Buy essay on Types of Power in Leadership

There are different ways leaders may influence their subordinates to provide their productive work, develop their professional skills, group dynamics, etc. French and Raven singled out the five bases of power that drew a wide response in the second half of the twentieth century and contributed to the studies of leadership styles and bases of power and authority. The five types of power are legitimate, reward, coercive, referent and expert, the latter two types are qualified as personal while the rest are position powers usually held by managers and executives.
Legitimate power is grounded on the belief that the superior has the right to give orders according to his or her position. Subordinates should comply with them, though they may not always feel sense of commitment and cooperation. Reward power presupposes some type of reward for what is done by the employees, it may range from pecuniary compensation to operating conditions improvement. The kind of power is quite flexible and may be a strong motivator for subordinates, but can urge them on unethical or illegal actions in their strife for bonuses. Coercive power is based on the ability of a superior to make employees to comply with an order through punishment, discharge or deduction. The type of power decreases employees’ satisfaction with what they do, reduces commitment and cooperation. Referent power is interconnected with respect of the superior and rests mainly on trust, therefore, it takes time to establish and maintain it in terms of personnel turnover, for instance.
The secret of expert power effectiveness that is based on specific knowledge, experience and expertise of a leader, lies in making others to recognize the expertise, maintaining credibility, staying informed and acting decisively in a crisis without threatening the self-esteem of subordinates. The leader in this case should serve an inspirer and the team members should believe in his or her ability to lead them in a worthwhile direction, motivate them, guide their efforts and watch over their interests as well as the interests of an organization.
Each base of power takes its place in management and proves effective in the right circumstances, however, expert power being based on expertise is more effective than other types of power. Gained information on leadership styles and types of power enable me to better understand the nature of the phenomenon of power and find adequate solutions in winning expert power.

 



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