Power and Its Types

Power

• Power is the ability of one person (agent) to influence another (target).
• There are 5 types of power:
  • Reward power: ability to give/take away things the target desires.
  • Coercive power: ability to give/take away things the target doesn't want.
  • Expert power: ability to influence based on knowledge/expertise.
  • Legitimate power: ability to influence due to a position of authority.
• 2 categories of power:
  • Position power: based on a person's role
    • Reward
    • Coercive
    • Legitimate
  • Personal power: based on the person themselves
    • Expert
    • Referent
• 4 factors affecting power:
  • Substitutability:
    • Low substitutability: hard to replace (e.g., doctor with unique specialty), strengthens power
    • High substitutability: easy to replace, weakens power
  • Centrality:
    • Low centrality: few people depend on them (e.g., secretary), weakens power
    • High centrality: many people depend on them (e.g., IT technician), strengthens power
  • Discretion:
    • Low discretion: little freedom/choices (e.g., unionized supervisor), weakens power
    • High discretion: significant freedom/choices (e.g., non-unionized supervisor), strengthens power
  • Visibility:
    • Low visibility: little awareness of their power (e.g., supervisor employees don't know experience), weakens power
    • High visibility: high awareness of their power (e.g., supervisor whose employees know experience), strengthens power