BCOM230 Week 4 Bases of Power 
Bases of Power
Leanne Tellez
BCOM230
March 9, 2015
Fran Carter
Bases of Power Power, as defined by Merriam-Webster is, “the ability or right to control people or things.” (Power, n.d.). Power is about control, so then it can affect leadership. In organizational leadership, there are five bases of power. These are coercive, reward, legitimate, expert, and referent (Robbins & Judge, 2009 pp 452-453). The question remains, can these powers coexist with trust? Companies depend on the working relationships between management and their subordinates, but what can happen if there is an abuse of power or lack of trust within an organization? The effect on the company could be positive, or negative. In my organization, there is a definite perception of abuse of power. There have been several instances where both coercive and reward power has been present. “Coercive power is dependent on fear.” (Robbins & Judge, 2009 p 452) Coercive and reward are both formal powers. At one point in time, employees within a particular department lived in constant fear for their job security. It was no secret that the company was eliminating positions and right sizing. Because the management team had the power to decide who stayed, it became apparent that they were using a coercive power to make their decisions. The assigned tasks and expectations were perceived by employees as unreasonable. It was also clear that they were using reward power as well. Reward power is the ability to, “give someone something of positive value or remove something of negative value.” (Robbins & Judge, 2009 p 452) The employees considered favorites were not held to the same standard and were given lesser expectations. While this did not directly affect communication within the group, it did affect morale, as well as, the level of trust given to upper management. Legitimate power is another example of formal power and is defined as, “the formal authority to control and use organizational
Leanne Tellez
BCOM230
March 9, 2015
Fran Carter
Bases of Power Power, as defined by Merriam-Webster is, “the ability or right to control people or things.” (Power, n.d.). Power is about control, so then it can affect leadership. In organizational leadership, there are five bases of power. These are coercive, reward, legitimate, expert, and referent (Robbins & Judge, 2009 pp 452-453). The question remains, can these powers coexist with trust? Companies depend on the working relationships between management and their subordinates, but what can happen if there is an abuse of power or lack of trust within an organization? The effect on the company could be positive, or negative. In my organization, there is a definite perception of abuse of power. There have been several instances where both coercive and reward power has been present. “Coercive power is dependent on fear.” (Robbins & Judge, 2009 p 452) Coercive and reward are both formal powers. At one point in time, employees within a particular department lived in constant fear for their job security. It was no secret that the company was eliminating positions and right sizing. Because the management team had the power to decide who stayed, it became apparent that they were using a coercive power to make their decisions. The assigned tasks and expectations were perceived by employees as unreasonable. It was also clear that they were using reward power as well. Reward power is the ability to, “give someone something of positive value or remove something of negative value.” (Robbins & Judge, 2009 p 452) The employees considered favorites were not held to the same standard and were given lesser expectations. While this did not directly affect communication within the group, it did affect morale, as well as, the level of trust given to upper management. Legitimate power is another example of formal power and is defined as, “the formal authority to control and use organizational
References: Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. A. (2009). Organizational behavior (13th ed.). : Prentice Hall. Power. (n.d.). In Merriam-webster. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/power Zand, D. E. (1996). Leadership Triad : Knowledge, Trust, and Power. Cary, NC, USA: Oxford University Press, USA. Retrieved from http://www.ebrary.com