Which of the 5 Types of Power is Right for You?
Choosing the Right Motivation for the Situation
If you’re like me and do a lot of influencing without authority, it’s crucial that you know and understand the 5 basic types of power and when you can/should apply them. Understanding these basic tools will help you navigate situations where you need to motivate peers, stakeholders, direct reports, and even management — despite not having a fancy title or direct authority.
Personally, I think each type of power carries with it a set of pros and cons and commands different levels of respect. For example, I don’t view coercive power as particularly healthy for your team long term and should be used only in dire circumstances, whereas a combo of expert and referent power can be the most inspiring motivational force for the team.
I’ll list the types of power in order I tend to reach for them from least likely to most likely and talk about what they are and how/when I’d apply them.
Coercive Power 😠
Coercive power is the ability to inflict negative consequences on someone for not following orders or protocol. This can be something like firing an employee or cancelling bonuses for not meeting a goal. Personally, this power base is a last resort for me and exists as a backstop when all other motivation fails. Using too much coercion is a sign of weak leadership and conflict resolution skills and creates an environment of fear that stifles innovation and teamwork. However, that’s not to say it doesn’t have its place should all other efforts fail.
Legitimate Power 📛
Legitimate power comes from having authority bestowed upon you via your rank and title. Like coercive power, pulling rank to drive results should be used sparingly to avoid being seen as a management middleman. If you’re in a hierarchical organization, legitimate power is useful for clear communication and single source of truth direction. If you want a collaborative holacracy, legitimate power is useful in situations where a tiebreaker authority is needed.
Reward Power 💰
Reward power is great for aligning desired outcomes with incentives. I prefer reward power to coercive power as it improves morale and overall “vibe” of the team. Take care not to overdo rewards to a point where rewards hold less meaning & value. People like to be encouraged to stretch and rewarded for going above and beyond the call of duty and rewards tend to encourage calculated innovation that has a huge return on investment.
Expert Power 🤔
When we’re lost, we tend to follow people who have been in the area before, this is expert power. You can exert a lot of influence by being the person who’s seen or done a thing before. Paired with respectable character (i.e. don’t be a jerk) expert power commands a lot of respect in my experience as people look to experts to guide and mentor them not only in getting the job done, but in being better engineers. Experts are best positioned to offer peers a path to mastery and are key to growing other experts in your organization.
Referent Power 🤝
Referent power is derived from the influence and relationships we build with others over our tenure. This is one of the more difficult powers to build but it commands the most respect. When others refer to you as a leader, it dispels many of the defense mechanisms people build up when meeting you for the first time. Referent and Expert power are often coupled and when used together carry the most influence. To get the most out of Referent power in the context of your whole org, make sure you’re also acting as a connector between groups to avoid creating factions & potential divisions with other leaders who use referent power.
Bringing it Home
As you can see, there are lots of styles for motivating and influencing. Some come with authority, and some come without. In my experience, people to respect the influencers who are likable, liked, and knowledgable of their craft or industry, more than influencers who offer nothing to the group than a title and/or the threat of being fired. There is a time and place for each of these 5 power types however, so take this advice with a grain of salt when applying it to your leadership scenarios.
