Power

DiHemnces between power and Authority ' Power

0 Ability. Power is the ability of an individual to affect

and influence others.

0 Leadership. Power is generally associated with . leadership.

o . Board. Power is a broader concept and includes authority also, in some sense.
Authority is norhing but institutionalised power.

0 Tm-faccs. Power has two faces. Negative and positive. Personal domination at the
expense of others is negative; socialised power is a praiseworrhy

positive face. * 0 Personal. Power is a personal quality.

Authority

0 Right. Authority is the right to command and extract work from employees.

o Manager-shin. Authority is vested with manager.

0 Narrow. Authorityis a narrow concept. A manager may have considerable authority

but Still may be powerless.

o Congruence. We cannot make such markedly disrinct ' faces of authority. Such
distinction becomes ridiculous with regard toauthority.
Sources of Power

The important sources of power may be 3th thus:

0 Expert Power: Power resulting from a leaders special knowledge or skill regarding
the tasks carried out by followers is referred to as expert power. When the leader is
a true expert, subordinates go along with recommendations because of his or her
superior knowledge. Three conditions are essential to maintain expert power. First,
since expert power is based on knowledge and skill, the experts must continue to be
perceived as competent; those who become obsolete lose their expert power. The
second requirement is to make certain that the organisation continues to need the
expert's knowledge and skill. The expert power of many accountants and iawyers is
created by complex laws and tax regulations. If these laws were repealed, the
expertise of accountants and lawyers would suddenly become unnecessary. Finally,
individuals who are exerting expert power must prevent other experts from
replacing them. In short, expert power can he maintained only if there is a critical
need for the skills and knowledge of the expert that cannot be conveniently
obtained elsewhere.

0 1|Charismatic Power (also called referent power): Charisma refers to a leaders

ability to influence Others through his personal magnetism, enthusiasm and
strongly held convictions. Often, leaders are able to communicate these convictions
and their vision for the future through a

dramatic persuasive manner of speaking. Dr Martin Luther Kings famous I have a

Dream speech galvanised a generation to support the civil rights movement in the
United States. President J. F. Kennedy possessed referent power to a remarkable
degree. His admonition, Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can
do for your country resulted in thousands of volunteers for the peace corps. As Yuk!
remarked, charismatic leaders (Mahatma Gandhi, Araham Lincoln, Nehru etc.)
attempt to create an image of competence and success. They are often hailed as
heroes and role models everywhere. The more that followers admire their leaders
and identify with them the more likely they are to accept the leaders, Values and
beliefs. This acceptance helps charismatic leaders to exercise great influence over
their followers' behaviours (Yu/el, 1989). If they set high standards for themselves,
subordinates follow their steps religiously. Such leaders, as researchers pointed out,
are most likely to be effective during periods of organisational crisis or transition.
Stressful situations are more likely to encourage employees to repose faith in a
leader who seems to steer the ship out of trouble. If the leaders strategy works and
organisational performance improves, his power base too, will expand dramatically.

Reward Power: Top managers can get others to implement the organisations
strategies by making changes in formal reward systems. Those who carry out the
strategy will receive pay raises, bonuses, promotions etc. Those who support the
strategic initiatives and remain loyal to the leader will assume responsible positions
and get away with plum posting. If the leader has a number of rewards under his
control, which are valued and desired by subordinates strongly, he will be able to
secure cooperation and compliance from subordinates easily.

Information Power: A managers access to important information and control over its
distribution, often, help him influence the behaviour of subordinates. According to
Mintzberg, the CEO is generally the best informed member of an organisation. He is
able to oversee everything from the top and he has excellent external contacts to
secure as much information as possible. He may not, of course, know everything, he
usually knows more than anyone else. If the CEOs information is reliable and
complete, no one will be able to question his decisionsbased on lot of information
and knowledge.

