1. Legitimate power: This power comes from when somebody holds a formal position of authority. Everyone below that person is required to comply to his/her orders. People follow this person since they think that this person has the power to give them orders. In our company we have a General Manager (GM) who is below our CEO and President. Our General Manger holds lot of power and everybody kinds of complies …show more content…
Reward power: This type of power comes from when a person has the authority to give promotion, incentive, and increase in pay etc. People follow the directions of this person since they think that doing so will bring them some benefits. In our company, Vice-Presidents (VP) of different departments have these powers and whenever a new VP comes, they promote, reward and give incentives to people whom they want to.
3. Coercive power: This is the power when a person usually in an authority figure can punish, demote or fire anyone whom they want for any reason. People follow that person due to fear. In our company, starting with the supervisors, managers, directors, VPs and above all have this power where they can fire anyone, whom they think is not fit for the job.
4. Expert power: This power comes when someone has an expertise in a subject and is considered knowledgeable and competent to take decisions in that area. People follow the advice of this person since they believe that the person is the subject matter expert. In our company, although I am not in a very senior position but due to my education and experience in the field of microbiology, people from different department values my opinion and many times follow my …show more content…
Referent power: This power comes from that person, who is liked by many due to his/her nature and friendliness towards other people. People follow this person since they think this person has their best interests in mind. For my company, the example of this type of power is that some of the employees in my department, who have been working for the company for many years, listen to their friends from other departments with whom they have been working for so long.
Some forms of power especially the first three types are more influential since they can influence people in a big way. For example the reward and coercive power can influence one’s job situation. Reward power can get you promoted, whereas coercive power can make you lose your job. Losing a job can have a big influence on one person’s and/or his/her family’s whole life. Similarly, legitimate power is also very influential as in my example our GM has lots of power and has been making changes in the company as per his wishes.
Describe the elements of charismatic