Tapping into Your Sources of Power

If you watch the evening news or read current events online, you will have no problem finding situations that need to change. However, if you are like most people, you feel powerless to do anything about them — especially if you lack wealth and social status. While it may be common to feel this way, social psychologists John French and Bertram Raven would disagree. They believed that all human beings possess the ability to influence others, and in 1959, the two men developed a framework for understanding the different sources of power people can draw from.  

What is now known as the French Raven Theory originally consisted of five bases of power: legitimate, reward, expert, referent, and coercive. Raven later added the informational base of power in 1965. Since that time, the framework has undergone significant developments, and a seventh power dynamic has been added — connection power. According to the World of Work Project all seven powers share the same set of rules:                                

• They must be gained before they can be used. 

• They are obtained in a variety of ways.  
• Each form of power has its own distinct characteristics and requirements.  
• They affect ongoing relationships with those being influenced. 
• The forms of power have different levels of effectiveness depending on the people involved.    

French and Raven’s bases of power are divided into two main groups: positional and personal. Positional power is authoritative and is based upon a person’s title, rank, or position. Therefore, legitimate, reward, and coercive powers all fall within this category. Positional power can be dangerous as people are granted broad authority, and even leaders with the best of intentions may end up abusing it. Although their power can be taken away, it is not always easy to do so, and consequences for bad behavior may be delayed or completely non-existent. Because society places great importance on positional power, our lives are made more difficult. 

Personal power, on the other hand, lies within us. Motivational speaker and self-development author Brian Tracy defines personal power as the ability to influence others with the intrinsic values we possess — such as confidence, attitude, self-awareness, talent, skill, and wisdom. The only way we can lose this form of power is by giving it away. Referent, expert, and informational power all fall within this category because they come from personal attributes or experiences rather than from formal authority. Because we all possess some form of personal power, we do not need to hold a high-ranking position to affect change in our own lives or in the lives of those around us. Personal power is the most influential power anyone can have as it is the primary source of strength for achieving both our individual and professional goals.  

Learning about each source of power is important as it helps us to understand who we are and what we have to offer in the workplace. Truly effective leaders use a mixture of the different forms of power to gain greater influence, boost employee engagement, and achieve better results for their organizations. While knowing how to use our personal and positional power is a skill that comes with time and experience, we can begin the process by recognizing the different forms of power being used around us and pushing back on the those that are negative.  

Reward Power

As its name suggests, reward power gives a leader the authority to hand out rewards to employees. Psychiatrist Michael Robinson defines reward power as “a leader’s ability to motivate his subordinates by providing incentives for performance in the form of resources.” For example, when managers or supervisors offer a bonus to the highest performing employees, they are exercising their reward power. This type of power can be a powerful motivator, but Robinson warns that if it is used improperly, it can give employees an unwarranted sense of self-importance, which can breed resentment and harm morale. 

Coercive Power

Coercion is one of the least desirable forms of power because it uses force, threats, intimidation, and punishment to stimulate an outcome. An example is a supervisor who threatens to fire an employee for leaving work early. Sources of coercive power include control over resources, disciplinary measures, and hierarchical position. While such tactics may seem effective,  The Strategic Project Manager points out that forcing people to comply often stimulates resistance. As a result, coercive power works only if it is used judiciously — as a way of adding discipline that will help in the long run. 

Legitimate Power

People have legitimate power when they hold an office or job title that grants them formal authority over subordinates within an organization. Because it comes from an organizational role or position, it is a form of positional power. GoBookMart explains that chief executive officers (CEOs) hold the highest level of legitimate power in an organization as they have the authority to make strategic decisions, set the company’s vision, and allocate resources. Elected government officials — such as presidents, prime ministers, and other elected officials — also possess legitimate power, which is granted by their positions and backed by legal or formal mandates. A final example of legitimate power is a military leader, such as a general or admiral. The leader’s rank and position grant him or her the authority to give orders and command troops. While legitimate power provides a clear and established framework for decision-making, it is contingent upon the leader’s position within an organization and ends when he or she leaves or retires. 

Information Power

When a person has the ability to access information that is not available to everyone, he or she has information power. According to Oxford Reference, this form of power can be positional or personal depending upon the circumstances. It is a source of personal power when the information comes from an individual’s brain rather than from formal authority. An example would be someone who uses his personal knowledge of prices to gain power during a negotiation. However, when a leader gains access to and control of information through his or her position at work, it becomes a source of positional power. For instance, if an administrative assistant has access to a confidential report that lists the names of workers who will be laid off, he or she has positional information power.  

Expert Power

While information power is distinguished by access to specific and/or limited information, expert power is based on a vast amount of skill or knowledge. According to MindTools, “You gain expert power when you show a high level of knowledge or a great level of skill that people around you see, need, and want. They will likely come to you for advice and want to follow your lead.” For example, if only one employee in a department knows how to run the software, he or she has the expert power in that situation. 

Referent Power

A form of personal power that stems from a leader’s ability to inspire and influence others is called referent power. It is acquired from being well-liked or respected by those around you. For example, a human resources associate may gain referent power by working to ensure that employees are treated fairly and coming to the rescue of those who are not. An article in Forbes suggests that those who want to obtain referent power should strive to excel in four areas: a proven track record, a reputation for being fair, modeling good behavior, and demonstrating strong interpersonal skills. To build strong referent power leaders, companies must develop a similar framework, bolster it with a good assessment mechanism, and then utilize the results for ongoing coaching and evaluation.  

Connection Power

When an employee attains influence through networking, building relationships, or gaining the favor of a powerful person, he or she has connection power. According to GoBookMart, this type of power “is based on the leader’s social capital, the breadth and depth of their professional relationships, and their ability to connect individuals or groups to valuable resources, opportunities, or influential contacts.” Let’s say that you are interested in transferring to another department at work, so you mention it to a couple of colleagues who are already in that department. Since you have built positive professional relationships with them, both colleagues put in a good word for you with their supervisor. A few days later, you are offered a position in their department. This is an example of using your connection power to reach a goal.  

In general, it can be said that everyone holds some form of power and influence over others, regardless of social status or job title. Understanding the different forms of power will not only help you avoid being influenced by those who use the less positive ones, but it will also strengthen your ability to develop your own personal and positional powers. If you or your company would like to learn more, consider enrolling in our one-day course Increasing Your Personal Power.