Briefly explain three (3) sources of power
Power is the
ability or capacity to influence decision. In other words, power refers to a
capacity that one has to influence the behavior of other so that other does
something he or she would not otherwise do.
The
sources of power can be explained as follow:
i-
Position of a
person holds in an organization’s hierarchy
This kind of power
is called legitimate power because they gain power from the formal position in
an organization’s hierarchy. They can influence others by means of a position
held or recognized. This position holder, depending on his style of working,
they may use the power to gain the control over others but of course within the
overall framework provided by the organization. The example of legitimate power
is that held by a company’s CEO.
ii-
Possessing
knowledge or expertise in particular area
They influence
others through the possession of knowledge or skill that is useful to others.
Such people are highly appreciated by organizations for their problem solving
skills. This power is called expert power. The opinion, ideas and decisions of
people with expert power are held in high regard by other employees and hence
greatly influence their actions.
iii-
The ability of a
person to influence the allocation of incentives in an organization.
This
type of power is called reward power. They influence others by controlling things they want such as money,
acceptance, praise, promotion and status. In an organization, people who wield
reward power tend to influence the actions of the employees due to his ability
to satisfy follower’s needs and give rewards. Reward power if used well, will greatly
motivates employees but if it’s applied through favoritism, reward power can
greatly demoralize employees and diminish their output.
