To be a more effective leader, you must understand the five types of power, how effective each one is, and when it’s appropriate to use them.

What are the five types of power?

  • Legitimate power. …
  • Reward power. …
  • Expert power. …
  • Referent power. …
  • Coercive power.

What are the types of power?

In 1959, social psychologists John French and Bertram Raven identified five bases of power:

  • Legitimate.
  • Reward.
  • Expert.
  • Referent.
  • Coercive.

What are the powers of management?





Power in management refers to the positional power that comes because of the position of a manager in the organization.
Sources of Power in Management

  • Formal Power. …
  • Legitimate Power. …
  • Expert Power. …
  • Referent Power. …
  • Coercive Power. …
  • Reward Power. …
  • Informational Power. …
  • Connection Power.

How many powers are there in management?

Sources of Power in Management. John R. P. French and Bertram Raven identified five bases or sources of power: legitimate, reward, coercive, expert and referent power.

What are the 4 types of power?

Questioning Four Types of Power

  • Expert: power derived from knowledge or skill.
  • Referent: power derived from a sense of identification others feel toward you.
  • Reward: power derived from an ability to reward others.
  • Coercive: power derived from fear of punishment by others.

What are the 3 types of power?



Power refers to the ability to have one’s will carried out despite the resistance of others. According to Max Weber, the three types of legitimate authority are traditional, rational-legal, and charismatic.

What are the 8 types of power?

No matter how they run a team, each leader exhibits at least one of these types of leadership power.



  • Legitimate Power. …
  • Referent Power. …
  • Information Power. …
  • Expert Power. …
  • Reward Power. …
  • Coercive Power. …
  • Charismatic Power. …
  • Moral Power.

What are the six types of power?

They identified that there were six different forms of power that could be used to influence others: Legitimate, Reward, Coercive, Informational, Referent and Informational.

What are the seven types of power?

The Types of Power in Leadership

  • Legitimate Power. Legitimate power happens when someone is in a higher position, giving them control over others. …
  • Coercive Power. “There is not a time of day when you should use it,” Lipkin tells us. …
  • Expert Power. …
  • Informational Power. …
  • Power of Reward. …
  • Connection Power. …
  • Referent Power.


What are the 6 main sources of power?

The Six Sources of Power
Six types of power are legitimate, referent, expert, reward, coercive, and informational.

What are 5 sources of power?

The five sources of power and influence are: reward power, coercive power, legitimate power, expert power and referent power.

What are the 5 leadership powers?

Noted social psychologists John R. P. French and Bertram Raven conducted a study in 1959 and concluded that power can be divided into five different forms. The 5 Types of Power in Leadership are Coercive power, expert power, legitimate power, referent power, and reward power.

What are the types of power structure?



There are two kinds of power structures: formal and informal. The formal power structure is easily recognized and includes elected and appointed government officials and leaders of civic organiza- tions.

What is power and types of power?

Lesson Summary. As you can see, there are many different types of personal power. Personal power is the ability to control the environment around you. This can be accomplished through the five different types of power: reward power, coercive power, legitimate power, expert power, and referent power.

What is expert power in management?

Expert power is a type of power that comes from having a high level of knowledge within your area of expertise. Expert power is relative. This means that if two people have varying levels of knowledge on a subject, the one with more knowledge has expert power.

What is referent power in management?

The simplest referent power definition is a type of power that stems from a leader’s ability to inspire and influence others. This authority comes from the extent to which people admire, respect, and like a specific leader. ` Referent power is one of several different kinds of power.

Which types of power are most effective?

Expert Power
This type of power is often the most effective type of power.

Why is power important in management?



In organizational settings, leaders must exert power to achieve individual, team, and organizational goals. Leaders must be able to influence their followers to achieve greater performance; their superiors and peers to make important decisions; and stake- holders to ensure the vitality of the organization.

What is power and authority in management?

Authority is the legal and formal right to give orders and commands, and take decisions. Power is a personal trait, i.e. an acquired ability, whereas authority is a formal right, that vest in the hands of high officials or management personnel.

What are the sources of power?

The 5 Sources of Power

  • Legitimate power.
  • Expert power.
  • Referent power.
  • Coercive power.
  • Reward power.

What is the power of a leader?



Leadership power is the influence that leaders have over their followers. It persuades others to support their efforts and do as they ask. Influence is essential to leadership because leaders cannot exist without it. It is also a key component of power and authority.

What are 3 types of power a leader has?

The Six Types of Leadership Power

  • Reward Power. Reward Power is one of the weakest forms of power. …
  • Coercive Power. Coercive Power is wielded by leaders who have the authority to punish employees or subordinates that fails to do their bidding. …
  • Legitimate Power. …
  • Referent Power. …
  • Informational Power. …
  • Expert Power.

What are the five types of power in leadership?



To be a more effective leader, you must understand the five types of power, how effective each one is, and when it’s appropriate to use them.
What are the five types of power?

  • Legitimate power. …
  • Reward power. …
  • Expert power. …
  • Referent power. …
  • Coercive power.

What are the 7 sources of power?

In this article power is defined as the capacity to produce change which flowsfrom seven different sources: grounding, passion, control, love, communication, knowledge, and transcendence.

What are the six types of power?

They identified that there were six different forms of power that could be used to influence others: Legitimate, Reward, Coercive, Informational, Referent and Informational.

What are the types and sources of power?

The 5 Sources of Power

  • Legitimate power.
  • Expert power.
  • Referent power.
  • Coercive power.
  • Reward power.

What are the 3 faces of power?

One of Lukes’ academic theories is that of the “three faces of power,” presented in his book, Power: A Radical View. This theory claims that power is exercised in three ways: decision-making power, non-decision-making power, and ideological power.

What is the 3rd dimension of power?

The third dimension of power considers the ability to avoid conflict. Those with power can shape people’s perceptions of their situation and influence how they think and understand the world.

What is the concept of power?

“Power is defined as a possibility to influence others.” The use of power has evolved from centuries. Gaining prestige, honor and reputation is one of the central motives for gaining power in human nature.

What is first face of power?

Understanding Politics
The first face of power is the most easily recognisable: decision-making is the process whereby an actor, such as an individual or a political organisation, considers their situation and acts upon a course they have determined.

What are theories of power?

Power, according to sociologist Max Weber, is the ability to achieve goals with or without the society’s support of those goals. In this lesson, we explore societal and political power by looking at three differing power models: the pluralist model, the power-elite model, and the Marxist model.

What is the 2nd dimension of power?

The second dimension of power concerns the structural aspect of power relations. This includes both structural bias (as theorized by Bachrach and Baratz) plus the phenomenon of structural conflict, which is theorized as deep conflict.