Power & Politics. Effectiveness of the Bases of Power.

Power and Politics
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Bases of power
Leaders play vital roles in the success of any organization. In the majority of successful organizations such as Walmart, the leaders are usually influential and, as such, get employees to complete their tasks satisfactorily. These influential leaders have been identified as having power over those they lead. It is in this regard that social psychologists Bertram Raven and John French develop five distinct and separate bases of power that characterize leaders in an organization. To begin with, there is the legitimate power that relates to the influence an individual has over others because of official or formal authority (Ivancevich et al., 2011). Leaders who have acquired power legitimately tend to get tasks done by virtue of their positions. According to Barry (2010), “Rewarding and Punishing subordinates is generally seen as a legitimate part of the formal or appointed leadership role and most managerial positions in work organizations carry with them, some degree of expected reward and punishment”. At Walmart, legitimate power is usually exhibited by individuals in supervisory capacities. The second base of power is a reward and occurs from an individual’s ability to compensate another because of their compliance (Barry, 2010). Reward power can either be positive or negative. For instance, and concerning positive forms of reward power, it is common for students who excel in their studies to get enrolled in prestigious colleges and universities. In organizations such as Walmart, reward power is exhibited when employees are feted either through monetary or nonmonetary means for exemplary performance that saw the company meet its objectives. On the contrary, a negative aspect of reward power in organizations is showcased when an employee is given a warning letter for consistently coming to work late for a week.
The third base is expert power and refers to the influence a person has over others because of their high skill sets, knowledge, and experience. In organizations such as Walmart, expert power is held by individuals with superior technical abilities and who get things done with utmost ease compared to others. As such, of their skills and knowledge, other people in the organization are inclined and influenced to listen to them and follow their instructions. The fourth base is referent power, which, according to Raven (2008) “is the result of a person's perceived attractiveness, worthiness and right to others' respect”. From an ...