Power and its bases

Contrast leadership and power.

Leadership is all about the ability to direct others towards achieving the goals while power is all about the influence to control the activities of other individuals. Leadership is managing the group and influencing them in the process of completing a task without exerting too much force. Power, on the other hand, is believed to exert some control and it is gained from leadership. Leadership is focusing on goal achievement along with followers. Power is concerned with influence in all directions used to accomplish the goal and often followers are also meaning to accomplish the goal.

Leadership comes from the leader down to the subordinates while power can be found in all direction without the need to be dependent on others. In fact, power lies in everyone and this just fuel someone to lead better, in my opinion.

These two concepts are interrelated. Leadership works downstream; power works from gaining control upward. I think power is needed to be able to lead a team our group because it is important so others would see a leader’s relevance once he or she can influence others without threatening them or something like that.

Define the five bases of power.

The five bases of power are:

1. Coercive Power: Complies from fear of the negative results. This one fuels power through our fear of failing. This power lies on our thinking that getting a negative result is not something that we want so we do our best to avoid this through using our capabilities and doing a good job. We avoid getting badmouthed, punished and even demoted so we do our best in the group.

2. Reward Power: Complies due to desire for positive benefits. This power recognizes the power which craves praises, compliments, rewards, and benefits in order to execute something that benefits the organization. We all want to gain something so we try to give our best.

3. Legitimate Power: From the formal authority to control and use organizational resources. This power lies on the power of the authority to control and utilize whatever resources they have. An individual uses the organization’s resources in order to accomplish organizational goals. It is legitimate because it can involve political and social authority over others.

4. Expert Power: Influence wielded as a result of expertise, special skill, or knowledge. It is an innate power that can burn our desire to learn more and be skilful and be an expert over a specific skills and knowledge. We all have unique characteristics for us to stand out and it can also fuel our passion thus, this expert power starts from the inside and our will to be better on our own.

5. Referent Power: Based on identification with a person who has desirable resources or personal traits. Referent power fuels our desire to experience self-growth and become better based on the desires and our priorities. It is also dependent on the personal traits we possess.

For me, the most effective base of power is the referent power under personal power. Although the listed bases of powers are equally reasonable, I can put the referent power as the most effective in a way that this power exudes in everyone. We all have unique personal traits that push us to do our best. The best kind of power is the one that radiates from the inside. If we have something that we can showcase and utilize it to prove that we can do something without depending on others. For example, someone with innate characteristics that can be used for his or her chosen character will naturally do a good job. Through our personal powers, we can be able to show what we are good at and let others be aware that nobody is ‘talentless’. Instead, the power lies on the inside and we just have to nurture whatever talent, skill, or personal trait we are good at to widen skills. Just like a vine, our referent power can spread. Our writing and creative skills can spread to our communication skills if we focus on improving it.

Describe the effective use of influence tactics.

 Power is all about the ability of an individual to influence others with their words and even their lifestyle and decisions. If someone has the power over someone, that means influencing someone else in their behaviour, their choices, their actions and it is probably to affect the outcome of a project. The use of influence tactics is beneficial for an organization so that control is not scattered, and the team would not be over the place when it comes to delegation of tasks and decision-making. In an organization, influence tactics is strategic approach to manage, direct and control the subordinates and present effective leadership skills rather than being ineffective and irrelevant that the subordinates can break the rules and it will be chaotic for a huge organization to have everyone taking control of the situation and the communication would also be compromised. Influence tactics is important to have a clear flow of power and chain of command. It is also timely and organized to have this so organizations would work and think as one.