Five bases of power

Social psychologist French & Raven, in a now classic study (1959), developed a schema of five categories of power which reflected the different bases or resources that power holders rely upon. One additional base (informational) was later added.

Legitimate Power
Refers to power of an individual because of the relative position & duties of the holder of the position within the organization. Legitimate power is formal authority delegated to the holder of the position. It is usually accompanied by various attributes of power such as uniforms, offices etc. This is the most obvious & also the most important kind of power.

Referent Power
Means the power or ability of individual to attract others & build loyalty. It’s based on the charisma & interpersonal skills of the power holder. Here the person under power desires to identify with these personal qualities & gains satisfaction from being accepted follower. Nationalism or Patriotism counts towards an intangible sort of referent power as well. Example, soldiers fight in wars to defend the honours of the country. This is the second least obvious power, but the most effective.

Expert Power
Is an individual’s power deriving from the skills or expertise of the person & the organization’s needs for those skills & expertise. Unlike the others, this type of power is usually highly specific & limited to the particular area in which the expert is trained & qualified.

Information Power
While the difference between expert power & information power is subtle, people with this type of power are well-informed, up-to-date and also have the ability to persuade others. Another difference would be that people with Expert Power are perceived by his/her image of expertise to show credibility while one Information Power does not have a strict need to `look the part of a professional`, but they must keep up to date with new research & have confidence in debating or persuasive.

Reward Power
Reward power depends upon the ability of the power wielder to confer valued material rewards; it refers to the degree to which the individual can give others a reward of some kind such as benefits, time off, desired gifts, promotions or increases in pay or responsibility. This power is obvious but also ineffective if abused. People who abuse reward power can become pushy or became reprimanded for being too forthcoming or moving things quickly.

Coercive Power
Coercive power means the application of negative influence onto employees. It might refer to the ability to demote or to withhold other rewards. It’s the desire for valued rewards or the fear of having them withheld that ensures the obedience of those power. It tends to be the most obvious but least effective form of power as it builds resentment and resistance within the targets of coercive power.

CONTROL
The power to direct or determine; “ under control” The power or right to give orders or make decisions, he has the authority to issue warrants, deputies are given authorization to make arrests.

Influence skilfully (others or oneself) manipulate, usually to one’s advantage; she manipulates her boss. The teacher knew how to keep the class in line. She has a way man with her flirtatious behaviour.

To exercise authoritative influence over, The state that exists when one person or group has power over another.. Politically motivated, her apparent dominance of her husband was really her attempt to make him pay attention to her.