Understand what personal power is and how it is used in leadership. Explore the two main types of personal power and read an information power definition.
Updated: 05/03/2022
Personal Power
Managerial Power
Managerial power is a manager's ability to influence their desires concerning remuneration decisions that the board of directors has formulated. Managerial power is gained from affluent sources such as; personality, whereby the manager can influence their subordinates due to reputation and charisma. In this case, the subordinates appreciate the manager's personality traits and accord him the required respect as their head. Also, expertise is another source of managerial power in which a manager derives power from their know-how and expertise. Thus, the individual who exercises their expertise will tend to acknowledge and recognize him as their head in that field.
Additionally, coercion is another source of managerial power, and it deals with the application of physical force in influencing subordinates. Coercion is mainly applied in the military and in instances of industrial action. Affluent managers apply various sources of power at ago. Managerial power outlines that high-level executives possess the power to develop unequal bargaining power that, in turn, generates market inefficiencies leading to excessive compensation that does not rhyme with the performance. Managerial power is essential in ensuring workers' compliance and commitment. Also, it promotes assists in eliminating resistance among the workers and ensuring their harmonious coexistence leading to increased productivity. There are two types of managerial power: personal power and positional power. These two types of power are essential in essential in successful management.
Managerial Power
You may recall that power can be defined as a person's ability to influence others. Effective managers know how to use their power to influence the behavior of organizational members. A manager obtains his or her power from both the organization (positional power) and from themselves (personal power). The key to successful management lies in using a combination of positional power and personal power. This lesson focuses on the second type of power: personal power.
You must cCreate an account to continue watching
Register to view this lesson
Are you a student or a teacher?
Create Your Account To Continue Watching
As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 84,000 lessons in math, English, science, history, and more. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you succeed.
Get unlimited access to over 84,000 lessons.
Try it now
It only takes a few minutes to setup and you can cancel any time.
Already registered? Log in here for access
Back
Your next lesson will play in
10 seconds
What is Personal Power?
The definition of personal power denotes the ability to exert influence over events and individuals. In this case, personal power is the power that emanates from individual traits instead of formal authority. Personal power is independent of the organization and is about the personality and knowledge of the individual. This power is deemed more of a state of mind whereby individuals with strong personal power tend to focus on their abilities and efficacies for cooperation with others. What is personal power in leadership? In leadership, personal power refers to an individual's power based on their characteristics, competencies, skills, and other personal attributes. Hence, this power contains the ability to motivate and inspire others.
Moreover, managers that hold personal power attract the commitment of their subordinates. Personal power consists of two bases that include; expert power and referent power. Expert power enables the managers to influence subordinates' behaviors through their experience and special knowledge concerning the role in which the subordinates are responsible for performing. A manager becomes a holder of expert power by understanding the performance of tasks related to the job that subordinates are required to know. On the other hand, referent power is generated from the adoration and respect of the manager by their subordinates. This power is seen when the workers identify themselves with the managers they admire. However, referent power is mainly expressed by charismatic leaders who possess the ability to induce followership passion due to their magnetic personalities.
Referent Power
Referent power is a form of power derived from the leader's ability to influence and inspire others. Also, referent power is the adoration and respect accorded to the managers by their subordinates. In this light, this power is derived from how individuals like, admire, and respect a certain leader. Thus, charismatic leaders employ referent power to inspire and attracts subordinate. In this light, the referent powers generate strong connections between managers and followers. This is because referent power unites the teams' members, thus improving productivity. Referent power inspires the employees to work hard to achieve their set goals. Also, Referent power enables the leader to employ their personal qualities and interpersonal skills to convert the subordinates into loyal followers. This is because the followers aspire to gain the approval of their leaders by imitating the ways their leaders express, think, and behave. In this light, the subordinate views their leader as a role model.
Therefore, referent power improves the retention rate of employees since motivated employees are less likely to the organization. Referent power forms a positive, trusting relationship among the employees because referent leaders are supportive and encouraging. Referent leaders are always willing to generate innovative solutions to the challenges experienced by their subordinates. This minimizes employees' stress points and anxiety. An example of referent power is a leader who is respected and admired by the subordinate in an organization. The subordinates view the leader as their role model.
Expert Power
Expert power denotes the influence that leaders possess on their subordinates due to their specialized skills, knowledge, and experience. Expert power makes the subordinate perceive that the leader possesses a high level of knowledge in expertise. Thus, this perception makes the leader have a greater influence and power in the workplace. Managers with expert power create a bold statement among employees since they apprehend that it provides the necessary direction that will ultimately gear success. Expert power streamlines the business decisions since expert power equips the leader to make informed decisions in the organization. Also, expert power avails a great opportunity for career development.
