Authority: Meaning and Definition

Authority is the willing and unconditional compliance of people, resting upon their belief that it is legitimate for the superior to impose his will on them and illegitimate for them to refuse to obey.

Henry Fayol defined authority as the right to give orders and the power to exact obedience.

Authority is the sum of the powers and rights entrusted to make possible the performance of work delegated.

<p>Obedience and acceptance are equally important sides of authority in the organizational process.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Authority is normally exercised in a formalized structure of hierarchy in an organization.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Authority is the foundation of administration in public life.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Authority in a formal organization is the legitimate right to guide a person's behavior, accepted by a contributor or member of the organization as governing what they do.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Authority is legitimate and positional, while power is the capacity to influence decision-making without necessarily being legitimate.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Illegitimate power is dangerous because it is not supported by law, constitution, or norms, posing a risk to the well-being of society.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The three standpoints are legal aspects, positional aspects, and human aspects of authority.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Legal aspects of authority cover the genesis, sources, rules, and norms that define the scope and limits to authority.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Authority is closely related to power, with authority being the legitimate right to guide behavior, while power is the capacity to influence decision-making.</p> Signup and view all the answers