8. What do you mean by authority and power?

How are they different from each

other?
Authority most often comes from the duties and responsibilities delegated to a
position holder in a bureaucratic structure. A company president can order a product design
change, for instance, or a police officer has the authority to arrest an offender of the law. A
manager in an organization has authority if he or she has the right to direct the activities of
others and expect them to respond with appropriate actions to attain organizational
purposes.
Power is the possession of authority, control, or influence by which a person influences
the actions of others, either by direct authority or by some other, more intangible means. A
prime source of power is the possession of knowledge. A person with knowledge is
oftentimes able to use that knowledge to directly or indirectly influence the actions of
others. The authority of knowledge is often independent of levels or positions. Power can
reinforce authority, and authority is one of the primary sources of power.

Authority
Nature:
It is the formal right given to a
manager or to give orders in order to
perform a certain task.
Flow:
Flows downwards in an
organization, because it is delegated
by the superiors to the subordinates.
Organizational Charts:
Superior-Subordinate
relationships can be shown in charts.
Level of Management:
Higher the level of
management, higher will be the
authority.
Legitimacy:
It is always official in nature.
Hence legitimate.

Power
Nature:
Power is an ability of a person to
influence another person or a group to
perform an act.
Flow:
Can flow in any direction. Even
subordinates have power over their
superiors, if they can influence their
behavior.
Organizational Charts:
It cannot be shown in charts.
Level of Management:
Does not depend on levels of
management. Can exist at any level
of management.
Legitimacy:
Not need to be official. So it is not
legitimate.