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Leadership and Power
Notes on Power
(From
Evangelina Holvino's presentation to the Bell Atlantic Hispanic
Support Organization)
Two
power scenarios
Scenario
1: The traditional organization
The
manager brings a team assembled from his best people to work on
a hot project. He is a charismatic leader who is well respected
for his knowledge of the business and his years in the organization.
He makes sure the information the team needs is available to them
and that if the project is successfully completed, each member
of the team will be rewarded appropriately. It is clear that if
someone does not contribute and perform as expected the manager
will swiftly get them out of the team, with considerable damage
to their reputation. The manager works with the group consistently
over the next few months to make the project succeed.
(Sources
of power: referent; legitimate; reward; coercive; expertise; information)
Scenario
2: The new organization
A cross-functional team is brought together to assess whether
to pursue a new business opportunity. The team leader has been
selected for her knowledge and experience in marketing, but many
other factors and information are required to make a good recommendation
to the top management team. All team members have their regular
job responsibilities, though it has been made clear that this
is a good project to be in and that participation in the project
is optional. While it is not clear what resources the team has
available, they have been promised all the support they need.
Because the work is so new and stretches the sense of competence
of each member, members work with the team leader over the next
few months to make the project succeed.
(Sources
of power: personal/institutional authority; task; meaningfulness;
competence; accountability; choice.)
POWER
AND EMPOWERMENT
| Traditional
organizations emphasize these sources of power |
New
organizations emphasize these sources of power |
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Organizational
empowerment
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Legitimate:
Based on formal role or position in a system |
Institutional
authority:
The right to be, do work, and function which is given by and
accepted on behalf of a group or organization to which one
belongs |
Reward:
Based on ability to provide something that is desired |
Task:
A set of activities directed towards a purpose |
Referent
(goodwill):
Based on identification with and good feelings for |
Resources:
Information, money, time, people |
Coercive
(punishment):
Based on ability to penalize or cause harm |
Boundaries:
Physical and/or psychological parameters or demarcations that
differentiate between the inside and the outside of a system,
e.g. input, task, role, space, and time |
Expertise:
Based on assumptions of superior judgment or knowledge |
Accountability:
Having responsibility for or being answerable for... |
Information:
Based on relevant facts or reasoning |
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Personal
empowerment
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Personal
authority:
The right to be, do work, and function, which one gives oneself |
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Meaningfulness:
Value of the task |
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Progress:
Making a difference and moving along |
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Choice:
Autonomy |
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Competence:
Mastery |
Empowerment
The motivational content of an emerging paradigm that emphasizes
internalized commitment to the task and control over the conditions
that make one's actions possible.
Influence
The ability to get others to move in the direction you want by
providing acceptable alternatives to their beliefs or behavior.
Leadership
The exercise of power and authority in the service of a goal.
Power: The ability to get what you want, given what is available
in the environment.
�
2000, Evangelina Holvino, Chaos Management, Ltd.
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