The word power gets a bad rap, but effective leaders must learn how to use power well to do good in their organizations.
Eight Types of Power
A brief word from Power vs. Force* by David Hawkins
In 1959, French & Raven identified several types of power in their research:
1. Reward power
- Giving something of value
2. Expert power
- Knowledge, competence, and experience
3. Referent power
- Personality and charisma to influence others
4. Legitimate
- We have the legitimate right to command given our position in the organization
In 1975, Raven & Kruglanski added to the list…
5. Connection power
- Access to powerful people and organizations
6. Information power
- Access to information that other parties don’t have
In 1989, Liberatore et al. added…
7. Group decision-making power
- The decisions an entire organization gets behind
Finally, in 1991, Yukl & Falbe identified…
8. Persuasive power
- The ability to influence through logic and dialogue
A brief word about force
- Coercive “power” is also cited in the research
- This is the force against will – to threaten punishment and deliver penalty
- Effective leaders have two directives when considering force:
- 1. Use it only as a last result
- 2. To be certain, at least beyond a reasonable doubt, that it’s justified
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A final word this week…
The events in Ferguson, Missouri
“Remember, peace on earth begins in the parking lot.” -Father Rick Dochstader
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Another great show by Dave. The Connection Power and the growing influence of it in todays society reminded me of a great book by Nilofer Merchant; 11 Rules for Creating Value in the Social Era (http://www.amazon.com/Rules-Creating-Value-Social-Era-ebook/dp/B0097DM41E)
Have a great week,
Par
Thanks for the recommendation, Par.
This was an excellent episode.
I’ve heard a definition of power that sets a starting point for me that I thought others might appreciate:
“Power is the ability to define reality.”
It’s easy to see how this definition applies to the different types of power discussed.
I wonder if I’m the only one who discovered that there are sources of power that I didn’t realize I had.
I knew that I had a high degree of accountability. This, perhaps, is an appropriate state of affairs.
“Be responsible with your power, you must be.” I hear my inner-Yoda saying.
Regarding “force”:
One example of force, while not necessarily coercion, is the power that we concede by simply following the rules. The rules may have been made by a group or an individual.
We are all, in-effect, “forced” to follow the rules, unless not doing so is how a person or group decides to excerpt their power, to affect change- or define reality.
I’ve always struggled with the concept of having power, especially when told that I’m in a position of power- that I didn’t necessarily pursue.
But knowing that I wield at least some power, my role as a public servant takes on new meaning.
Thanks again for the episode and the enlightenment it may bring to others as well.
All the best!
Chris Verdugo (vur doo’ go)
Chris, I’m so glad to hear that the show opened up some new perspective on this.
I think a lot of us (me included) often hesitate to use the word power, since the popular use of the word is often negative. However, true power can often be very positive (and the research backs this up). Assuming we use it for good, it allows us to do great things in the world. Excited that you see some new ways to make this happen.
Speaking of good and evil, pretty much everything in leadership comes back to Yoda. May the force be with you, Chris.
Ironic pun definitely intended. =)