Can power be used to influence behavior? How many forms of power exist? Are there types of power that that generate commitment and compliance sought from peers and subordinates? These are the kind of questions that have been discussed and studied for decades. This paper is therefore devoted to highlighting power and influence. When conducting this study, the amount of power a leader should own, how power is acquired or lost as well as different types of leadership power were of central concern.
For the purposes of this presentation, power influence is regarded as an essential part of management or leadership. It is defined as the ability to exercise influence or authority. In essence, to have something done, power must be utilized (McMahon, 2010). A leader’s influence however depends on different factors. His/her personality as well as the type of followers forms major factors. Knowledge of power and influence is essential to efficient leadership. The power should help the leader to lead his followers towards attaining a vision. Also, the power should make followers share the vision so that a leader’s vision is accomplished. To help understand how power and influence are interrelated to leadership, the paper categorizes power as coercive power, reward power, legitimate power, expert power, and referent power (McMahon, 2010).
Reward power is most commonly acquired by making an explicit or implicit promise to give a person something under the leader’s control for carrying out a request or performing a task (McMahon, 2010). It is a type of influence created in a situation that a leader is in a position to offer reward to followers for behaving or for task completion in a defined manner. Generally, the compliance with the leader’s desire is accomplished based on capacity to distribute rewards viewed by targets or followers as valuable. It is the power to control a given reward and is contingent on following. It relies on the ability or promise to distribute a reward simply for return of a behavior which is desired. It can take varied forms from pay rises, commissions, money, chocolates, gift vouchers and promotions (McMahon, 2010). Considerable rewards accompany recognition. However, focus is on an individual’s achievement and contribution and not on the reward. This makes it as source of referent power sooner or later (Lauby, 2010).
Reward is only effective in situations that the followers perceive the reward system as appealing; they believe that the leader will offer the reward on task completion, and that the reward is proportionate to the task (McMahon, 2010). For instance, it is disproportionate to promote a subordinate for successfully making cup of tea. Likewise, a subordinate will feel undervalued if awarded 5 dollars shopping voucher following spending eight months carrying out manager’s job devoid of promotion or pay rise (Lauby, 2010).
Coercive power
In essence, it is power resulting from submission of negative manipulations. It entails usage of actual punishment or threat to influence followers (McMahon, 2010). Usually, followers look for compliance by use of fear. This makes this leadership be known as leadership by intimidation. The leader has control over what happens in circumstances that followers’ actions do not conform to what is required. The leader imposes penalties like job loss, privilege withdrawal, and loss of promotion if followers fail to take actions as required (Lauby, 2010).
The penalty set by the coercive leader ought to be proportional to the followers’ failure to accomplish actions (Lauby, 2010). For instance, it is disproportionate to sack an employee his/her responsibilities for failure to resume from tea break at stipulated time. Careful usage of coercive power is essential as followers may become unhappy and ultimately unmotivated which may make the leader lose his power due to underperformance from followers (McMahon, 2010).
Legitimate power
This is a kind of power or formal authority that a leader creates when followers consider him/her as having full right to give instructions and therefore oblige to follow such instructions. Legitimacy power may be as a result of job title of a leader and a belief of followers that such title grants the leader right to give instructions and orders (Lauby, 2010). For instance, power attained upon becoming a military leader. The leader exercises authority by making legitimate requests verbally or in written format.
Arrogant demands are less effective than polite requests. Usually, compliance with request is likely if followers perceive request as falling within leader’s authority scope. However, illegitimate request ignored forthright, or resisted if request is unpleasant, tedious, or dangerous. Its effectiveness is tied to clear usage of language which is easily understood by followers. Therefore, legitimate power may be lost if the legitimate leader is stripped off the authority (McMahon, 2010).
Referent power
In referent power, the followers of a leader comply simply because they admire certain qualities in the leader and thus want to gain the leader’s approval (Lauby, 2010). Followers identify with the leader and copy desired qualities. It however depends on the personality perception that followers have on the leader. This type of power rests on trust as followers have an option of following the leader and not coerced and cease to exist in an eventuality that trust is misplaced.
Expert power
This is the power created as a result of the competence, expertise, skills or special knowledge in a given area which followers respect, recognize and is more than willing to get influenced by. Just like referent power, it is created as a result of an identified expertise whose establishment can be through reputation, demonstration as well as appropriate credentials (Lauby, 2010).
Leader influence and tactics
Whereas power is the capability to produce effects on followers, an influence is a change which is measurable. It is a change measured in beliefs, values, attitudes and behaviors that stem from leader’s application of tactics of influence. Influence tactics can either be hard or soft (McMahon, 2010).
Soft tactics appear friendly and thus taken by followers as fair. For instance, to gain more change on beliefs, attitudes, and behaviour, a leader can tactically influence change by:
Rational persuasion
A leader can tactically influence change by convincing followers with logical arguments, reason, or with facts. By doing so, the followers’ beliefs and attitudes may be transformed.
Inspirational appeal
A proposal or a request with an attempt of building enthusiasm by simply appealing to the followers ideals, emotions and values. This simply influences followers’ attitude and behaviour resulting in immeasurable change.
Consultation
The leader can as well tactically influence followers’ beliefs, behaviour and attitude via consultation where the leader can simply invite followers to take part in decision making and planning. This enables followers to buy in their leaders initiatives (McMahon, 2010). Other soft tactics include ingratiation and personal appeal. Hard tactics on other hand entails more generate resistance and explicit pressure. They are generally interpreted as very unfair. Hard tactics take the following forms.
Exchange
This is where the leader makes implied or express trading favors and promises to gain followers’ compliance.
Coalition tactics
This is where the leader enlists aid of others to influence followers to undertake something.
Other hard tactics include use of legitimating tactics and pressure.
In conclusion, how much power a leader has is dependent on the followers’ compliance, commitment and resistance to the leaders anticipated results. Those leaders with strong power successfully employ varied influence tactics as opposed to the ones with less power. The amount of power for a leader’s effectiveness as well depends on organization’s nature, subordinates and task (McMahon, 2010).
References
Lauby, S. (2010). Types of Power in the Workplace. Retrieved 18 Mar. 2012 from <http://www.hrbartender.com/2010/training/7-types-of-power-in-the-workplace/>
Leadership Power. Retrieved 18 Mar. 2012 from <http://www.learnmanagement2.com/leadership%20power.htm>
McMahon, T. (2010). Leadership: The Power of Influence. Retrieved 18 Mar. 2012 from <http://www.aleanjourney.com/2010/05/leadership-power-of-influence.html>
