1.

What decisions did

you make for yourself
today?
2.What decision did I
make for you?
 3.Who makes
decision for your life?
(at home, at school, in your community)
4.Who makes decisions in
our country?
5.How much power do
individuals have?
6. Does everyone have
the same amount of
power?
7. Who has less power?
Why?
Power is a measure of a person's ability to control the
environment around them, including the behavior of
other people.
power is defined as one's capacity to alter another
person's condition or state of mind by providing or
withholding resources—such as food, money, knowledge,
and affection—or administering punishments, such as
physical harm, job termination, or social ostracism.
Power is commonly seen as the ability to
influence the decision making of the
other.
ability to control others, events, or resources; to make happen
what one wants to happen in spite of obstacles, resistance, or
opposition. Power is a thing that is held, coveted, seized, taken
away, lost, or stolen, and it is used in what are essentially
adversarial relationships involving conflict between those with
power and those without.
Bases of Power
• Legitimate Power
Legitimate power is power that comes from one’s
organizational role or position. For example, a boss can assign
projects, a policeman can arrest a citizen, and a teacher
assigns grades. Others comply with the requests these
individuals make because they accept the legitimacy of the
position, whether they like or agree with the request or not.
Reward Power
• Reward power is the ability to grant a reward, such as an increase in
pay, a perk, or an attractive job assignment. Reward power tends to
accompany legitimate power and is highest when the reward is
scarce. Anyone can wield reward power, however, in the form of
public praise or giving someone something in exchange for their
compliance.
Coercive Power
• In contrast, coercive power is the ability to take something away or
punish someone for noncompliance. Coercive power often works
through fear, and it forces people to do something that ordinarily they
would not choose to do. The most extreme example of coercion is
government dictators who threaten physical harm for noncompliance.
Parents may also use coercion such as grounding their child as
punishment for noncompliance
EXPERT POWER
• Expert power comes from knowledge and skill. Others who have
expert power in an organization include long-time employees, such as
a steelworker who knows the temperature combinations and length
of time to get the best yields. Technology companies are often
characterized by expert, rather than legitimate power.
Information Power
• Information power is similar to expert power but differs in its
source. Experts tend to have a vast amount of knowledge or
skill, whereas information power is distinguished
by access to specific information. For example, knowing price
information gives a person information power during
negotiations. Within organizations, a person’s social network
can either isolate them from information power or serve to
create it.
REFERENT POWER
• Referent power stems from the personal
characteristics of the person such as the degree to
which we like, respect, and want to be like them.
Referent power is often called charisma—the ability to
attract others, win their admiration, and hold them
spellbound
TRADITIONAL AUTHORITY
• According to Weber, the power of traditional authority is accepted
because that has traditionally been the case; its legitimacy exists
because it has been accepted for a long time. Britain’s Queen
Elizabeth, for instance, occupies a position that she inherited based
on the traditional rules of succession for the monarchy. People
adhere to traditional authority because they are invested in the past
and feel obligated to perpetuate it. In this type of authority, a ruler
typically has no real force to carry out his will or maintain his position
but depends primarily on a group’s respect.
CHARISMATIC AUTHORITY
• Followers accept the power of charismatic authority because they
are drawn to the leader’s personal qualities. The appeal of a
charismatic leader can be extraordinary, and can inspire followers to
make unusual sacrifices or to persevere in the midst of great hardship
and persecution. Charismatic leaders usually emerge in times of crisis
and offer innovative or radical solutions. They may even offer a vision
of a new world order. Hitler’s rise to power in the postwar economic
depression of Germany is an example.
Rational-Legal Authority
• According to Weber, power made legitimate by laws, written rules,
and regulations is termed rational-legal authority. In this type of
authority, power is vested in a particular rationale, system, or
ideology and not necessarily in the person who implements the
specifics of that doctrine. A nation that follows a constitution applies
this type of authority. On a smaller scale, you might encounter
rational-legal authority in the workplace via the standards set forth in
the employee handbook, which provides a different type of authority
than that of your boss.