French and Ravens Theory of Sources of Power - Essay Example

FRENCH AND RAVEN’S THEORY OF SOURCES OF POWER By Location French and Raven’s Theory of Sources of power Introduction French and Raven are some of the theorists who made efforts toward describing the sources of power used by leaders in a bid to exert influence on their subordinates. They identified five sources of power that have been commonly used by different leaders. In broader terms, the five sources of power fall into two categories. One of these categories is the organizational power which comprises of the legitimate reward and coercive sources of power. The second category comprises of expert and referent power which defines personal power. Different leaders use these five sources of power in various situations as they seek to ensure a continued influence on their subordinates. In this essay, two examples of leaders will form the core of the discussion. The paper will explore different examples of how the two selected leaders apply each source of power. One of the selected outstanding leaders is Steve Jobs the former CEO of the Apple Company. The other leader who will be considered is Tesco’s former CEO Terry Leahy. The term power has been of great interest because of the negative connotation associated with it. According to the views of many, power has served to evoke negative feelings and is hence considered something dirty. Despite the negative connotation, understanding the roles of power and its sources is one of the critical aspects that can serve to elaborate why different members of the society have certain views towards leadership and power. Many have described power as a term denoting a natural process which is critical in ensuring that an organization has a level of life. People in leadership positions have to rely on power if tasks are to be completed and if the people strategic goals have to conform to those of the organization. This is the reason why it is critical to understand the different sources of power. John French and Bertrand Raven were social scientists who identified the need to describe the different sources of power that is used by many leaders (Leader 2012, p. 3). Five Sources of Power a) Legitimate Power This type of power has often been referred to “formal authority.” Legitimate power denotes the ability exhibited by individuals to alter the behaviour of others because of a certain position that the individual holds. This is usually applied when individuals with holding certain positions are able to give directions to their subordinates. The view of the subordinates towards the legitimate power affects its efficiency. In certain cases, subordinates may choose to comply with the directions given if they have a conviction that the leader is justified and deserves such power. In other cases, the subordinates may deem the individual unfit to exert such power upon them, especially in cases that breach the contract of employment (‘Managing Organizational Change’ 2010, p. 31). b) Reward Power Reward power makes use of incentives and reward systems to exert a level of influence on their subordinates. Leaders using this source of power have the capacity to identify specific things that their subordinates require. They then make sure that they include such things in the reward and the incentive system as a sure way of influencing them. Some leaders have identified bonuses, promotions, salary raise, favourable work assignments, new responsibilities, new equipment, appraisal and recognition as some of the effective rewards. However, French and Raven highlight that the subordinates must attach a level of value to the incentives or reward given. This is the only way through which they will accept the influence from the leader. There are cases when employees attach little values to the incentives provided hence this source of power proves ineffective. These theorists further described that, the reward power can prove highly effective if the leader intents to motivate the subordinates towards a higher performance rate (Peiro & Melia 2009, p. 20). There is a salient need for the leaders to identify the specific tasks that deserve a reward as soon as possible because failure to do that makes this source of power ineffective. However, it is important to highlight that reward power does not always have the expected results, especially in the value of the rewards keeps depreciating. Subordinates also have a chance to exert their influence on their leader through reward power. This emerged after several organizations initiated the 360 degree feedback system. Employees are required to offer feedback regarding the leader’s efficiency in different sectors. Employee feedback is not to be taken for granted as it determines whether the leader get promotions (‘Managing Organizational Change’ 2010, p. 33). c) Coercive Power Coercive power denote the power denoted the kind of power used by leaders who prefer to offer punishments and issue threats, the punishments and the threats serve to trigger fear in their subordinates a factor that makes them obedient and compliant. Some of the most common punishments include dismissal, reprimands and unfavourable work assignments. Coercive power may present certain negative effects as highlighted by Raven and French. The use of coercion has a negative effect and strains the employer, employee relationships (‘Managing Organizational Change’ 2010, p. 36). d) Expert Power This type of power depends on an individual’s level of knowledge, competencies, skills and personal abilities. Leaders in