Authority and Power

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What is Authority?

Authority is the right to take actions and make decisions.

Max Weber identified three bases for such authority:

  1. Charismatic - based on the personality of the person.

  2. Traditional - based on custom and practice. Mostly seen in a family owned business.

  3. Rational / Legal - based on the hierarchical position in the organisation.

Power is the ability to exert influence on the behaviour of others.

French and Raven identified five possible bases of a leader’s power:

  1. Reward - the ability to influence the rewards given and therefore behaviour can be influenced

  2. Coercive - the ability to influence the punishments given and therefore behaviour can be influenced

  3. Referent - here the leader has desirable characteristics that the colleagues and subordinates would like to imitate

  4. Expert - the leader is an expert in the area and can therefore influence others in the area, here employees will ask their expert manager for advice when they are uncertain about things in their roles.

  5. Legitimate - followers accept that the leader has the right to influence them in a certain area of their behaviour due to their position. Examples of legitimate power include a manager promoting a member of staff based on merit or a manager justifying an instruction to a subordinate by saying ‘because I am your superior’.

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