1. The Five Bases of Power (Z.F.)

The two categories in which the "five bases of power" fall under are Formal Power, and Personal Power. In this blog we will be discussing the subcategories of these two groups. A few of the topics include; the ability to apply punishment, the fear of negative results, peer pressure, the allocation of rewards, influencing your coworkers, and to add and remove negative sanctions. Listed below are the "five bases of power":

1. Coercive Power- power that is brought on through fear.
• Based on fear of negative results
• Ability to apply punishment
• Peer pressure is a form of coercive power
2. Reward Power- when employees comply with what they are told, knowing it will result in positive benefits.
• The ability to control the allocation of rewards valued by others and to remove negative sanctions
3. Legitimate Power- the application of power through your position in the company. The higher you are the more power you hold. 
• Authority based on job description
• General acceptance that people in certain roles can make requests of others
4. Expert Power- having power because of your knowledge of your field, and expertise.
5. Referent Power- influencing someone based on your resources and traits.

*Surprisingly, "research suggests that the personal sources of power are most effective".

The following website gives very thorough examples of the forms of power:

Articles on Coercion-tactics

2. Overview of the Five Bases of Power (E.H.)

The five bases of power can all be validated using different types of tests.

Coercive power is tested by managers all the time. Coercive power is said to be the ability of a manager to force an employee to obey an order because of the possibility of punishment. It typically leads to compliance at first, but in the long-run, it usually produces flawed behavior. Even something little like not being allowed on your cell phone in the work place is a test of coercive power. Some employees comply with these rules simply because they have a fear of being “written up.”

People love benefits. Many managers get their employees to follow through with certain objectives through the use of reward power. You have probably noticed a family member or friend have an office party, or maybe a holiday party at their job. Usually this is rewarded for the company doing something well and is offered by the head of the work place. Rewards do not always need to be financial. Sometimes an employee can be rewarded with preferred work shifts.

Legitimate power is a little different from coercive and reward power. It is also tested differently, as well. It is merely the right to give orders based on your position in the organizational hierarchy. You can find this kind of power in every kind of work place, even on a professional sports team. For example, the star player of your team may act a little cocky around the rest of the players and coaches, but if the President of the team walks into the locker room or into practice, you may notice a change in his attitude and respect for his peers.

Expert power is always nice to have. If your employees are award of how much knowledge you have on certain topic, they will have much more respect for you and want to learn from you. For instance, in an automation department of a local library, the head of automation is going to know just about everything there is to know. The computer technicians that he has working under him may like to come to him for help every once in a while.

Leading by example can give you referent power. A manager can gain this kind of power by just having their employees like them, or wanting to please them. You may even find instances in which an employee who is not in a position of leadership will gain referent power because they have that certain charisma that can get them to influence us.

3. Relevance of the 5 Bases to Organizational Performance (D.D)

Organizational performance is broken down into three categories of performance. Financial, product market, and shareholder returns performance. Performance is measured as the actual versus the intended performance of an organization. The goal of any organization is to meet or exceed the intended performance. One way to accomplish acceptable organizational performance is for organizations to successfully implement the right amount of power. This is how the 5 bases are relevant to organizational performance.

Coercive power is used to reach short term goals within an organization. Since the power is brought on through fear or punishment, long term use of this will cause employees' performance to fall or cause them to leave the organization as they believe they will never receive anything good. An example of using coercive power to increase performance would be an organization threatening an employee that they will lose their job if they don't complete a certain task.

Reward power is a commonly used type of power. It typically offers a win-win situation for the organization and the employee. The employees are motivated by the rewards they can receive by increasing their performance within the organization. Examples include things such as raises, benefits, bonuses, or other non-monetary rewards such as higher recognition, better schedules, different tasks, etc.