different sectors may have an overwhelming level of knowledge and expertise in their specific field of study or practice. Therefore, this gives them a level of power over his subordinates. An evident case is the fact that many people will stringently adhere to the doctors instructions. The belief that a doctor has the expertise and a wealth of knowledge in medicine makes him have a level of influence on people’s lives. This is the reason why people will strive to follow the guidelines given by a doctor (‘Managing Organizational Change’ 2010, p. 40). e) Referent Power This type of power denotes the ability exhibited by some individuals to exert a level of influence on people. This occurs because the people may have a liking, admiration and deep respect for the leader or the individual. Such individual are often referred to as mentors or role models or may be people with which a special relationship exists. Notably, referent power develops when the subordinates strive to be like the individual whose example, they emulate (‘Managing Organizational Change’ 2010, p. 45). Steve Jobs Steve Jobs was the CEO of Apple inclusive and established a leadership legacy that led to Fortune identifying him as the most powerful person in businesses. In 2009, he himself a new title accorded to him by the same magazine making him the “CEO of the decade.” This was after Jobs had managed to introduce change in several industries such as music, wireless phones, Hollywood movies, computers and retailing. A close analysis of Jobs leadership style reveals that he exhibited all the five sources of power. As the CEO of apple, he exhibited and enjoyed the legitimate power that gave him the mandate to give orders to his subordinates. The fact that Jobs was one of the rich individual in the United States gave him the opportunity to exercise reward power. Not just within the company, but also outside. Notably, his ability to give people his time and attention was a real source of reward power (Steinwart & Ziegler 2014, p. 56). There is evidence that Jobs was also an expert in using coercive power within Apple. According to Roderic Kramer, a psychologist on social issues, he was clear that Jobs was one of the renowned Intimidators. Employees exhibited a lot of fear in his presence. For example, the people working in Silicon Valley feared him immensely. Jobs established a legacy of being able to analyse markets and the evident needs of the people. Using such information, he would then design appropriate products to suit the needs of the people. This exhibited a high level of expert power. Worth noting is the fact that Jobs was also a source of inspiration to people. According to one employee, Jobs was able to motivate his employees presenting them with the passion on projects. In a bid to attain such heights of inspirations, the employees then complied with his guidelines allowing him to exercise power (Steinwart & Ziegler 2014, p. 40). Terry Leahy Terry Leahy started work in Tesco in 1992, immediately after graduating from Manchester University. At that time, he held the position of a marketing executive. In 1997 he would rise to the level of a CEO. Holding such a position presented him with the legitimate power and hence he could give the Tesco employees guidelines on how to perform tasks. Moreover, he could make decisions that would affect the people. Due to his diverse experience as a marketing executive of Tesco before becoming the CEO, he had gained remarkable knowledge of the operations and business of Tesco (Richardson & Swan 2006, p. 57). This made him exercise expert power. Employees at Tesco have revealed that, they had a liking for Terry and that he was able to associate with them in a measure that made them belong to the company. He exhibited charisma in all his dealings, hence, he had a high level of referent power. Terry’s leadership style focused on these three sources of power. Conclusion As highlighted above, there are five different sources of power used by leaders in a bid to exert influence on their subordinates. These sources of powers have different basis as this paper has described. Leaders in different sectors usually rely on these sources of power. For example, Steve Jobs relied on the five sources of power during his leadership at Apple. Moreover, Terry Leahy exhibited his use of the sources of power defined by French and Raven. However, terry only relied on three of the five sources of power defined by French and Raven theories. Bibliography Leader 2012, Grocer, p. 3, Food Science Source, EBSCOhost, viewed 22 May 2014. Managing Organizational Change: Leadership, Tesco and Leahys Resignation 2010, E Journal Of Organizational Learning & Leadership, 8, 2, pp. 30-52, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 22 May 2014. Peiro, J, & Melia, J n.d., Formal and informal interpersonal power in organisations: Testing a bifactorial model of power in role-sets, Applied Psychology-An International Review-Psychologie Appliquee-Revue Internationale, 52, 1, pp. 14-35, Social Sciences Citation Index, EBSCOhost, viewed 22 May 2014. Richardson, L, & Swan, J 2006, Unexercised channel power related to the costs of using different types of power sources, Journal Of Marketing Management (10711988), 7, 2, pp. 56-69, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 22 May 2014. Steinwart, M, & Ziegler, J 2014, Remembering Apple CEO Steve Jobs as a "Transformational Leader": Implications for Pedagogy, Journal Of Leadership Education, 13, 2, pp. 52-66, Education Source, EBSCOhost, viewed 22 May 2014.a Read More