Exchange: The use of exchange as a power base is quite common in corporate

circles. The leader helps others when they are at the receiving end. Others, in turn,
will feel obliged to carry out things the leader would request later. Such reciprocal
relationships flourish when the leaders step down from their ivory tower, join the
mainstream and get along with others-shedding a portion of their superego, status
and power. Sometimes, connections or links with people inside or outside the work
environment by the manager also bring some power to him. A manager who has
valuable, respectable and useful links possesses this type of power; a subordinate
who has good public relations and rapport with officials outside the organisation, or
elsewhere

can also have connection power. A manager or subordinate can influence others
who acknowledge the connections they have.

Legitimate power: This power is a prerogative of a manager by virtue of his position

in the organisation. Power is inherent in the position and authority a manager has.
In our society, people accept the right of top managers to direct the organisation.
They are conditioned to accept the authority of the managers, of superiors in higher
positions. Moreover, mangers have control over the distribution of resources and
this control earns power for them over

Power comes from the Latin word potere, meaning to be able. Simply defined,
power is the ability to influence others in the effort to achieve goals. Nurses have
sometimes viewed power as if it were something immoral, corrupting, and totally
contradictory to the caring nature of nursing. However, the preceding definition
demonstrates the essential nature of power to nursing. Nurses regularly influence
patients in an effort to improve their health status as an essential element of
nursing practice. When nurses are providing health teaching to patients and their
families, their goal is to provide needed information and to change behavior to
promote optimal health. That is an exercise of power in nursing practice. Changing a
colleagues behavior by instructing him or her about a new policy being
implemented on the nursing unit is another example of how a nurse can exercise
power. Coaching a nurse to improve his or her performance is an exercise of power.

W is the porential ability to influence the behaviour of others. It is, in I Power: The . I
other words, the capacity that A has, to influence the behaviour of B, so B 3551,, to
mm the docs gomething he would not Otherwise do (Rabbits). It is the ability to
behailriom 0 056 make things happen or get things done the way you want. This
definition peop e.

implies three things:

0 Potential: A potential that need not be actualised to be effective. One can have
power without actually using it. For example, a foorball coach has the power to
bench a player who is not performing upto par. The coach seldom has to use this
power because players recognise that the power exists and work hard to keep their
starting positions.

0 Dependency: A dependency relationship. The greater Bs dependence on A, the

greater is A? power in the relationship. A person can have power over you only if he
controls something you desire. Where an employee is not dependent on the
supervisor for receiving rewards then, truly speaking, the supervisor has no power
over such employee.

0 Discretion: The assumption that B has some discretion over his own behaviour.
Usually job descriptions, group norms, organisational rules and regulations constrain
the choices of employees. As a worker, you may be dependent on your supervisor
for continued employment. But, in spite of this dependence, you may not join hands
with the supervisor in stealing store items or petty cash.

Another feature of power is that it is specific. It is specific in the sense that it an be

exercised by some people, that too, in some circumstances. Power can not be
exercised by all people all times. The domain of power, i.e., the extent to which one
has power over wide range of issues, however, is diHerent'for different people.
Power relationships, moreover, in an organisation are essentially reciprocal in
nature. It is based on the two-way concept of influencing others and getting
influenced in the process. Power is, somewhat, elastic in nature. People who are
habituated to exercise power, tend to

acquire more power and expand it.

lnHuence is a behavioural response to the exercise of power. It is an I Influence: A

outcome achieved through the use of power. People are influenced when
behavioural response to they act in ways consistent with the desires of someone
else. Managers use the exercise 0 Powelpower to achieve influence over the people
in the work setting. Control is the ultimate form of influence wherein acceptable
behaviour is specified and individuals or groups are prevented from behaving
otherwise. For example, internal accounting procedures are designed to control
financial transactions and prevent employee theft. Locked gates, hidden cameras,
and Other physical security devices are designed to control the flow of merchandise
and prevent shoplifting.

I POWER vs. AUTHORITY

Authority is the formal power that a person has because of the position he holds in
the organisation. Persons in higher positions have legal authority over subordinates
in lower positions. The person at the top, thus. enjoys a legal right to exercise
authority over subordinates. Of course, such an ofiicially

DiHemnces between power and Authority '

Power

0 Ability. Power is the ability of an individual to affect

and influence others.

