Power
Jedidiah Houser
Harding University
Abstract
This paper is on the topic of Power. The paper starts with an overview of my observations about power and establishes the uses of legitimate, reward, expert, referent, and coercive power. This paper uses examples and observations from my life as well as from selected sources of reading to define the types of power discussed. In reading this you should obtain a base understanding of the above listed powers and their shaping ability, characteristics and uses as found in our daily lives as well as in the workplace.

Power
Power
What a word. Its meanings, uses, connotations, actions, repercussions, influence, and voids can be seen or at least rationalized into every aspect of our psychology, our being, our planet, our solar system, our universe. How far does power go? Is it simply in a state of yin and yang in every facet of our lives, only to become more influential when we choose to be aware of it and harness its potential? How do we perceive, understand and use power? How do we measure others use of power and the impact it has in our lives? Power in all its forms, shape, sizes and degrees can be observed affecting and influencing us since the day we were born. Everyone’s first experience was with the power of gravity, gravity kicks in and plop there we are. From that point on we are all exposed to a multitude of degrees and forms of power, shaping and molding us all along the way. For me personally, I remember very distinctly my parents, teachers, coaches and bosses legitimate, reward, expert, referent, and coercive power and the way these powers were used throughout my childhood.
Legitimate or Positional Power Legitimate or positional power can be defined as the formal authority to make demand and exert obedience from others [ (Levit, 2012) ]. From my earliest memories there have been people given roles in my life with this type of power. Being told to go to bed, brush my teeth, eat my vegetables, turn in my assignment, not to talk during class, run a play again, or show up to work early for an extra project are all directly related to people in my life, who at one point or another held or hold legitimate or positional power in my life.

Reward Power Often the case, more in youth rather than in adulthood, reward power was an effective means to get a result from me that you wanted. Our course text states reward power is the real or perceived potential for power to control the desires of others [ (Kolp, 2006) ]. As a child to get me to eat my vegetables, you better have desert to sway me with, otherwise we were all in for a long night of sitting at the table staring waiting for me to finish before I could be excused. As an adult I enjoy increased monetary compensation for my duties at work. However, this is not the only driving factor behind my motivation. Often as the following statement from [ (Kolp, 2006) ] describes:
Frequently, leaders erroneously think followers want what the leaders want. Supervisors might believe that the best way to motivate workers is through money, when actually the opportunity to make a difference is more highly valued. An overemphasis on rewards can lead to compliance rather than commitment. It might also cause resentment if employees feel manipulated. [ (Kolp, 2006, pp. 65-66) ]
I simply am thankful to have the authority and backing of my supervisors to make decisions that I believe will have a positive impact on our business and the freedom to execute my plans. While money is always appreciated and accepted, the intrinsic value from the ability to make a difference within the organization is the most rewarding to me personally.
Expert Power To me an expert is an indispensible asset to have available in one’s life. A person with expert power can be defined as a person with the knowledge and skills to outperform others; good judgment is respected and relied upon [ (Levit, 2012) ] . I have always believed that each person inherently has expert power in some field. Be it your father’s wisdom in automobile mechanics or the old lady next door expert knowledge of what’s causing all the birds to make such a ruckus in the trees outside today, it is import to glean and learn all you can from as many people you encounter as possible. Often, I find when a person has expert power in a field it is because they love the topic or area, and who could possibly be better to learn from than someone who loves what they are teaching you about?
Referent Power Have you ever found yourself as if under a spell doing something you normally would not, be it dancing about a room, partaking in an extracurricular activity you normally would not volunteer for, acting as if you were under a spell enchanted by their witchery making you succumb to whatever task assigned you with joy? It’s called charisma, some people have it and some do not. Charismatic people and leaders draw others to them. Call it the X factor, an outgoing personality or what you like. One definition of referent power consists of having the ability to draw others to you can come from respect, admiration and loyalty [ (Jones, 2008) ] . Charismatic people, leaders in general have the extraordinary ability to draw people to them and make them feel respected, appreciated, and their efforts noticed. Another definition of referent power is described as whom it is you know and how you use these connections to influence your or others work and social environments [ (Kolp, 2006) ].
Coercive Power The power of coercion, we all have experienced it, be it from our parents enforcing bedtimes in childhood with the threat of a paddling if not compliant, or our coaches in high school threatening extra laps after practice if we are not on time to class. All the premises and uses of coercive power are accomplished through the removal of positive results. Pain is a motivator, and the aversion to pain an even greater motivator. Coercive power is defined and exemplified in our course text as:
The opposite of reward power. Since influence is achieved through punishment or removal of positive results. Compliance officers fine or fire stockbrokers who violate Securities and Exchange Commission regulations. Supervisors fire employees who violate human resource or ethics policies. The mere perception of coercive power can be as effective as its use. For example, a police officer can drive in traffic with effect without writing a speeding ticket. Like reward power, coercive power can be used well or poorly. [ (Kolp, 2006, pp. 65-66) ]
Conclusion
Effective parents, coaches, teachers, bosses, co-workers, and even friends or colleagues know and understand how to use power to influence others [ (Kolp, 2006) ]. They have an understanding of the pros and cons of each source and know which to use in any given situation [ (Kolp, 2006) ]. Much like at this very moment my boss is standing over my shoulder exerting his positional power to get me to wrap up this paper and do some research for him. I think I will comply with his use of his positional power before it turns to the use of his coercive power.