Bases of Social Power

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Processes of power are pervasive, complex, and often disguised in our society. The Bases of Social Power of French and Raven is a theory that identifies five (six) bases or sources of social (organizational) power:

1. Reward power. This form is based on the perceived ability to give positive consequences or remove negative ones.

2. Coercive power. This is the perceived ability to punish those who not conform with your ideas or demands.

3. Legitimate power (organizational authority). This form is based on the perception that someone has the right to prescribe behavior due to election or appointment to a position of responsibility. Also called Normative Power. Compare: Organization Chart.

4. Referent power. This is power by virtue of the follower wanting to emulate the person who possesses this form of power (wanting to be be like him).

5. Expert power. This type is based on having distinctive knowledge, expertness, ability or skills.

6. Similar to 5: Information power. This form is based on controlling the information needed by others in order to reach an important goal.

The Five Bases of Social Power theory starts from the assumption that power and influence involve relations between at least two agents. The theory argues that the reaction of the receiving agent is the more useful focus for explaining the phenomena of social influence and power.

French and Raven examined the effect of power derived from the various bases of attraction and resistance to the use of power. Attraction and resistance are the recipient's sentiment towards the agent that uses power. They conclude that the use of power from the various bases has different consequences.

For example, coercive power typically decreases attraction and causes high resistance. Whereas reward power increases attraction and creates minimal levels of resistance.

French and Raven also concluded that "the more legitimate the coercion [is perceived to be], the less it will produce resistance and decreased attention".

Forum Forum discussions about the Bases of Social Power. Below you can ask a question about this topic, share your experiences, report a new development, or explain something. Start a new topic about Bases of Social Power Share your knowledge here (or ask a question)   A 7th Source of Power: Participative Power Achieve participative power by having: - Common goals - Clear vision - Constant communication - Everyone is involved - Consensus (for important decisions).... 14   2 comments Composition of Power Bases I think several power bases can be required in one individual, and suggest to focus on the composition of all power bases in making an all round powerful person/leader, e.g. expert power 40%, reward p... 13   4 comments 🔥 NEW How Leaders Influence Others? 6 Principles of Influence Influence refers to the power of an individual to impel another person to action by either intangible or indirect means. Therefore it plays an important role in leadership. Kaufman (2011) develo... 12   1 comments With Power Comes Responsibility! With real power comes responsibility. You need to exercise it with an objective in mind. Power without responsibility will make you answerable one day!... 11   1 comments Is Charisma a Source of Social Power? What about personal power or call it charismatic power? Certain people can be powerful through their charisma, energy, stamina, strength or verbal skills on top of the mentioned sources of power.... 10   2 comments Synergistic Power is the Strongest All power is secondary to synergistic power. The mathematics of synergistic power is this: 1 + 1 = 11! There is a proverb that states: 'Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers... 10   Should See Power Differently... The word "power" acts as deterrent for most of the employees to perform and leaves a negative and rebellious feeling in them. Power should be seen as a facilitating tool to influence people. And as a ... 10   About Information Power I personally believe that information power is the most influential form of power. All other powers especially legitimate power needs to feed off of information or even expert power in order to sustai... 10   1 comments What is Power? Definitions French and Raven detail varieties of social power, but what is 'power', is it Foucault's action that requires two consenting parties - where there is the possibility of an individual decision and pers... 8   2 comments Mind Power - Power of Mind Every one has power of mind, of which only around 17% is active. We need to activate the unconscious mind power to energize. Ince we succeed to utilize our mind power we will become a great performer.... 7   Social Power is Determined by the (Perception of the) Receiver Note that the perception of the receiving agent on how effective power can be used goes a long way in defining the social relationship.... 4   Bases of Social Power: What's Common? What do these Bases of Social Power have in common?... 3   1 comments Desire to Have Power... Why do people desire social power?... 1   2 comments Framing or Meaning Power An additional source of power in organizations can be to establish the framework within which issues will be viewed and decided (J. Pfeffer - Managing with Power: Politics and Influence in Organizatio... 0   2 comments

Best Practices The best, top-rated topics about the Bases of Social Power. Here you will find the most valuable ideas and practical suggestions. Assumed Power in a Void Another type of power is that which is created in a void (Ed: ~ empty space) of leadership, that is assumed power. No one is exerting power in an area, so someone assumes that role, and the power is b... 29   23 comments 2 more Types of Power There are two other types of power. One is derived from dependency relationship. Any dependency for anything else makes one powerful over the dependents. This may be called "Dependency Power". The oth... 7   7 comments What is Referent Power? Definition and Examples The definition for “referent power” in the summary of the basis of social power is not 100% clear when it says: "referent power is power through association with others who possess power". That could ... 7   3 comments

Expert Tips Advanced insights about the Bases of Social Power. Here you will find professional advices by experts. Bases of Social Power in the Context of Change Initiatives Why Acknowledging the Power of Employees is Important The concept of bases of social power is very important for organizations in the context of change initiatives. The sour... What precisely was Legitimate Power according to French and Raven? Definition Precise Definition by French and Raven While I appreciate and aknowledge that the definition of legitimate power, posed in this section, represents the current... Mobilize the Expert Power in your Team Early On Team Formation, Expert Power, Group Decision-making, Extroversion, Introversion In a short article, Bonner and Bolinger describe a surprisingly simple process to beef up the problem solving and/or dec... Seventh Source of Social Power (French & Raven) Leadership, Management, Change Management In addition to the above mentioned bases or sources of social (organizational) power, French and Raven also distinguishe... Positional and Personal Bases of Power Leadership In “The Power Theory of Leadership”, Hayden analyses the bases of social power (excluding connectional power) and reiter... The Relationship between the Power of Leaders and Overconfidence Leadership, Power, Leadership Development, Executive Education Fast et al. (2012) researched the relationship between power and overconfidence. In many cases it can be seen that decis...

Information Sources Various sources of information regarding the Bases of Social Power. Here you will find powerpoints, videos, news, etc. to use in your own lectures and workshops. Power and Politics in Organizations Power Relations, Bases of Power, Political Behavior, Politics, Political Tactics, Organizational Politics This presentation covers the topic of politics in organization, especially focusing on power issues. The presentation in... The Fatal Coaching Mistake by Managers Coaching, Mentoring, Management, Leadership Managers and executives often don't realize how much influence they have over their staff, by just being their superior... Ineffective Leadership and Unethical Leadership Leadership Types, Management, Ethics Presentation about Bad or Unethical Leadership that includes the following sections: 1. Webs of Significance 2. The We... Group Influences and Opinion Leadership Groupthink, Group Dynamics, Word of Mouth Marketing, Sales, Opinion Leadership, Convincing People, Persuation Presentation about Group Influences, including various related concepts such as the Social Comparison Theory and Word-of... Power Tactics Tactics to become powerful in organizations 6 common ways to become powerul in organizations. By Renuka Kuchipudi.... Supervisory Power International Differences Study by M. Afzalur Rahim tested a structural equations model of the French and Raven bases of supervisory power (coerci...

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Compare with the 5 Bases of Social Power: Hagberg Model of Personal Power  |  Charismatic Leadership  |  Servant-Leadership  |  Change Management Iceberg  |  Appreciative Inquiry  |  Positive Deviance  |  Change Phases  |  Force Field Analysis  |  Core Group Theory  |  Planned Behavior  |  Groupthink  |  EPIC ADVISERS  |  Leadership Styles  |  Managerial Grid  |  Situational Leadership  |  Level 5 Leadership  |  Centralization and Decentralization

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