Since expert power makes the leaders focus on a specific area and develop specific skills. Thus, expert power induces leaders and employees to advance their careers. Expert power can be possessed by any individual in the workplace since when one has an elevated level of competence, individuals follow their advice and experience. An example of expert power is a manager in the workplace who is the only individual who understands a given language, writes codes in specific computer programming languages, and has a first-hand encounter with various market conditions. The manager possesses the ability to express his expertise in the workplace, thus influencing the subordinate to employ it to improve productivity in the organization.
Information Power
Information power is defined as a form of power in which an individual possesses the required information. Information power is the power that individual holds due to their access to information. Thus, information power is a collective power that controls information required by others to arrive at an important goal. Individuals who possess informational power can manipulate, withhold, and share the information to leverage the desired conduct through setting targets. This is because when information is shared, it assists people in creating connections and adopting new mechanisms for improving their organizations. Information power avails access to information that grants a leader the ability to evoke certain behaviors among the subordinate.
Informational power is related to positional power since the virtue of accessing information is often related to the position an individual holds within an organization. In this light, informational power is used as a bargaining tool that fosters the growth and advancement of the organization.
Lesson Summary
Managerial power denotes a manager's ability to influence his desires regarding remuneration decisions that the board of directors has established. However, this power may be gained from personality, coercion, and expert sources. Also, there are two types of managerial power: personal power and positional power. Personal power denotes the ability to evoke influence over events and individuals. Hence, this power is not formal in that it is mainly generated from individual traits. Personal power comprises two bases that are referent power and expert power. Referent power is often manifested in charismatic leaders who possess the capability to induce followership passion due to their magnetic personality. Expert power results are created through the manager's understanding of the job-related roles that the subordinates are required to know.
Referent power is the adoration and respect given to the managers by their subordinates. Thus, charismatic leaders possess referent power since they are admired and liked by their subordinates. Referent power is significant in an organization since it builds a strong connection between the managers and subordinates. An example of referent power is a manager who is admired and respects the subordinate. Furthermore, expert power is the influence possessed by managers on their subjects due to their specialized skills. Expert powers make the manager have a great influence on the organization. Expert power is important in the workplace through streamlining business decisions. An example of expert power is a manager in an organization with specialized skills, not anyone. Information power denotes the power that individuals have due to their access to information. Information power enables individuals to share information required by others. Moreover, informational power is related to position power because the virtue of receiving information is related to the position occupied by an individual in the workplace.
Personal Power
Personal power is independent from the position a manager holds in an organization and rests solely in the individual. Things such as a manager's personality and special knowledge make personal power a useful resource for managers to use when trying to influence subordinates. Subordinates become committed to their managers that hold personal power. There are two main bases of personal power, which include referent power and expert power.
Referent Power
Referent power is the result of subordinate respect and adoration for the manager and is seen when an employee seeks to identify with the manager with whom they admire. Referent power is commonly seen in charismatic leaders who are able to invoke a passion for followership due to the leader's magnetic personality. Subordinates are willing to follow their manager's requests simply because of the manner in which they deal with and treat subordinates. For example, Kelly thinks that Jack is a great manager who is easy to talk to and has always done a good job of treating her like an equal. When Jack asks Kelly to work overtime, she agrees without hesitation because she has seen Jack stay late on numerous occasions and she wants to do what she thinks will please Jack.
Followership is not based on rewards or punishment; rather, it is based on subordinates' belief that the manager is a good leader because of a charismatic and caring leadership style.
Expert Power
Expert power allows a manager to influence the behaviors of subordinates through their special knowledge, experience or skills relating to the work the subordinates must perform. Being an expert makes a bold statement to employees that the manager knows what they are doing and can provide the necessary direction for how the subordinates can be successful themselves. Essentially, the manager holds expert power by knowing or understanding how to do job-related tasks that the subordinates need to know.
For example, now that Kelly has successfully penetrated her market, she wants to take her sales to the next level by branching into a new market. However, Kelly has never worked in this market before and understands that it is vastly different from her usual one. Fortunately for Kelly, this was Jack's market before he was promoted to a manager, and he has some insider knowledge about how to be a successful sales person in that market. Because of Jack's expert power, Kelly will listen to all of the suggestions that Jack offers her, even those that contradict Kelly's typical sales strategies.
Lesson Summary
Let's review. Managers require power to make things happen in their organizations. Power can be defined as a manager's ability to influence others. A manager obtains his or her power from both the organization (positional power) and from themselves (personal power). The key to successful management lies in using a combination of positional power and personal power. This lesson discussed the second type of power: personal power.
