Leadership

Power and Influence

Ethical Leadership

Leadership

POWER AND INFLUENCE

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Power and Authority

The terms of Power and Authority have been used

in many different ways by different writers, thereby
creating considerable conceptual confusion.

Power involves the capacity of one party (the agent)

to influence another party (the target).

Authority is the right to perform and give orders and

expect them to be obeyed. It is categorized as
Legitimate Power.

Authority is a part of larger concept of Power.

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Outcomes of Influence Attempts

One useful basis for evaluating the success of an

influence attempt is whether the immediate outcome
is what the agent intended.

The agent may achieve the intended effect on the

target, or the effect may be less than was intended.

It is useful to differentiate among three distinct

outcomes.

i.
ii.
iii.

Commitment
Compliance
Resistance

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Outcomes of Influence Attempts

i.

Commitment: It describes an outcome in which the

target person internally agrees with a decision or
request from the agent and makes a great effort to
carry out the request or implement the decision
effectively.
For a complex, difficult task, commitment is usually
the most successful outcome from the perspective of
the agent who makes an influence attempt.

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Outcomes of Influence Attempts

ii.

Compliance: It describes an outcome in which the

target is willing to do what the agent asks and will
make only a minimal effort. The target person is not
convinced that the decision or action is the best thing
to do.
For a complex, difficult task, compliance is clearly a
less successful outcome than commitment. However,
for a simple, routine request, compliance may be all
that is necessary for the agent to accomplish task
objectives.

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Outcomes of Influence Attempts

iii.

Resistance: It describes an outcome in which the

target person is opposed to the proposal or request
and actively tries to avoid carrying it out.

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Power Types and Sources

Efforts to understand power usually

distinctions among different types of power.

French and Raven (1959) developed a taxonomy to

classify different types of power according to their
source (Legitimate, Reward, Coercive, Referent,
Expert)

The French and Raven taxonomy influenced much of

the subsequent research on power, but it did not
include all of the power sources relevant to managers
(Information, Ecological).

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involve

Power Types and Sources

1.

2.

3.
4.

5.

Legitimate Power: Power based on ones position in

the formal hierarchy.
Reward Power: Power based on distributing rewards
for complying with order.
Coercive Power: Power based on fear.
Referent Power: Power based on identification with a
person who has desirable resources.
Expert Power: Power based on knowledge, expertise.

Leadership

Power Types and Sources

6.

Information
Power:
It
involves
control
over
information. This type of power involves both the
access to vital information and control over its
distribution to others.

A leader who controls the flow of vital information

about outside events has an opportunity to interpret
these events for subordinates and influence their
perception and attitudes.

Some managers distort information to persuade

people that a particular course of action is desirable.

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Power Types and Sources

7.

Ecological Power: It is control over the physical

environment, technology, and organization of the
work which provides an opportunity for indirect
influence over other people. This form of influence is
sometimes called Situational Engineering or
Ecological Control.

One form of Situational Engineering is to modify the

design of subordinate jobs to increase subordinate
motivation.

Another form of Situational Engineering is control

over the physical work environment. For example,
lights or auditory signals on equipment can be used to
inform the operator that it is time for necessary
maintenance.
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ETHICAL LEADERSHIP

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Ethical Leadership

Influence is the essence of leadership, and power

leaders can have a substantial impact on the lives of
followers and the fate of an organization.

As Gini (1998) reminds us, the primary issue is not

whether leaders will use power, but whether they will
use it wisely and well.

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Ethical Leadership

Powerful leaders can use their authority to advance

their own careers and economic gain at the expense
of organization members and public. Moreover, by
making unethical practices appear to be legitimate, a
leader can influence other members of the
organization to engage in crimes of obedience.

The great potential for misuse of power is one reason

so many people are interested in the ethical aspects
of leadership.

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Suggested Criteria for Evaluating Ethical

Leadership
Criterion

Ethical Leadership

Unethical Leadership

Use of leader power

and influence

Serves followers and

the organization

Satisfies personal
needs and career
objectives

Handling diverse
interests of the
multiple stakeholders

Attempts to balance
and integrate them

Favors coalition
partners who offer the
most benefits

Development of a
vision for the
organization

Develops a vision
based on follower input
about their needs,
ideas.

Attempts to sell a
personal vision as the
only way for the
organization to
succeed.

Integrity of leader
behavior

Acts consistent with

espoused values

Does what is expedient

to attain personal
objectives

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Suggested Criteria for Evaluating Ethical

Leadership
Criterion

Ethical Leadership

Unethical Leadership

Risk taking

Is willing to take
personal risks and
make necessary
decisions

Avoids necessary
decisions or actions
that involve personal
risk to the leader

Communication

Makes a complete and

timely disclosure of
information about
events, problems, and
actions

Uses deception and

distortion to bias
follower perceptions
about problems and
progress.

Response to criticism

Encourages critical
evaluation to find
better solutions

Discourages and
suppresses any
criticism or dissent

Development of
follower skills and selfconfidence

Uses coaching,
Deemphasizes
mentoring, and training development to keep
to develop followers
followers weak and
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dependent
on the

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GENDER AND LEADERSHIP

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Gender and Leadership

A topic of great interest among practitioners as well

as scholars is the possible difference between men
and women in leadership behavior and effectiveness.

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Gender and Leadership

Gender-Based Discrimination

Widespread discrimination is clearly evident in the low

number of women who hold important, high-level
leadership positions in most types of organizations.
The strong tendency to favor men over women in
filling high-level leadership positions has been
referred to as the Glass Ceiling.

According to Adler (1996), in 1995, about 5% of

nations had a female head of state. The number of
women in top executive positions in large business
organizations is also very small (3%), although it is
gradually increasing.

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Gender and Leadership

Gender-Based Discrimination

Throughout
the
20th
Century,
gender-based
discrimination was supported by age-old beliefs that
men are more qualified than woman for leadership
roles.

These beliefs involved assumptions about the traits

and skills required for effective leadership in
organizations (implicit theories), assumptions about
inherent differences between men and women
(gender stereotypes), and assumptions about
appropriate behavior for men and women (role
expectations).

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Gender and Leadership

Gender-Based Discrimination

There is no empirical support for these beliefs, and

laws now exist in the U.S. to stop gender-based
discrimination in the selection of leaders.

The antidiscrimination laws are based on the premise

that men and women are equally qualified to hold
leadership positions in business organizations.

Though, the belief that men are more qualified to be

leaders persists in a segment of the population.

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Thank you
for your kind attention!

FACILITATOR
TEHRIM IQBAL
tehrimiqbal05@gmail.com

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