Legitimate power is a must in attaining successful organizational performance. This power is represented through position within an organization. This is necessary because it aligns the organization with its goals. There is a set hierarchy or structure within organization and the main goals of the organizations are spread down the from top management through the lower level employees. An example is a manager assigning a task to one of his employees. The employee complies and does the task based on the fact the manager is above him on the work structure, and he knows it will benefit the organization.

Expert power allows organizations to meet many specific goals. They seek out employees who have a great deal of knowledge in things related to the organization's goals. Expert power can be obtained relatively easily as people are always learning and knowledge is "contagious." An example would be an organization that wants to improve its intranet. They can use the expert power of an IT person who has a high level of expertise in the field.

Referent power in organizations is a common attribute of managers. Organizations typically find upper level managers who have the ability or traits to influence others. These managers are set on the goals of the organization and want to perform the best they can. They use their referent power to lead employees in performing the way they need to in order to meet company goals.

4. Research and ongoing debates: French & Raven’s Five Bases of Power (A.S.)

French & Raven’s five-fold typology is the most widely used depiction of social power. However, research suggests that there are several holes in French & Raven’s model of social power.

As previously described, the five bases of power are divided into two categories: formal power and personal power. Legitimate, reward, and coercive power are the subcategories of formal power, and expert and referent power make up personal power.

Quick descriptions of the five bases of power are as follows:

• Reward power: a person’s ability to compensate another for compliance
• Coercive power: a person’s ability to punish another for noncompliance
• Legitimate power: a person’s belief that someone has the ability to influence, make demands, and expect compliance and obedience from others
• Expert power: power based on a person’s superior skill and knowledge
• Referent power: power as a result of a person’s perceived attractiveness, worthiness, and right to respect from others

One of the leading challenges to French & Raven’s description of the five bases of power is the scale of measurement used to draw conclusions about how each power base relates to outcome variables such as: supervisory satisfaction, subordinate performance, and job satisfaction.

French & Raven used a rank-order scale to measure why employees comply with supervisors’ requests. Research suggests that French & Raven’s scale of measurement was too narrow to define such broad topics.

As an example, French & Raven’s description of coercive power does not specify whether the power base is used for legitimate reasons (such as poor performance) or for illegitimate reasons (such as a supervisor trying to get someone to do something against company policy). This example shows that there is too much room for interpretation of this power base.

A second example is with expert power. French & Raven’s scale of measurement assesses expert power based on experience and judgment. The model neglects to acknowledge other aspects that may affect expert power, such as training or access to knowledge.

Research also suggests that French & Raven’s data is tainted because they used an attributional referent instead of a behavioral referent when measuring why respondents comply with supervisors. To eliminate this issue, they should have asked “How does your supervisor behave?” instead of “Why do you comply with your supervisors requests?” so the data is interpreted as perceptions of supervisor behavior, rather than respondent behavior.

A second issue regarding the five power bases is the existence of a social desirability response bias. Generally, people don’t want to admit that they do what is asked of them because of bribes, payoffs, or to avoid punishment. This bias could have substantial effects on the conclusions drawn from French & Raven’s study.

Lastly, interdependency is an issue related to the five bases of power. For example, someone in an organization with reward power may also have the ability to punish (coercive power). This makes it difficult to draw conclusions about the independent effects of each power base.

In conclusion, French & Raven’s description of the five bases of power has much room for further research. Scales of measurement and the existence of a social desirability response bias are two of the major concerns regarding the validity of French & Raven’s model.

Sources: http://www.soc.ucsb.edu/faculty/friedkin/Syllabi/Soc147/Frecnh%20Raven%20Bases%20of%20Power.pdf

http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Int-Loc/Leadership-Styles-and-Bases-of-Power.html

5. Public Opinion Of The Five Basis Of Power (L.T.)

When a superior in the workplace is said to have “power” over others, it has a negative connotation to it. The negative connotation is recognized by employees as Formal Power, such as Coercive Power (power dependent on fear). With power depended on fear, employees will do the job they are responsible for mainly because they fear the repercussions if they do not meet the terms. However, research has shown Personal Power, such as Referent Power (power based on admiration and respect) is significantly more effective in the workplace. Employees want to do great work when they feel they want to please the manager or supervisor they admire and have respect for. A four question survey was a great way to find out how employers and employees feel about Formal Power versus Personal Power.

