and controlling subordinates.
Subordinates may waste time criticizing decisions rather than carrying out duties.
Some junior employees may ignore managers and work independently.
What is coercive power?
Power by fear. Maintained by threats and punishments.
-Reprimands with a hostile attitude, threats of loss of status/jobs.
-Demotivating, high staff turnover.
-Communication limited as staff fear upsetting managers.
-Only communication will be instructions being passed downwards.
Most associated with AUTOCRATIC leadership.
What is reward power?
Power from the ability to bestow rewards.
Subordinates comply with instructions because they expect a benefit.
Praise, compliments, promotions, pay rise.
Motivating encourages good performance.
Commission
Most associated with DEMOCRATIC leadership.
Useful where employees are required to show initiative.
What is expert power?
Expertise, skills and knowledge can guide power.
The more important and unusual the expertise, the greater the power.
Power can also derive from difficulty in finding a replacement.
Junior employees can also exercise this power if they have long experience of a particular part of the business.
Some managers may be keen to avoid sharing too much of their knowledge with others as a way of maintaining their power.
What is legitimate (position) power?
Power that increases as you go up the hierarchy. “I’m the boss”.
Police force. Different uniforms denote levels of authority.
Gives employees power due to their role rather than skills and talents.
Research has shows that employees say legitimate power is the major reason why they follow orders.
What is referent power?
Power from charisma- People are more likely to follow someone they like or admire.
Strong interpersonal skills- Employees seek their approval and see them as role models.
Possibly the most potent form of power- Employees believe in what they are doing and are not merely trying to get rewards or avoid punishment.
Encourages interaction between different levels of hierarchy. Power that can be exercised by any employee in any position.
In the long run studies show that coercive and reward power have a limited lifespan. People begin to want more in a leader than just a title.
The most long lasting forms of power are based on charisma and expertise.
