In many organizations, certain individuals are able to exercise power and authority depending on their position and role they exercise. This puts them in control of making decisions, influencing people and also getting work done willingly from their colleagues. Such rights allotted to an individual stem from the concept of exercising power which is legitimate and in certain situations accepted by all. Legitimate power is one of the many types of power which an individual demonstrates when they perform the role of a leader.
Power can be used both positively and negatively. According to research done by John R.P French and Bertram Raven in their study titled “Bases of Social Power”, five types of power in an organization can be at play- legitimate, reward, coercive, expert and referent (263). Each of these sources of power influences the subordinates, and the amount of influence is affected by the employee’s dependency on their manager. This essay examines the concept of legitimate power, other sources of power and the opportunities it reveals for a positive influence and negative outcomes.
1. What is legitimate power?
Legitimate power is the most basic sources of power in any organization and is dependent on the position of the individual in the formal hierarchy. The power and influence of the leader is regarded as legitimate and acceptable because the power is based on the leader’s position, skill set and status. An example of legitimate power is the position of CEO of a company.
However, this does not always translate to positive experiences of exercising power. In certain situations, the individual with the legitimate power may use coercive power in tandem to control the actions of employees. Some notable cases of violating legitimate power is when large corporations are found guilty of engaging in illegal business actions. The recent case of BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in US, is an example. Investigation in the largest oil spill disaster revealed that few top level employees were aware of the impending crisis (Rudolf). One may argue that they have been coerced into committing such actions and were misled. Another example is that of sweatshops where the manager of the shop may coerce their employees to perform under unsafe work environment and unfair trade compensations. In 1990s Nike was criticized for their role in supporting such sweatshops (Foley). With lobbying and constant criticism, Nike today has revamped its policy and is known to adhere to worker safety and minimum wage practices.
2. Mixing it up: Use of other sources of power
It is interesting to observe how legitimate power may involve other types of power as a means to justify the end. Legitimate power may be used in tandem with different sources of power such as expert power, reward power, referent power and information power. For example, if the person is a doctor, it implies the individual is an expert on all things related to his field in medicine. A patient may not recover without the assistance of a doctor. The opinion and decisions of such individuals are considered superior and are acknowledged by other employees. An exercise of expert power is normally a bridge to legitimate power.
Information power is another relevant source of power. Individuals in an organization who have data or knowledge that others need can create a power base. The way information is used, sharing it or limiting it to certain groups of people places the individual with such information in a powerful role. An example of this would be a military commander providing logistical information to the government during time of war.
Finally, reward power is interesting positive experience. This source of power arises from the ability of an individual to control the allocation of incentives in an organization. These include, salary bonuses, positive appraisals and promotions. Individuals who exercise reward power tend to influence the action of their employees. Reward power, if used positively, may be used to motivate employees. But if directed towards favourtism, reward power may lead to lower outputs and demoralize employees.
It is evident that all of these sources of power can be interlinked and applied together and independently by the same employer or even by multiple employers (such as board of directors) within the same organization. In the end, an organization is known by its leaders and the actions they demonstrate by using their legitimate bases of power.
Works Cited
French, J.R.P., and Raven, B. The Basis of Social Power. Ed. D. Cartwright and A.Zander. Group Dynamics. New York: Harper & Row, 1959. Print.
Foley, Rayan. J. “University of Wisconsin, Nike Cut Ties: Labor Concerns Spur Split.”. Huffingtonpost.com. 9 April 2010. Web. 9 March 2013
Rudolf, John. “Kurt Mix, BP Engineer, Faces First Oil Spill Charges.” Huffingtonpost.com., 24 April 2012. Web. 9 March 2013.
