Influencing group communication The five bases of power are important in the organizational world. “Bases of power refer to the methods that managers and leaders utilize to influence their employees. When examining bases of power, the concept of authority must also be considered. (e.g leadership styles) (Victor & Turner, 2007)” First let’s discuss the bases. There are five of them in total. Coercive power, reward power, legitimate power, expert power, and referent power. These powers are all important because you will experience them wherever you work. Regardless to the type of organization you work in, your most valuable resource is always transmitting knowledge and regulations to others within the workplace. The powers can used by any …show more content…
There are two types of personal. Expert and referent. I'm going to explain how to use these powers in effective ways giving examples from work environments and real situations I have dealt with before in my professional experiences. Firstly let’s take an in depth look at the five powers. Coercive power, is used in ways that strike fear into people by losing their job, being given a 'written up' or a poor review, and sometimes even having a reduction in pay. This particular power is from threatening to do something to them. Coercive power is a way to motivate others using dominance and hard lessons. Personally it’s not my go to for getting a job done. However, examples have shown this to be an effective method for influencing others to get their work done the correct way. Using firm and consequential reactions based on performance. For example, a stock person at their retail job, would be written up or terminated if they did not finish all their units before their shift ended. Reward power is pretty much the opposite of coercive power. Gaining rewards or some kind of special treatment or gift of sorts based off their performance. This can be a good example of why communication in the work place is …show more content…
They can make communication more informative or less depending on the pros and cons of each power. For instance, coercive power can effect communication negatively by being a more stern leader can cause fear or discomfort in your employees. Which can very well cause you to loose communication with them from fear based punishment. However sometimes it is important in getting a job done. Important factor in communication is finding steady levels between coercive power and reward power. Reward power is more beneficial towards communication as it opens the door for a more relaxed relationship with your employees. However this can be taken advantage of. You can find yourself manipulated. Which is why it is important to balance the powers out to be effective in communication. Legitimate power is almost solely based on communication and is very positive in the work place. Knowing where one stands within company and talking to them about their position is important for the employees. This also opens room for more communication between them. Expert power can help communication by matching others with the same powers. If you know one person who is good with a certain area and another. Matching those two together could not only increase communication by finding common ground between employees but also improve productivity. Referent power effects communication by others knowing a single person as someone of reference.