Power Taxonomy
French and Raven's power taxonomy contains five different types of power. These are coercive, reward, legitimate, expert and informational power. These different forms of power might have some overlap but there are elements of mutual exclusivity in these forms as well.
Legitimate power is essentially formal power, which reflects social rules. This is where somebody has a position of formal power, and has the expectation that those people subordinate will obey his or her dictates (MindTools, 2014). This is where somebody is "the boss," or otherwise in a position where society grants authority, such as a parent, teacher, judge or other position where there is some formal power ascribed to the position. There are other types of legitimate power based on social norms, such as the power of reciprocity, where somebody might expect a gift on the basis of having given one in some societies (ChangingMinds, 2013). It should be noted that legitimate power can be variable depending on one's views of formal authority. This is often a cultural trait, where in some societies formal authority has significant power. In other societies, including that of the U.S., formal authority has lower power levels (Hofstede, 2014).
Referent power comes from somebody liking you or wanting to emulate you (ChangingMinds, 2013). Celebrities and athletes, for example, have referent power. There is also some overlap with legitimate power because many people in a position of formal authority are deemed to have earned that, and therefore garner a significant amount of respect in society. Thus, they gain referent power to complement their formal authority. A good example of divergence of these powers is with the disgraced politician, who might still retain formal authority but has no referent power because he/she is no longer respected.
Reward power derives from one's ability to "compensate another for compliance" (MindTools, 2014). Thus, there is some overlap between this and legitimate power -- your boss for example -- but this power will also reflect power structures in interpersonal relationships. In...
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