0 Leadership. Power is generally associated with . leadership.

o . Board. Power is a broader concept and includes authority also, in some sense.
Authority is norhing but institutionalised power.

0 Tm-faccs. Power has two faces. Negative and positive. Personal domination at the
expense of others is negative; socialised power is a praiseworrhy

positive face. * 0 Personal. Power is a personal quality.

DiHemnces between power and Authority ' Power

0 Ability. Power is the ability of an individual to affect

and influence others.

0 Leadership. Power is generally associated with . leadership.

o . Board. Power is a broader concept and includes authority also, in some sense.
Authority is norhing but institutionalised power.

0 Tm-faccs. Power has two faces. Negative and positive. Personal domination at the
expense of others is negative; socialised power is a praiseworrhy

positive face. * 0 Personal. Power is a personal quality.

Authority

0 Right. Authority is the right to command and extract work from employees.

o Manager-shin. Authority is vested with manager.

0 Narrow. Authorityis a narrow concept. A manager may have considerable authority

but Still may be powerless.

o Congruence. We cannot make such markedly disrinct ' faces of authority. Such
distinction becomes ridiculous with regard toauthority.

DiHemnces between power and Authority ' Power

0 Ability. Power is the ability of an individual to affect

and influence others.

0 Leadership. Power is generally associated with . leadership.

o . Board. Power is a broader concept and includes authority also, in some sense.
Authority is norhing but institutionalised power.

0 Tm-faccs. Power has two faces. Negative and positive. Personal domination at the
expense of others is negative; socialised power is a praiseworrhy

positive face. * 0 Personal. Power is a personal quality.

Authority

0 Right. Authority is the right to command and extract work from employees.

o Manager-shin. Authority is vested with manager.

0 Narrow. Authorityis a narrow concept. A manager may have considerable authority

but Still may be powerless.

o Congruence. We cannot make such markedly disrinct ' faces of authority. Such
distinction becomes ridiculous with regard toauthority.

Sources of Power

The important sources of power may be 3th thus:

0 Expert Power: Power resulting from a leaders special knowledge or skill regarding
the tasks carried out by followers is referred to as expert power. When the leader is
a true expert, subordinates go along with recommendations because of his or her
superior knowledge. Three conditions are essential to maintain expert power. First,
since expert power is based on knowledge and skill, the experts must continue to be
perceived as competent; those who become obsolete lose their expert power. The
second requirement is to make certain that the organisation continues to need the
expert's knowledge and skill. The expert power of many accountants and iawyers is
created by complex laws and tax regulations. If these laws were repealed, the
expertise of accountants and lawyers would suddenly become unnecessary. Finally,
individuals who are exerting expert power must prevent other experts from
replacing them. In short, expert power can he maintained only if there is a critical
need for the skills and knowledge of the expert that cannot be conveniently
obtained elsewhere.

0 1|Charismatic Power (also called referent power): Charisma refers to a leaders

ability to influence Others through his personal magnetism, enthusiasm and
strongly held convictions. Often, leaders are able to communicate these convictions
and their vision for the future through a

DiHemnces between power and Authority ' Power

0 Ability. Power is the ability of an individual to affect

and influence others.

0 Leadership. Power is generally associated with . leadership.

o . Board. Power is a broader concept and includes authority also, in some sense.
Authority is norhing but institutionalised power.

0 Tm-faccs. Power has two faces. Negative and positive. Personal domination at the
expense of others is negative; socialised power is a praiseworrhy

positive face. * 0 Personal. Power is a personal quality.

Authority

0 Right. Authority is the right to command and extract work from employees.

o Manager-shin. Authority is vested with manager.

0 Narrow. Authorityis a narrow concept. A manager may have considerable authority

but Still may be powerless.

o Congruence. We cannot make such markedly disrinct ' faces of authority. Such
distinction becomes ridiculous with regard toauthority.

