Authority

It is the formal right given to a manager to command or to give orders to

perform a certain task.

Authority is given to a manager to achieve the objectives of the organization.

It is a right to get the things done through others.

It is a right to take decisions.

A manager cannot do his work without authority.

A manager" gets his authority from his position or post. He gets his authority from
the higher authorities. The lower and middle-level managers get their authority
from the top-level managers. The top-level managers get their authority from the
shareholders.

Authority always flows downwards. It is delegated from the top to the bottom.
Power
It is a broader concept than authority.

Power is the ability or potentials of a person to influence another person or a

group to perform an act.

It is the ability to influence events.

Power can be personal power. A person gets his personal power from his
personality or from his expert knowledge. Doctors, Lawyers, Engineers,
Programmers, etc. get their power from their expertise and professional knowledge.

Power can also be legitimate or official power. This power comes from a higher
authority.

“Authority is the right to give orders and

power to exact (get) obedience."
Difference Between Authority and Power
In management, authority differs from power in the following ways :-

1. Nature
Authority is the formal right given to a manager to make decisions or to command.
Power is the personal ability to influence others or events.

2. Flow
Authority flows downwards in the organization. This is because it is delegated by
the superiors to the subordinates.
Power can flow in any direction. Even subordinates have power over their
superiors, if they can influence their behavior. So power can flow upwards,
downwards or horizontally.

3. Organizational Charts
Authority relationships (superior-subordinate relationships) can be shown in the
organization charts.
Power relationships cannot be shown in organization charts.
4. Level of Management
Authority depends on the level of management. Higher the level of
management, higher will be the authority and vice-versa.
Power does not depend on the level of management. Power can exist
at any level of management. Even a lower-level manager or a worker
can have power to influence the behavior of a top-level manager.

5. LEGITIMACY

Authority is always official in nature. So it is legitimate.

Power need not be official in nature. So it need not be legitimate.

6. POSITION AND PERSON

Authority is given to a position or post. The manager gets the authority

only when he holds that position.
Power resides (lives) in the person who uses it.
 Expertise

Formal Authority Coercion

Persuasion Rewards
 Expertise
Power derives from
the power holder’s
Formal Authority specific skills or Coercion
Power comes from Power springs from
expertise.
the holder’s the power holder’s
position and duties ability to punish or
within organization. penalize others.

Persuasion Rewards
Power flows from Power comes from
the power holder’s the power holder’s
ability to persuade ability to give
or influence others. something of value.
(such as money)
Five Bases of Power
In 1959, social psychologists John R. P. French and Bertram H. Raven identified
five sources or forms of power from which a person gets power. These sources are
now known as French and Raven's Five Bases of Power.
The French and Raven's five bases of power are briefly explained as follows:-

1. Referent Power
2. Legitimate Power
3. Expert Power
4. Coercive Power
5. Reward Power

1. Referent Power

Referent power is also called as personal power and the power of personality.
This power comes from each leader individually. It is the personality of a person that
attracts followers. People follow because they are influenced or attracted by the
magnetic personality of the leader. The followers admire their leaders and may even
try to copy their behavior, dress, etc. John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Dr.
Babasaheb Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi are the examples of leaders with
referent power.
2. Legitimate Power

Legitimate power is also known as position power and official power. It comes from
the higher authority. In an organization, a manager gets power because of his
position or post. It gives him the power to control resources and to reward and
punish others. For e.g. a chief executive officer (C.E.O) of a company gets legitimate
powers because of the position which he holds.

3. Expert Power

Expert power is also known as the power of knowledge. It comes from expert
knowledge and skills. Expert power means the expert influences another person's
behavior. This is because the expert has knowledge and skill which the other
person needs but does not possess. Persons like doctors, lawyers, accountants,
etc., have expert power because they have expert knowledge and skills, which
others require.
4. Coercive Power

Coercive power is the ability to punish others or to pose a threat to others.

Coercive power uses fear as a motivator. The leaders or managers with coercive
powers can threaten an employee's job security, cut his pay, withdraw certain
facilities, suspend him, etc. The coercive power may have an impact in the short-
run. It will create a negative impact on the receiver.