Personal power is independent from the position a manager holds in an organization and rests solely in the individual in things such as a manager's personality, experience and special knowledge. There are two main bases of personal power, which include referent power and expert power. Referent power is the result of a subordinate's respect and adoration for the manager and is seen when an employee seeks to identify with the manager with whom they admire. Expert power allows a manager to influence the behaviors of subordinates through their special knowledge, experience or skills relating to the work the subordinates must perform. Essentially, the manager holds expert power by knowing or understanding how to do job-related tasks that the subordinates need to know.
Lesson Objective
After viewing this lesson, you should be able to:
- Define power for a manager and understand the concept of personal power
- List the two main bases of personal power, and describe how each base of power is expressed
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
Video Transcript
Managerial Power
You may recall that power can be defined as a person's ability to influence others. Effective managers know how to use their power to influence the behavior of organizational members. A manager obtains his or her power from both the organization (positional power) and from themselves (personal power). The key to successful management lies in using a combination of positional power and personal power. This lesson focuses on the second type of power: personal power.
Personal Power
Personal power is independent from the position a manager holds in an organization and rests solely in the individual. Things such as a manager's personality and special knowledge make personal power a useful resource for managers to use when trying to influence subordinates. Subordinates become committed to their managers that hold personal power. There are two main bases of personal power, which include referent power and expert power.
Referent Power
Referent power is the result of subordinate respect and adoration for the manager and is seen when an employee seeks to identify with the manager with whom they admire. Referent power is commonly seen in charismatic leaders who are able to invoke a passion for followership due to the leader's magnetic personality. Subordinates are willing to follow their manager's requests simply because of the manner in which they deal with and treat subordinates. For example, Kelly thinks that Jack is a great manager who is easy to talk to and has always done a good job of treating her like an equal. When Jack asks Kelly to work overtime, she agrees without hesitation because she has seen Jack stay late on numerous occasions and she wants to do what she thinks will please Jack.
Followership is not based on rewards or punishment; rather, it is based on subordinates' belief that the manager is a good leader because of a charismatic and caring leadership style.
Expert Power
Expert power allows a manager to influence the behaviors of subordinates through their special knowledge, experience or skills relating to the work the subordinates must perform. Being an expert makes a bold statement to employees that the manager knows what they are doing and can provide the necessary direction for how the subordinates can be successful themselves. Essentially, the manager holds expert power by knowing or understanding how to do job-related tasks that the subordinates need to know.
For example, now that Kelly has successfully penetrated her market, she wants to take her sales to the next level by branching into a new market. However, Kelly has never worked in this market before and understands that it is vastly different from her usual one. Fortunately for Kelly, this was Jack's market before he was promoted to a manager, and he has some insider knowledge about how to be a successful sales person in that market. Because of Jack's expert power, Kelly will listen to all of the suggestions that Jack offers her, even those that contradict Kelly's typical sales strategies.
Lesson Summary
Let's review. Managers require power to make things happen in their organizations. Power can be defined as a manager's ability to influence others. A manager obtains his or her power from both the organization (positional power) and from themselves (personal power). The key to successful management lies in using a combination of positional power and personal power. This lesson discussed the second type of power: personal power.
Personal power is independent from the position a manager holds in an organization and rests solely in the individual in things such as a manager's personality, experience and special knowledge. There are two main bases of personal power, which include referent power and expert power. Referent power is the result of a subordinate's respect and adoration for the manager and is seen when an employee seeks to identify with the manager with whom they admire. Expert power allows a manager to influence the behaviors of subordinates through their special knowledge, experience or skills relating to the work the subordinates must perform. Essentially, the manager holds expert power by knowing or understanding how to do job-related tasks that the subordinates need to know.
Lesson Objective
After viewing this lesson, you should be able to:
- Define power for a manager and understand the concept of personal power
- List the two main bases of personal power, and describe how each base of power is expressed
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the definition of personal power?
Personal power refers to the influencing ability of events and people, and it solely rests within the individual. Personal power involves the unique knowledge and the ability of a manager.
What is an example of personal power?
An example of personal power includes when an employee attains their personal goal and the company, in return, grants him a token as a form of recognition and appreciation. In this case, personal power is generated when individuals reward their followers after timely and efficient task completion.
Register to view this lesson
Are you a student or a teacher?
Unlock Your Education
See for yourself why 30 million people use Study.com
Become a Study.com member and start learning now.
Become a MemberAlready a member? Log In
BackPersonal Power Overview, Types & Uses | What is Personal Power?
Related Study Materials
Explore our library of over 84,000 lessons
Browse by subject