Sources of Power

The important sources of power may be 3th thus:

0 Expert Power: Power resulting from a leaders special knowledge or skill regarding
the tasks carried out by followers is referred to as expert power. When the leader is
a true expert, subordinates go along with recommendations because of his or her
superior knowledge. Three conditions are essential to maintain expert power. First,
since expert power is based on knowledge and skill, the experts must continue to be
perceived as competent; those who become obsolete lose their expert power. The
second requirement is to make certain that the organisation continues to need the
expert's knowledge and skill. The expert power of many accountants and iawyers is
created by complex laws and tax regulations. If these laws were repealed, the
expertise of accountants and lawyers would suddenly become unnecessary. Finally,
individuals who are exerting expert power must prevent other experts from
replacing them. In short, expert power can he maintained only if there is a critical
need for the skills and knowledge of the expert that cannot be conveniently
obtained elsewhere.

0 1|Charismatic Power (also called referent power): Charisma refers to a leaders

ability to influence Others through his personal magnetism, enthusiasm and
strongly held convictions. Often, leaders are able to communicate these convictions
and their vision for the future through a

dramatic persuasive manner of speaking. Dr Martin Luther Kings famous I have a

Dream speech galvanised a generation to support the civil rights movement in the
United States. President J. F. Kennedy possessed referent power to a remarkable
degree. His admonition, Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can
do for your country resulted in thousands of volunteers for the peace corps. As Yuk!
remarked, charismatic leaders (Mahatma Gandhi, Araham Lincoln, Nehru etc.)
attempt to create an image of competence and success. They are often hailed as
heroes and role models everywhere. The more that followers admire their leaders
and identify with them the more likely they are to accept the leaders, Values and
beliefs. This acceptance helps charismatic leaders to exercise great influence over
their followers' behaviours (Yu/el, 1989). If they set high standards for themselves,
subordinates follow their steps religiously. Such leaders, as researchers pointed out,
are most likely to be effective during periods of organisational crisis or transition.
Stressful situations are more likely to encourage employees to repose faith in a
leader who seems to steer the ship out of trouble. If the leaders strategy works and
organisational performance improves, his power base too, will expand dramatically.

Reward Power: Top managers can get others to implement the organisations
strategies by making changes in formal reward systems. Those who carry out the
strategy will receive pay raises, bonuses, promotions etc. Those who support the
strategic initiatives and remain loyal to the leader will assume responsible positions
and get away with plum posting. If the leader has a number of rewards under his
control, which are valued and desired by subordinates strongly, he will be able to
secure cooperation and compliance from subordinates easily.

Information Power: A managers access to important information and control over its
distribution, often, help him influence the behaviour of subordinates. According to
Mintzberg, the CEO is generally the best informed member of an organisation. He is
able to oversee everything from the top and he has excellent external contacts to
secure as much information as possible. He may not, of course, know everything, he
usually knows more than anyone else. If the CEOs information is reliable and
complete, no one will be able to question his decisionsbased on lot of information
and knowledge.
Exchange: The use of exchange as a power base is quite common in corporate
circles. The leader helps others when they are at the receiving end. Others, in turn,
will feel obliged to carry out things the leader would request later. Such reciprocal
relationships flourish when the leaders step down from their ivory tower, join the
mainstream and get along with others-shedding a portion of their superego, status
and power. Sometimes, connections or links with people inside or outside the work
environment by the manager also bring some power to him. A manager who has
valuable, respectable and useful links possesses this type of power; a subordinate
who has good public relations and rapport with officials outside the organisation, or
elsewhere

can also have connection power. A manager or subordinate can influence others
who acknowledge the connections they have.

Legitimate power: This power is a prerogative of a manager by virtue of his position

in the organisation. Power is inherent in the position and authority a manager has.
In our society, people accept the right of top managers to direct the organisation.
They are conditioned to accept the authority of the managers, of superiors in higher
positions. Moreover, mangers have control over the distribution of resources and
this control earns power for them over