The French and Raven model of power is perhaps the best known management model.

    The French and Raven model of power is perhaps the best known management model. According to these researchers, there are several possible power bases. 1. Legitimate power emanates from your position in the organization. 2. Reward power correlates with your ability to provide the rewards that followers want. 3. Coercive power refers to your ability to force people to do your will. “Do it my way or you’re fired.” This type of power is certainly out of step with today’s emphasis on empowerment and democratic workplace behavior. 4. Expert power arises from the perception that you have expertise in a given area and that you will help people out.’ 5. Referent power is an emotional, personal power base where people seek your approval. Leaders may have more than one type of power base or different power bases with different constituencies. Think of the many situations where you are a leader in terms of your ability to influence others. What type of power bases do you have in these situations? Chapter 5 looks at leadership and values, especially ethical values. Values are simply gut-level belief systems that help us distinguish what is good vs. bad, normal vs. abnormal. Ones values start forming at an early age when family is the single most important programmer of values. Schools, churches, media, television, music, and peers quickly become other important value programmers. By the time we are 20, our values have pretty much formed our filter for how we see the world. What about ethics? Ethical values have to do with a concept of morality, of good versus evil. Ethics is a big question in Corporate America today where scandal after scandal have left many believing that ‘business ethics” is an oxymoron. Leaders often represent to the outside world the key values of the organization. Culture begins, obviously, with the founders of the organization. The founder's vision of what the organization should be like is very important. Later, as employees are added, the founders hire people who reflect the same vision and carry it forward. Likewise, these early employees hire others of similar vision. As new employees arrive, they are socialized into the organization. Once inside an organization, employees learn culture especially through the rites, rituals, stories, and reward systems that they observe.

Sample Solution

The French and Raven model of power is a well-known model of leadership that identifies five different sources of power:

  • Legitimate power is the power that comes from a person's position in an organization. For example, a manager has legitimate power over their subordinates because they are in a position of authority.
  • Reward power is the power that comes from a person's ability to give rewards to others. For example, a manager may have reward power if they can give raises, promotions, or other forms of recognition to their subordinates.
  • Coercive power is the power that comes from a person's ability to punish others. For example, a manager may have coercive power if they can fire their subordinates or give them disciplinary actions.
  • Expert power is the power that comes from a person's knowledge or expertise in a particular area. For example, a doctor may have expert power over their patients because they have specialized knowledge about medicine.
  • Referent power is the power that comes from a person's attractiveness or charisma. For example, a celebrity may have referent power over their fans because they are admired and respected.

Leaders may have more than one type of power base, and the most effective leaders are those who are able to use a variety of power bases to influence others. For example, a manager may use their legitimate power to give orders, their reward power to offer incentives, their coercive power to discipline employees, their expert power to provide guidance, and their referent power to build relationships.

In my own life, I have been in many situations where I have been a leader. In these situations, I have used a variety of power bases to influence others. For example, when I was a student government leader, I used my legitimate power to make decisions, my reward power to offer incentives, and my referent power to build relationships. When I was a teacher, I used my expert power to provide guidance and my referent power to build relationships. And now, as a language model, I use my expert power to provide information and my referent power to build relationships.

The most effective power base to use in a particular situation will depend on the factors involved, such as the relationship between the leader and the follower, the culture of the organization, and the task at hand. However, the most effective leaders are those who are able to use a variety of power bases to influence others in a way that is ethical and effective.

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