Question

Give examples of five people you know (either famous people or someone you have met or worked with) who exhibit the following types of power: coercive, reward, legitimate, expert, and referent. Provide one example for each type. Did the people use their power effectively or ineffectively? What other, if any, types of power did those people hold?

Answer 1

I have met people exhibiting all these powers and they have been a part of life either personally or professionally. I have generally been associated with them in some manner or the other and they have played a role in my life through their powers.

Coercive - My first Team Lead under whom I started my first project as an employee in my first company was a coercive leader because he always wanted to use threat or force and he used to do it on me often because I was a new joinee and generally new joinees are actually affected by such things as they are new nd unaware of what actually goes on. He used to practice his coercive attitude on all the members except a few and he was unable to realize that he was ineffective because in spite of all he was unbale to make the team work together to achieve the common goal because the members did not like him as a leader.

Reward - My grandmother is a person who belives in this power and I also feel that she is very much effective in exercising her power. When I was a kid whenever she wanted to me to have a hair cut or listen to her she used to use her power of rewarding in order to motivate me and it was easy for her as well as I used to agree. Today I know how effective she was in execrcising her powres and she was successful as well.

Legitimate - My dad is a man of principles and has always been the same as he belives that the authority a person possess should be used effectively and should not be taken advantage. I believe that individuals with such power are the most logical and justified human beings and my father was also not an exception where he always used to be lawfully correct, just and logical in his standpoint.

Expert - My current project managers is a person who I feel is an expert because he knows what he needs to do in order to achieve the golas of the project and unlike other managers he is always involved in the business and technical aspect of the project which makes it difficult for us to actually do something that will avoid his eyes. Such managers have powers which are the most effective and needs to be applied in order to be successful in what they want to be they are generally individuals who do not lose hope and are able to exercise their expertise in any matter to achieve success.

Referent - My first English teacher was a person who possesed referent power because she used to use that based on the person she is dealing with, if the person is obedient and serious then she used to use that aspect for the betterment of the person and this method used to vary because everyone is not the same. This power is nothing but the ability of the leader to influence the follower based on teh characteristics of the follower.