Managers Part III - Sources of Power

Managers have power over their subordinates. How they choose to exercise that power determines whether or not they are a "good" or "bad" manager. Here is a listing of some sources of power and brief definitions:

1. Legitimate Power: The ability to influence other due to one's position, office or formal authority
2. Reward Power: The ability to influence others by giving or withholding rewards such as pay, promotions, time off, etc.
3. Coercive Power: The ability to influence others through punishment
4. Expert Power: The ability to influence others through special knowledge or skills
5. Referent Power: Power that comes from personal characteristics that people value, respect or admire

Some of these are related - for example, Reward and Coercive Power are two sides of the same coin. Both of these to some extent flow from Legitimate Power. 

Before looking at some of these categories, I want to emphasize that the ability for a manager or leader to exercise power depends to a certain extent upon the degree to which an employee allows the manager to have that power. For instance, I don't play the lottery, or gamble at all for that matter, but I used to joke that if won the Powerball, I wouldn't quit my job like so many people do, but I would continue to come to work but simply refuse to do anything that I didn't want to do! Some of these categories of power won't work if the employee doesn't really need the job, or has the ability to change jobs quickly. 

Source #1, Legitimate Power is kind of like an unspoken contract - the manager gets to tell you what to do simply because of the title, you have to comply due to your lack of one. However, this source of power is largely theoretical. A manager who is relying solely on Source #1 will likely only get people to follow directives when physically present. Employees who are dealing with a manager who leads from Source #1 will be the kind of employees who "milk the clock", who sneak extra cigarette breaks, who look really busy while not actually getting anything done. Managers can use this as an argument ender: "because I'm the boss", this may end the immediate argument, but it rarely solves the problem. It is truly the amateur manager who believes that the title makes one an effective manager. The Source #1 Manager isn't necessarily "bad", usually just inexperienced.