MAX WEBER ON AUTHORITY
Use this to identify the different forms of authority that are available to you as a manager.
Karl Emil Maximilian (Max) Weber (1864–1920) was a German sociologist, philosopher and political economist whose work has had a major influence on social theory and social research. He identified three forms of authority:
[Charismatic authority is an] extraordinary and personal gift of grace; [he distinguished charisma from the other forms of authority by stating that] Men do not obey him [the charismatic ruler] by virtue of tradition or statute, but because they believe in him.
[Tradition is] the authority of the eternal yesterday.
[Legal authority is the product of] rationally created rules.
Max Weber
WHAT TO DO
- Under each heading, identify the level of power that you have.
- Don’t assume you lack charismatic power. You don’t have to be an extrovert showman to possess charisma. People are drawn to leaders they admire, who display integrity and demonstrate that they care for their followers (see Quotation 36).
- Traditional authority is based on family ties or ‘membership of a special group’. Where an organisation is run by a family or members of a special group, you are very unlikely to rise to the top of the organisation unless you join the club by marrying into the family or gaining admittance to the club.
- Your legal rational authority is dependent on the position you hold, e.g. as team leader/manager/member of the board.
- Recognise that most managers possess very little traditional power. All managers have at least some charisma, i.e. the quality that marked you out as management material. All managers have a degree of legal rational power depending on their seniority.
- Work on increasing your charismatic power (see Quotation 71).
- Decide whether you really want to work in a place where traditional authority rules and an accident of birth or which ‘club’ you belong to defines your fate.
- Identify the limits of your legal rational power and be willing to use it to the limit. It is very rare for a manager to be told that they have exceeded their power. Staff like to be led by a ‘powerful leader’. Senior managers are crying out for managers that will take things by the scruff of the neck and achieve results. But beware if things go wrong: that’s when you’ll be held to account for exceeding your power.
- Either use your power or lose it. Some managers are uncomfortable telling people what to do. That is pure nonsense. Your whole purpose as a manager is to direct people’s actions. If you don’t, your staff will ignore you.
QUESTIONS TO ASK
- Am I worried about telling people what to do? If so, where does this concern come from and what am I going to do about it?
- What charismatic power do I possess (honesty, integrity, loyalty, sociability, humour, care for staff) and how can I increase it?
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