The five power bases of leadership

Power is “the ability to change the behavior of others” (Vecchio 2006: 124). How one chooses to use this power to influence others is dependant on one’s characteristics. There are five bases of power as describe by Vecchio (2006) and Hughes et al (2006). Expert power stems from an individual’s knowledge and experience of a particular subject. Referent power is born of the relationship between a leaders and followers. Legitimate power is usually appointed by way of role within a group or organization. Reward power refers to power that is gained from being able to reward followers with what they desire. Finally, coercive power is the power to punish (Vecchio 2006, Hughes et al 2006). A leader may be able to use a combination of these power bases. Others on the other hand may only be able to use one or two of these power bases. For example, an individual that has been elevated to a higher status within an organization may only use coercive power because followers may not like them personally. A good leader on the hand will be able to use any of the five bases of power to influence followers depending on the situation and attitude of the follower.

Good Leadership
As noted by Hughes et al (2006) power can be used by leaders and managers for both positive and negative changes (p. 132). Hughes et al (2006) go on to say that “the leader’s personal values may be one of the most important determinants of how power is exercised or constrained” (p. 132). Maxwell (1999) also lists 21 qualities that a leader must have in order for people to want to follow. When the subject of a leader is discussed, most would argue that personal traits, values and characteristic of a person make them a leader. One would also agree with this, and in light of the lessons learnt in the over time, one would also add that knowing the leadership process would help a leader with those traits and values increase their leadership credibility considerably.

Leadership Example
In a couple of organisations that I have worked for, there have been particular leaders who have stood out from the rest. In terms power, these leader had the ability to command all five power bases. They were also very approachable and easy to talk to whether you were the store man, middle manager or an executive within the organisation. One of them in particular had intentionally placed their office at the far end of the building so that he can say good morning to every employee when he walks into the building each morning. He often stopped and had general conversations with members of staff about their week end as so on. During management meetings, he would relay his message about creating and keeping a happy working environment. In fact he bought every manager a copy of Blanchard et al’s (1998) book Gung Ho because he wanted every manager to consider the positive implications of a good and happy working environment. Furthermore, in most meetings he would discuss particular individuals within the company that he had noticed performing well. Following this, he would ask that we ensure that there were career paths for these particular employees as well as anyone else who is showing promise. He would often speak about the importance of reflection and that we should be encouraged to have time away from the office to think strategically. Furthermore he would encourage us to take our teams to dinner every so often to show our appreciating for their hard work. These characteristics demonstrated that he had the power of influence in a positive manner. It also showed that he had reward and referent power.

Obviously, his position within the organization also gave him legitimate power throughout the organisation. Furthermore he had expert power when evaluating the past record of company’s performance. When he originally came into the company, the company was turning over £2 million per annum. It was also very dependant on a dealer network which appeared to have little loyalty to the brand – resulting in the channel dictating what prices it wanted to pay for products. In his first major strategic move, he revoked the licenses for all dealers, keeping only the top performers as agents and employing a direct channel to increase the company’s credability and brand. During this period, he surrounded himself with a management team to help turn the organisation around, resulting in an increase in turnover by four hunder percent and most importantly, increasing cash flow and profit. Since this time dealers have come back requesting a new relationship under the organisation’s new terms. Personally, this demonstrates that he had the expertise to successfully lead an organisation and make touch decisions when they were required.

In relation to motivation, this leader had the ability to inspire many within the organisation including your truely. He also had the ability to identify leaders and develop them into future leaders. As an example, a number of up and coming employees had been able to develop their skills further by studying towards professional qualification that had bee funded by the organisation; again demonstrating his desire to create a great working environment. A number of these individuals have since told me that when they had personally thanks him, he had replied by saying that his role was to provide an environment that people can excel in. And if this is done, performance and profit will naturally follow.

The aforementioned examples are just some of the traits that these leaders showed. In addition both leaders treated family life balance with respect and advocated this within the organisation such were their views that a balance must be made between one’s working life, family home life and personal time. They demonstrated this by arraning company weekends away with family members. With all of these qualities, everyone in the company knew where they steed and that they had the ability to demote or dismiss those who did not fit into that environment. As noted by Maxwell, “leadership is the capacity and will to rally men and woman to a common purpose and the character which inspires confidence” (p. 1).

Manager Example
On the flipside of leaders are individuals who are termed managers who have the ability to comfortably manage day to day activities such as; engineer allocation and handling customer complaints. They are good company ambassador by way of great customer service, pacifying customers or finding solutions to very technical issues. However, they do not have the vision nor the right skill set to command leadership. Obviously as managers they would have the power to reward given their positions within the organisation. In fact I have personally worked with a number of managers who were very approachable people and related well to subordinate; however they did not inspire those around them. For example, according engineer and technical staff that I have encountered, they had all mentioned that their managers failed to provide them with any sense of direction; hence they felt as if they were just going with the motions.

In one particular example a field engineering business unit was operating at a considerable deficit, even though their activity levels were high. Furthermore these staff members often commented that this manager failed to relay any of their ideas to the management group or they were dismissed without a reasonable explanation as to why their ideas had been denied. Staff acknowledged that she had the technical expertise in terms of engineering, but failed to effective lead the department. Subordinates suggest that feedback was a one way affair and they did not feel comfortable enough to provide feedback in relation to suggested changes or the way in which they were being mis-managed.

Yet in saying this, one does feel that this manager can become a leader if further education and training was offered – but most importantly accepted. In fact I had suggested that she needed to consider embarking on a business study type short course to gain more understanding of strategy. In response she said she was aware that this is an area that she lacked understanding hence she has been unable to formulate a business plan with future objectives.Lack of leadership stems from her lack of understanding of business activities such as financial implications. However, her honest evaluation of the area she lacks and the willingness to address this weakness suggests that she may be able to make the transition into a leader.

Conclusion
Great leaders inspire those they lead and ensure that followers will always see them in good light as testament to their good faith, values and charisma. Great leaders also inspire followers to become good leaders and pass on what has been demonstrated onto them. Credibility is something that comes about through trust as a result of positive actions. Managers also have the ability to become leaders if they have the capacity to realize their shortfall and are willing to do what is required to become a good leader.

References

Blanchard, K., Bowles, S. (1998) Gung Ho! How to motivate people in any organization. London: Harper Collins

Maxwell, J.C. (1998) The 21 indispensable qualities of a leader: Becoming the person others will want to follow. Thomas Nelson Publishers: Nashville

Vecchio, R. P. (2006) Organizational Behavior: Core Concepts. 6th ed. Mason, OH: Thomas South-Western