Sources of Power
There are many ways a manager can get his message across effectively to his workers. These include being tough on your employees through punishments or threatening a certain consequence, to offering bribes or saying a good job will result in a reward. It is important for a manager to adjust and try out different techniques to see what works best because everyone will answer differently.
Position power: This is the more obvious way to influence someone as the power is coming from someone in a higher position that has the authority to give orders as they of course can control everyone below them. Reward Power: This is promising someone a certain reward that includes a possible raise, bonus or extended lunch as long as they meet the requirements for a certain task. Coercive Power: This is the complete opposite of reward power as instead of offering a reward for completing, they will give a punishment for not meeting requirements. Legitimate Power: This is a straightforward technique that influences someone through formal authority. This is basically asking someone to complete a task because they said so and no other explanation is needed. Expert Power: This is influencing someone based on the fact that you have a special expertise on the situation and it wouldn't make sense not to follow my orders because of this. Referent Power: This is influencing a person or a group just based on the respect that they have towards you. They might also just generally like you and would be happy to work for you. Personal Power: This is the same idea as position power but instead of influencing others off of what your position is, the source comes from you as a person. |