[Game of Theories: #2] In this video, I’ll introduce power. What is power? What is power for? What are sources of power?
Power can be defined as asymmetrical control over resources by allocating or withholding them. Power is a fundamental aspect of social life among not only humans but also social animals. It is a structural property of social relationships.
Leadership can be conceptualized as a process of influencing the behavior of others to achieve a shared goal. To do so, leaders must be able to influence others in a way that they want to achieve the shared goal, rather than being forced to do things against their will.
Power is the means that can be used to achieve the end. Power enables people to exert control over others, influencing their thoughts, feelings, mind, and behavior. Therefore, power is essential to leadership. Indeed, leadership can be considered as the exercise of power. And power is the “reason” why subordinates comply with their supervisor’s directives, even when those directives are unethical and undermine organizational goals.
There are many theories that explain power. Here I introduce one of the longest-standing theories: Five Sources of Social Power. The history of the Five Sources of Social Power can be traced back to the 1959. The five sources of social power include: referent, expert, legitimate, reward, and coercive. The first two sources—referent and expert power—are personal sources of power. The rest of the three sources are positional sources of power. Legitimate, reward, and coercive power are granted by the organization. For example, Joe is promoted to be a director because he is the son of the organization president. Joe has no expertise in the department and most people in the department do not respect him. But Joe still has power to influence people’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Why? Because the position of department director grants him power to allocate resources, assign workload, evaluate people’s job performance, and decide whom to be promoted or demoted.
00:00 Introduction
00:27 What is power?
04:50 What is power for?
07:10 Sources of power
08:37 Referent power
11:18 Expert power
14:54 Legitimate power
15:58 Reward power
20:05 Coercive power
26:04 Information power
27:45 Social nature
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