Assignment Power and Authority

Power and authority are separate but related concepts.
A manager in an organization has authority if he

or she has the right to direct the activities of others and expect them to respond with appropriate
actions to attain organizational purposes. Authority most often comes from the duties and
responsibilities delegated to a position holder in a bureaucratic structure. A company president can
order a product design change, for instance, or a police officer has the authority to arrest an offender of
the law.
Power is the possession of authority, control, or influence by which a person influences the actions of
others, either by direct authority or by some other, more intangible means. A prime source of power is
the possession of knowledge. A person with knowledge is oftentimes able to use that knowledge to
directly or indirectly influence the actions of others. The authority of knowledge is often independent of
levels or positions. Power can reinforce authority, and authority is one of the primary sources of power.
When the question is about influencing or manipulating others, two things go that side by side in the
field of management are Power and Authority. These two are used to make people respond in the
manner directed. Power is referred to as the capacity of an individual to influence the will or conduct of
others. As against, authority is termed as the right possessed by a person to give the command to others.
Many of us think that these two terms are one and the same thing, but there exists a fine line of
difference between power and authority. While the former is exercised in a personal capacity, the latter
is used in a professional capacity. So, on this topic, we are going to throw light on the basic differences
between the two, have a look.
Content: Power Vs Authority
Comparison Chart
Definition
Key Differences
Conclusion
Comparison Chart
BASIS FOR COMPARISON POWER AUTHORITY
Meaning Power means the ability or potential of an individual to influence others and control
their actions. The legal and formal right to give orders and commands, and take decisions is known as
an Authority.
What is it? It is a personal trait. It is a formal right, given to the high officials.
Source Knowledge and expertise. Position & office
Hierarchy Power does not follow any hierarchy. Authority follows the hierarchy.
Resides with Person Designation
Legitimate No Yes
Definition of Power
By the term power, we mean the personal capacity of an individual to influence others to do or not to do
an act. It is independent and informal in nature derived from charisma and status. It is an acquired ability
that comes from knowledge and expertise. It is the right to control other’s actions, decisions and
performances.
Power is not hierarchical, i.e. it can flow in any direction like it can flow from superior to subordinate
(downward) or junior to senior (upward), or between the persons working at the same level, but
different departments of the same organization (horizontal), or between the persons working at different
levels and departments of the same organization (diagonal). In this way, it is not confined to any
boundaries. Moreover, the element of politics is usually attached to it.
Definition of Authority
Authority is legal and formal right to a person, who can take decisions, give orders and commands to
others to perform a particular task. It is conferred to high officials, to accomplish organisation’s
objectives. It is hierarchical in nature, it flows downward, i.e. delegated from superior to the
subordinate.
In general, authority is exercised to get things done through others. It is attached to the position, i.e. any
person who gets the position enjoys the authority attached to it, the higher the position, the higher
would be his authority. As the authority lies in the designation, in the absence of authority, the position
offered to the person would be of no use. Moreover, it is restricted to the organisation only.
Key Differences Between Power and Authority
The difference between power and authority can be drawn clearly on the following grounds:
Power is defined as the ability or potential of an individual to influence others and control their actions.
Authority is the legal and formal right to give orders and commands, and take decisions.
Power is a personal trait, i.e. an acquired ability, whereas authority is a formal right, that vest in the
hands of high officials or management personnel.
The major source of power is knowledge and expertise. On the other hand, position and office
determine the authority of a person.
Power flows in any direction, i.e. it can be upward, downward, crosswise or diagonal, lateral. As opposed
to authority, that flows only in one direction, i.e. downward (from superior to subordinate).
The power lies in person, in essence, a person acquires it, but authority lies in the designation, i.e.
whoever get the designation, get the authority attached to it.
Authority is legitimate whereas the power is not.
Conclusion
After reviewing the above points, it is quite clear that power and authority are two different things,
where power has nothing to do with level or management or position. On the other hand, authority
completely depends on these two, i.e. the position level determines the level of authority a person has.
In addition to this, the authority relationships, i.e. the relationship between superior and subordinate
are depicted on the organisational chart. Conversely, the power relationship is not shown in the
organisation chart.

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Assignment Power and Authority

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Power and authority are separate but related concepts.

A manager in an organization has authority if he

Content: Power Vs Authority

Source Knowledge and expertise. Position & office

Resides with Person Designation

Key Differences Between Power and Authority

Authority is legitimate whereas the power is not.

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