QUOTATION 71

JOHN FRENCH JR AND BERTRAM RAVEN ON THE FIVE SOURCES OF SOCIAL POWER

Use this to identify the sources and level of power you have access to.

French and Raven wrote a seminal article in 1960 on the sources of social power. The following quotation refers to their most significant finding, i.e. that when you can access different sources of power, synergy occurs and your power expands significantly:

We shall point out the interrelationships between different types of power, and the effects … one type of power [has] upon [the] other bases of power [you possess].

John French Jr and Bertram Raven

Sources of power

The five sources of power identified by French and Raven are:

  • Charismatic power, i.e. the power of personality. It is the leader’s personality that attracts the follower who wishes to identify with the leader and imitate their behaviour.
  • Legitimate or positional power. Such power derives from the post held by the person in the organisation and is relinquished when they give up that position.
  • Expert power comes from the person’s possession of expert knowledge or skills that others do not possess. When these skills are no longer required, the person loses power.
  • Coercive power is the ability to threaten others with a sanction and to impose that sanction if they fail to comply with the leader’s wishes, e.g. sack someone.
  • Reward power is the opposite to coercive power as it is the ability to reward a person, e.g. give them a raise or promotion.

WHAT TO DO

  • Accumulate as many sources of power as you can because, when you access two or more sources, synergy occurs, a case of 2 + 2 = 5. Stalin achieved and maintained his power through position, expert knowledge of the party, bureaucracy and coercive power.
  • Alas, few of us have the charisma of a Tom Hiddleston or Adele. However, charisma lies in the eye of the beholder. Therefore, think about how you present yourself to staff, colleagues and others (see Quotation 13). If you act with confidence, honesty, fairness, integrity and humour, people will respect you and that is the first step on the way to charisma. Supply a compelling vision or philosophy and you are there.
  • Identify the limits of your legitimate or positional power. Act as if you expect people to obey your instruction and avoid appearing diffident. No one will tell you what your limits of power are until you exceed them. So keep pushing until someone says stop.
  • Identify what expert power you have. If you have a professional qualification in, say, accounting, law or engineering, think about adding to it with a further qualification that will enable you to fill a skill/knowledge gap in the organisation.
  • Identify the limits of your coercive power. Don’t use coercive power to bully or intimidate people. Instead, demonstrate that you are willing to discipline or sack people when necessary. Do this once and afterwards you’ll find that a quiet chat will sort most people out.
  • Identify the rewards you can offer staff. These need not be financial. Staff often value the belief that you listen to their advice or have influence with you.

QUESTIONS TO ASK

  • What sources of power do I currently have? Do I use them all?
  • What other sources of power could I accumulate?
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