HUMAN RESOURCES Influencing Sources of Power

Copyright PM-Star 2002. All rights reserved August 2004 V1.0 Page 1 of 1
Single use only. Do not distribute electronically or print additional copies.





Formal, Reward and Penalty are legitimate powers
derived from the project managers position in the company.

Expert and Referent are people type powers
obtained by the amount of knowledge an individual has obtained and their personality.
Power
Base
Derived
from
PM power
based on:
What it means to
the PM
Expert/
Technical
Earned
Function of knowledge and
skills possessed vs.
organizational status
Team members will do
what you say as they
believe you know best
Formal or
Legitimate
Formal authority
Right to give orders or
requests
Terms such as:
Title, Position, Level
Accomplishments
# of patents
Peer recognition
Norms, perceptions and
expectations of project team

PM done this before?
Did the team comply?
What were the
consequences of non
compliance
Referent
Earned or personal power
a PM accrues by
association, relationship,
or affiliation
PMs personal qualities
and/or position in company
Referring to another
authority of higher position
Team willingly complies
with the PM as they look
up to them as a role
model
Penalty or
Coercive
Negative things
PMs authority to take away
something of value
Can you fire, suspend,
discipline etc.
Reward Positive
PMs authority to provide
something of value
positive consequences
Can you promote,
increase salaries,
vacation, perks etc.
Budget Purse String Authority
Terms such as: budget,
cost, expenses, allocation
The amount of
discretionary funds
available to you
Bureaucratic
Knowledge of the
organization
Ability to use this knowledge
and the organizations
policies and procedures

Charismatic
Force of personality
characteristics
PM has positive
self-esteem
Self-confidence, perceived
genuineness or sincerity
PMs ability to motivate
and inspire others