10 Store managers, Supervisors and Managers from McDonald’s Corporation were asked to take this survey, as well as 30 employees and managers from Somerset Mall were surveyed for the results.

Four questions:

1. What is the leading power that you use to help influence others in the workplace?

A. Coercive Power B. Reward Power C. Legitimate Power D. Expert Power E. Referent Power 2. What source of power do you prefer to see in those who oversee your work?

A. Coercive Power B. Reward Power C. Legitimate Power D. Expert Power E. Referent Power 3. How is the concept of formal power handled in your organization?

A. Strongly Approve B. Somewhat Approve C. Neutral D. Somewhat Disapprove E. Strongly Disapprove

4. How is the concept of personal power handled in your organization?

A. Strongly Approve B. Somewhat Approve C. Neutral D. Somewhat Disapprove E. Strongly Disapprove

Findings: (total 40 surveyed)

1. A. 17.5%(7 people) B. 37.5%(15 people) C. 0% (0 people) D. 20% (8 people) E. 25%(10 People)

2. A. 0 (0 people) B. 20% (8 people) C. 0% (0 people) D. 22.5% (9 people) E. 57.5% (23 people)

3. A. 0 (0 people) B. 10% (4 people) C. 5% (2 people) D. 22.5% (9 people) E. 62.5% (25 people)

4. A. 85% (34 people) B. 10% (4 people) C. 5% (2 people) D. 0% (0 people) E. 0% (0 people)

This survey shows employees respond to Personal Power over Formal Power. Formal Power only works for a short period of time and soon affects all aspects of the business. Personal Power pushes employees to make them the best they can be as they are making the company they work for the best it can be.

5b. Popular Press (S.K.)

According to New York Times (Steinberg, J.2010),

If any of the 70 undergraduates in Prof. Bill White’s “Organizational Behavior” course here at Northwestern University are late for class, or not paying attention, he will know without having to scan the lecture hall.

Many of Professor White’s students said the highlight of his class was often the display of results of a survey-via-clicker, when they could see whether their classmates shared their opinions. They also said that they appreciated the anonymity, and that while the professor might know how they responded, their peers would not.

Last week, for example, he flashed a photo of the university president, Morton Schapiro, onto the screen, along with a question, “Source of power?” followed by these possible answers:

1. Coercive power (sometimes punitive).
2. Reward power.
3. Legitimate power (typically by virtue of one’s office).
4. Expert power more typically applied to someone like an electrician or a mechanic).
5. Referent power (usually tied to how the leader is viewed personally).

To Professor White’s seeming relief, a clear majority, 71 percent, chose No. 3, a sign that they considered his ultimate boss to be “legitimate.”

And then, to his delight, the students emerged from their electronic veils to register their opinions the old-fashioned way.

“They can be very reluctant to speak when they think they’re in the minority,” he said. “Once they see they’re not the only ones, they speak up more.”

Steinberg, J (November 15, 2010). More Professors Give Out Hand-Held Devices to Monitor Students and Engage Them. New York Times. Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/16/education/16clickers.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Coercive%20Power&st=cse

6. Research Take Away Points (S.S)

As Lin touched on above, Personal power is preferred over Formal power. Employers want the best to come out in their employees so the company is successful.

From the research gathered, most work place superiors use the reward power method. Positive feedback or benefits promote good and reliable work from employees. No one wants to go into a new job and slack off, so by knowing reward comes from good work, fresh out of college workers will be confident in their efforts and do their best. Reward cannot be given for every little good deed, perhaps at first, but employers want to see progress in work efforts. College students should be aware that supervisors or superiors like to give rewards and keep their employees happy, and they aren’t always intimidating order givers.

