Conduct research on French and Raven’s five bases of power, which include coercive, legitimate, reward, referent, and expert power.
For the first part of your post, choose five leaders, one for each of the power bases, and give a brief example to support why a leader’s use of power best exemplifies a certain power base.
For the second part of your post, select any one of the following bullet points. Attempt to spread the bullet points out among class members (e.g., not have one bullet point answered by all course participants).
Assess which base of power is most appealing to you from the perspective of both a leader and a follower.
Justify which leader seems the most successful, using specific examples and research to support your view.
Propose a supported plan (three or four action steps) for how you (or the organization) might help one of the least successful leaders you chose to improve their leadership success.
Analyze a leader that uses a good balance of the different bases of power. How does this leader compare to those who have a dominant style?
Conclude your post with a three or four sentence summary of the most important point, lesson or takeaways from your research and analysis for your initial post.
Full Answer Section
- Reward Power: Jeff Bezos (Amazon CEO). Bezos wields reward power by offering employees competitive salaries, benefits packages, and opportunities for career advancement. This incentivizes employees to follow his direction.
- Referent Power: Oprah Winfrey (Media Mogul). Oprah's charisma, success, and influence inspire admiration and trust. People are drawn to her and want to be associated with her, giving her power to persuade others.
- Expert Power: Stephen Hawking (Theoretical Physicist). Hawking's extensive knowledge and groundbreaking research in physics granted him immense expert power. His insights were highly respected, and his opinion carried significant weight.
Choosing a Bullet Point:
For the second part, I'll address the first bullet point:
Most Appealing Base of Power:
- As a Leader: From a leader's perspective, referent power seems most appealing. Referent power fosters trust, loyalty, and inspires people to follow willingly. This can lead to a more positive and collaborative work environment.
- As a Follower: For a follower, expert power is attractive. Expert leaders possess valuable knowledge and skills that can guide and inspire followers. Working under an expert leader can promote learning and growth.
This highlights the importance of leaders developing a mix of power bases, not just relying on the most convenient one.
Key Takeaways:
- Leaders have various tools at their disposal to influence others. Understanding French and Raven's power bases allows for a more nuanced view of leadership.
- Effective leaders utilize a mix of power bases, with an emphasis on building trust and respect through referent power and expert power.