The Source of Power and Influence Theories

These theories look at different ways leaders use power and influence to get things done, and the leadership styles that arise as a result. One of the most popular theories is French and Ravens - Five Forms of Power. 

This is where 3 types of power are highlighted - legitimate, reward, and coercive. Two sources of personal power are also identified – expert and referent (character).

Legitimate -  Appointed power. Think CEO, King or Queen. Three bases of legitimate power are cultural values, acceptance of social structure, and designation. They hold the power to reward or punish. It is essentially your job to take instruction from them.

Reward - The leader has the means to offer rewards and punishments. Think of a parent who gives money for good behaviour, or a boss who can give a pay rise. It is the "carrot and stick" approach. Now, as we understand more about intrinsic motivation, rewarding behaviours is becoming more mainstream, and with that comes the knowledge that money is not the ultimate motivator, praise, recognition and gratitude is more influential.

Coercive - The power to make someone do something they don't want to do, through force, fear or consequences. This, with legitimate power, are the tools of authoritarian leaders, but at times, all leaders may need to employ it. How you "sell" it successfully depends on your personal power (interpersonal skills).

In traditional organisations, all of these are at play as we have bosses who can either make your life easy, or really really hard. Ultimately, they have power over whether to keep you employed or not. 

Without personal power and influence, a leader can become a tyrant or dictator.

Referent power is grounded in a person's perceived attractiveness, worthiness and right to others' respect. It is becoming more commonplace in the 21st century, as social media "influencers" rise; but it's always been there.

That's why brands have always used sportspeople, beautiful people, those with referent power, to sell their products.

Historically, a leader who led their people into a successful battle would be revered and in turn, gain a seat at the royal table.  Today, leaders actively develop their referent power to gain followership, pulling people forward rather than pushing them. They do this through developing character, integrity and emotional intelligence.

Expert power: Would you go to the butcher to diagnose your bad back? Would you invest hundreds of pounds to learn a skill from someone with no qualifications? 

You would like to think the answer is no, but often referent power overtakes expert power. Expert power is based on a person's high levels of skill and knowledge. A person may gain power and influence because they have the wisdom, experience and qualifications to become a subject matter expert. They know more, so become the leading authority on a topic.