Question

Discuss the difference between Personal and position power. Make sure that you clearly state and explain each type of power. Provide examples where necessary for clarity.

Answer 1

Power is the ability to influence someone to do something or the course of events to happen your way. This influence can come in different ways which are called personal power and positional power.

Personal power is when power comes from one's personal character. The person influences others through his character and skills which can be done with or without formal authority. He does not control others through authoritative power but influences them through his attitude and state of mind. People see what he does and how he behaves and follow him impressed by his behaviour. Personal power helps in getting things done by winning the hearts and minds of people and hence the outcome from this power is more effective and long-lasting. People don't do something out of force but tend to do it with interest and inspiration. Example of personal power can be when a leader of a team gets work done from him by influencing them through his character and attitude. He treats everyone with respect and friendliness. He himself does the jobs to direct and inspire them to follow his path. They, in turn, feel impressed by his behaviour and inspired by the way he works and thus work in the same way. This way he gets the work done through personal power.

Positional power comes from the authority of the position one holds. The person influences others from the position he gains through hierarchy or organizational structure. This power comes to the person from others who have delegated the position to him. Positional power can be implied with certain strict rules and policies which others follow to get work done. The aim of this power is to get the work done or goal achieved from a diverse group of people working together. It ensures getting the work done in a desirable way by ensuring everyone is working under a common controlling power. It is the pwoer which many leaders prefer to get the work done the way they want it. For example, a manager in an organization applies positional power to achieve the goals. He defines the goal to the team, defines the role of each member, the process and policies to be followed and controls and monitors the team at every level to make sure the work is done the way he wants it. He also takes action against members who are not following the norm. This way he is getting the work done through positional power.