Power 2

In the last byte, we began our discussion on Power, in today’s byte we look at some of the interpersonal forms of power.

Interpersonal powers are used in interactions with others, one of the earliest studies by French and Raven identified five forms of this power, viz - reward, coercive, legitimate, referent and expert. These could be defined as below:

1. Reward Power: This power refers to an agent's ability to control rewards that a target wants.
2. Coercive Power: Refers to the power that is based on an agent's ability to cause an unpleasant experience for a target.
3. Legitimate Power: Refers to the power that is based on position and mutual agreement, agent and target agree that the agent has the right to influence the target.
4. Referent Power: Is an elusive power that is based on interpersonal attraction.
5. Expert Power: This power refers to the power existing when an agent has specialized knowledge or skills that the target needs.