5. Reward Power

Reward power is opposite to coercive power. With the help of reward power, the
leader tries to motivate the followers to improve their performance. This power
enables the leader to provide additional facilities, increase in pay, promotion of the
subordinates, etc. The reward power also enables the leader to recognize the
services of the subordinate through appreciation.
 TYPES OF POWER
POLITICAL POWER
control of, or influence on, the state, ability to
make, or influence, political decisions

The power/ authority held by any group or party,

allowing them to make use of public resources as
they see fit.
Example: The mayor’s political power would be
weakened if the citizens lost faith in her ability to
lead them.
 TYPES OF POWER

ECONOMIC POWER
control of economic assets
Condition of having sufficient productive resources
at command that give the capacity to make and
enforce economic decisions, such as allocation of
resources and apportioning of goods and services.
 TYPES OF POWER
MILITARY POWER
ability to wage war - or to compel others through
intimidation or deterrence
litary power potential consists in the resources that
a nation-state can mobilize against other nation-
states for purposes of military deterrence, defense,
and war. This definition—which makes the term
approximately synonymous with “defense potential”
but renders it broader than the term “war
potential”—follows a narrow definition of national
power.
Focus Question: Nature of Power, Politics, and Government
 Processing

“ Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power.

We have guided missiles and misguided men.

”
Martin Luther King Jr.
Strength to Love, 1963

The quote above is…

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Never True Seldom True Sometimes True Often True Always True
16
 Processing

“ Power tends to corrupt, and

absolute power corrupts absolutely.

”
Lord Acton
Letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton, 1887

The quote above is…

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Never True Seldom True Sometimes True Often True Always True
17
 Processing

“ It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing

power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the

”
scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it.

Aung San Suu Kyi

“Freedom from fear” speech, 1990

The quote above is…

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Never True Seldom True Sometimes True Often True Always True
18
 Processing

“ Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.

”
Mao Zedong

The quote above is…

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19
 Processing

“ Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no

weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable

”
as the will and moral courage of free men and women.

Ronald Reagan
First Inaugural Address, 1981

The quote above is…

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Never True Seldom True Sometimes True Often True Always True
20
 Processing

“ When I despair, I remember that all through history

the ways of truth and love have always won. There
have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they

”
can seem invincible, but in the end they always fail.

Mohandas Gandhi

The quote above is…

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21
 Processing

“ When the power of love overcomes the

love of power, the world will know peace.

”
Jimi Hendrix

The quote above is…

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22
 Processing

“ This country has been strip-mined by

rich and powerful interests. If you don’t

”
like what they’re doing, don’t just sit there.

Ralph Nader
1992

The quote above is…

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Never True Seldom True Sometimes True Often True Always True
23
 Processing

“ The men who create power make an

indispensable contribution to the Nation’s
greatness, but the men who question power

”
make a contribution just as indispensable.

John F. Kennedy
Speech at Amherst College, 1963

The quote above is…

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Never True Seldom True Sometimes True Often True Always True
24
Exit Slip: Nature of Power, Politics, and Government
Kickoff Question: Five Sources of Power
END
1. Which type of power is the opposite
of reward power and could impose a
penalty?
a. Referent b. Expert
c. Coercive d. Legitimate

2. What type of government has a king or

queen that holds all the power?
a. Dictatorship b. Monarchy
c. Direct democracy d. Republic
3. Type of government where one person
or small group hold all the power
a. Dictatorship b. Monarchy
c. Direct democracy d. Republic

4. Type of government where all voters in

a community meet to make laws and
decide actions
a. Dictatorship b. Direct democracy
c. Monarchy d. Republic
5. Word that means that the government has
complete control over the lives of its citizens.
a. Monarchy b. Totalitarian
c. Absolute d. Republic

6. There are three basic sources of power within

any political system. Which of the following is
NOT one of these sources of power?
a. Force b. persuasion
c. Influence d. authority
7. Who holds the most power in the Philippines
a. The President b. The Congress
c. The Filipino people d. The Military

8. Which of the following is a good example of a

dictatorship?

a. Great Britain b. Canada

c. Germany d. North Korea
9. What type of government elects
representatives to make all government
decisions?

a. Republic b. Direct democracy

c. Monarchy d. Dictatorship

10. __________ is the ability to exercise one's

will over others.

a. Power b. Authority
c. Politics d. Terrorism
11. ________ is a result of a manager's position
within the organization.

a. Managerial Power b. Positional Power

c. Reward Power d. Coercive Power

12. This type of power is the extent to which a

manager can use rewards to influence others

a. Legitimate Power b. Reward Power

c. Coercive Power d. People Power
11. ________ is a result of a manager's position
within the organization.

a. Managerial Power b. Positional Power

c. Reward Power d. Coercive Power

12. This type of power is the extent to which a

manager can use rewards to influence others

a. Legitimate Power b. Reward Power

c. Coercive Power d. People Power
13. Types of power which has a condition of
having sufficient productive resources at
command that give the capacity to make and
enforce economic decisions.
a. Economic Power b. Positional Power
c. Reward Power d. Coercive Power

14. This type of power influence on the state,

has an ability to make or influence, political
decisions.

a. Military Power b. Reward Power

c. Political Power d. People Power
15. This power is also known as the power of
knowledge..
a. Reward b. Expertise
c. Formal Authority d. Coercive