When asked what type of power would you like to see displayed work, employees answered they want to see a supervisor who showed the same traits and they would like to see given off by employees. Monkey see, Monkey do type of atmosphere can be very effective because it puts pressure on the power holders to work hard alongside those under him/her. Students should understand that in a career life circumstance, CEOs, CFOs may not demonstrate this type of power. To establish yourself in the company you work for, working hard and doing great work will drive those around you to work just as hard. Your hard work can be noticed and may be rewarded, reward power, thus making you the potential supervisor. Those around you will want to work just as hard as you so their work will be noticed and praised.

Formal power is heavily disapproved by companies because it can be rather subjective and only works for a certain period of time. Formal power includes authority, relevance, expertise, track records, friendships, associations, and more. This method could start with good work, but then go into satisfactory work if more friendships are established. Businesses could become very subjective and cliquey after enforcing formal power, making it harder for younger aspiring employees to get jobs. Results show that from the companies asked, most of those strongly disapproved. After established into a career setting, the formal power rules may start to apply, but in smaller jobs, the person power aspects are used to create a friendly environment.

Lastly, personal power is the most popular method in the companies researched. As I said before, it enables employees with the confidence to be their very best and their job given to them. Students can take away that supervisors or those above you in a company are not always there to break you or make your job miserable. If you do not succeed, they do not succeed either. Coercive power is what young employees always assume will be the attitude of their managers. But, when manager/supervisors use the personal method of power, those young employees shift their image and realize they can work without fear. The reward power is there as a motivation tool to work harder and to keep setting the bar higher and higher. After experience and time in their position, that young worker could gain expert power. Therefore, the personal power pushes their workers to do their best, and students looking for a job should take away that a lot of companies use this power. They should go into a job with the aspirations to succeed and not there to be immediately defeated by those above him/her.

7. Conclusions (Z.F.)

The following is insight into what each of us took away from working in a group/team:

Zachary Forster- "It took a lot of effort to get everyone to collaborate together, but in the end we had a very successful time as a group. We all put the effort in and researched more about power in the workforce than I ever expected. In the end, I can honestly say that this assignment has taught me an awful lot about teamwork and molding minds together to accomplish an end product".

Eric Hamann- "I feel that working in a group can sometimes increase everyones productivity. Sometimes working in a group makes the work more meaningful because no one person is overpowering everyone else".

Doug Decreane- "I had a great time working with all the members of my group. I thought this project made class more enjoyable and gave some good incentive for why we should both attend class and want to be there. We were being rewarded for coming to class by having time to work with our groups. Overall, I learned a lot through this group project".

Ashley Sellers- "This blog assignment was a positive group experience for me. I've had to work in many groups for different classes and ran into problems with group members. In this group, however, everyone was helpful and supportive. Even though it was hard for everyone to meet up to work on this project together, we were all constantly emailing or calling each other to make sure we were on the same page."

Lin Tairi- "I have always enjoyed working in groups in previous classes. I have never been in a group before where we had to complete a blog together. At first i was nervous, but i very quickly realized, every person had different expertise. Being able to learn from my teammates and having the opportunity to work with people i had never met before this Organizational Behavior class was a great experience."

Suzie Schafer- "Not being much of a blog person, this group assignment was interesting for me. It was fun for all of us to share our finding and our opinions of the subject of power and how we all interpret it. My group was easy and enjoyable to work with and I feel we had a lot of success in achieve the purpose of the assignment. Schedules may have clashed, but when we couldn't all meet together, communication stayed intact and we didn't fall behind. I learned a lot from the class over the semester and more about my group members as time went on. I look forward to more group work in my student career and see it in a more positive light now."

Sangwook Kim- "Everything was interesting for me, and I really had a lot of problems because of my language barrier, but it definantly helped me both make new friends, and have people to assist me in correcting any of the grammatical problems that I have. So overall, the group project was definantly awesome".