��Module V: Power to Empowerment��Individual and Teams�
Amity Institute of Behavioural & Allied Sciences
Definition
Amity Institute of Behavioural & Allied Sciences
What Is Power?
Power is a term which has been defined in different ways by different theorists because power can be used as a means of influence in different ways.
Max Weber says
“ Power is the probability that one actor within the relationship will be in a position to carry out his own will despite resistance”.
Bass & Stogdill
“Power referred to the capacity that A has to influence the behaviour so that does something that he or she would not otherwise do.”
Amity Institute of Behavioural & Allied Sciences
Why does having power matter?
With power you can…
Amity Institute of Behavioural & Allied Sciences
Bases of Power
Positional Power
Legitimate Power
Reward Power
Coercive Power
Information Power
Personal Power
Expert Power
Referent Power
Charismatic Power
Amity Institute of Behavioural & Allied Sciences
Positional Power
Legitimate Power- This power emanates from an official position held by someone, be it in an organization, beurocracy or government etc. The duration of this power is short lived as a person can use it only till the time he/she holds that position, as well as, the scope of the power is small as it is strictly defined by the position held.
Reward Power- As the name suggests, this type of power uses rewards, perks, new projects or training opportunities, better roles and monetary benefits to influence people. However an interesting aspect of this type of power is that, it is not powerful enough in itself, as decisions related to rewards do not rest solely with the person promising them, because in organizations, a lot of other people come into play like senior managers and board.
Coercive Power- This kind of power involves the usage of threat to make people do what one desires. In the organizational set up, it translates into threatening someone with transfer, firing, demotions etc. it basically forces people to submit to one’s demand for the fear of losing something.
Amity Institute of Behavioural & Allied Sciences
Positional Power
Coercive Power- This kind of power involves the usage of threat to make people do what one desires. In the organizational set up, it translates into threatening someone with transfer, firing, demotions etc. it basically forces people to submit to one’s demand for the fear of losing something.
Information Power – Infrmation power comes from access to and control of information. People in an ogranization who have information that others need can make those dependent on them.For example person who access to have sensitive information like organization’s future course of action,confidential financial data, ete., can use this information to influence subordinates’ behavioural in a particular way.
Amity Institute of Behavioural & Allied Sciences
Personal Power
Expert Power- This is a personal kind of power which owes its genesis to the skills and expertise possessed by an individual, which is of higher quality and not easily available. In such a situation, the person can exercise the power of knowledge to influence people. Since, it is very person specific and skills can be enhanced with time; it has more credibility and respect.
Referent Power- This is a power wielded by celebrities and film stars as they have huge following amongst masses who like them, identify with them and follow them. Hence, they exert lasting influence on a large number of people for a large number of decisions; like from what car to buy to which candidate to choose for a higher office in the country.
Amity Institute of Behavioural & Allied Sciences
Personal Power
Charismatic Power - this power emerges from an individual’s charisma. A quality that is unique. Because
of this charisma, the individual can articulate attractive visions, take personal risk, demonstrate environmental
sensitivity, and is willing to engage in behaviour that most others consider unconvetional.Charismatic power has been more popular in political fields and some great persons like Mahatma Gandhi,Martin Luther King etc., had much higher influence without having any significant position in the political party than those having such positions.
Amity Institute of Behavioural & Allied Sciences
How Can Power Be Acquired?
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Sources of Personal Power
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Expertise
Amity Institute of Behavioural & Allied Sciences
Charisma
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Effort
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Position Power
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Characteristics of Position Power
Amity Institute of Behavioural & Allied Sciences
How ELSE Can Power Be Acquired?�
Amity Institute of Behavioural & Allied Sciences