Legitimate power and Reward power
Consider the following types of leadership power as you respond to the following questions in a Microsoft Word document:
Legitimate power
Reward power
Coercive power
Referent power
Expert power
Which of the above types of power do you believe are most important in leadership? Why? Examine their importance with reference to the guidelines for each and the disadvantages for each type.
Assess whether or not any of the above power types are essential to leaders in criminal justice.
In what ways do the above power types match up with the “Big Five” personality types? In other words, is it likely that a leader wielding “expert power” would have a particular “Big Five” trait?
Describe what is meant by “management by walking around" and what does this process entail?
I believe that the most important types of leadership power are referent and expert power. Referent power is the power that comes from being admired and respected by others. Expert power is the power that comes from having knowledge and skills that others need. These two types of power are important because they can help leaders to influence others without having to rely on coercion or rewards.
Referent power
Referent power is often described as the most powerful type of leadership power. It is based on the leader's personal qualities, such as their charisma, integrity, and trustworthiness. When people admire and respect a leader, they are more likely to follow their lead and support their goals.
Guidelines for using referent power:
- Be honest and trustworthy.
- Be fair and consistent in your dealings with others.
- Be open to feedback and willing to learn from your mistakes.
- Be respectful of others, even when you disagree with them.
- Be a good role model.
- Referent power can be lost if the leader's personal qualities change or if they make a mistake that damages their reputation.
- Referent power can be difficult to develop, especially if the leader is new to the role or if they are not naturally charismatic.
- Develop your knowledge and skills in the areas where you want to lead.
- Be willing to share your knowledge and expertise with others.
- Be open to learning new things and changing your mind when presented with new information.
- Be humble and willing to admit when you don't know something.
- Expert power can be limited to the specific area of expertise. For example, a leader with expert power in finance may not have much influence in other areas, such as marketing or human resources.
- Expert power can be lost if the leader's knowledge or skills become outdated.
- Expert power can lead to arrogance and a lack of openness to new ideas.