Power in an organization entails the potential that individuals and groups therein have to

influence others. Power determines the influence and the politics within an organization (Griffin
et al., 2019, p. 434). In the absence of power, a party would not be able to influence others to
undertake a given duty. The use of power within an organization is dependent on the party
wields it. Again, the outcomes highly depends on how the power is used; power can be used in
an altruistic manner or for selfish motives (Griffin et al., 2019, p. 434). A positive usage of
power call for the leader or the party with power to avoid acting impulsively.

Power facilitates the functioning of an organization; it forms the basis for making decisions and
ensuring that actions are taken towards fulfilling the goals and objectives at hand (Morgan, 2022,
p. 28). It is through power that leaders and managers influence subordinates to undertake various
roles that are at the center of business performance. Where power is not used the commitment
and compliance of the employees is at stake and would promptly impair the stability and even
the survival of a firm (Morgan, 2022, p. 28).

Power in organizations come primarily with the position that an individual holds and personal
capabilities that an individual has (Griffin et al., 2019, p. 435). The power associated with
position gives an individual the formal authority. The associated legitimate power automatically
accords the right to a manager or a supervisor to hire employees (Griffin et al., 2019, p. 436).
Further, the legitimate power empowers the manager to monitor and instruct employees to
undertake tasks as stipulated in their respective job descriptions.

Another power that comes with position is reward power and this involves tangible and
intangible rewards that a manager can use to influence subordinates (Griffin et al., 2019, p. 436).
Such include pay raises and praise. Rewards assign power to the leader as they elicit motivation
element on the subordinates. Still, it is important for the manager to monitor the implications that
rewards have on the employees; this is because there are both positive and negative influences
that rewards have on an individual's behavior (Griffin et al., 2019, p. 436). There is a way that
rewards can be used and end up decreasing the employees' motivation. An individual within
given organizational positions can also decide to apply coercive power; such is based on fear.
Coercive power is centered on leader's ability to execute punishment on subordinate for instance
offering an undesirable shift or reducing an individual's payable work hours (Griffin et al., 2019,
p. 437). Coercive power although effective to some extent it can present negative side effects; it
should be used sparingly and as tool of last resort for instance in cases where subordinates have
adopted unsafe or illegal behaviors.

Having personal power is not a guarantee that employee or a subordinate would offer the
manager full cooperation (Griffin et al., 2019, p. 438). Personal power comes in handy as well
and as pointed out earlier, it lies within an individual capability to influence others. The aspect of
capability can be broken down to the knowledge, skills or the expertise that one has that makes
others depend on him/her (Griffin et al., 2019, p. 438). In other words, personal power is
influenced by an individual's characteristics and such does not depend on position or even where
a person works.

One form of personal power is based on an individual's expertise in a given field or task. A
manager who is knowledgeable or is an expert in a given specialization has something to offer
that others need and as such they will be attentive (Griffin et al., 2019, p. 438). Subordinates
within the sales department are highly likely to seek out the expert and knowledgeable manager,
for instance to get tips on how to better approach a given market segment. The same applies in
the case of a technician who shows and trains new recruits on the best ways to perform the tasks
at hand. Expert can exist at all levels in an organization, and one can develop such power as a
result of undertaking a formal training or learning and developing experience on a given job
(Griffin et al., 2019, p. 438).

Another form of personal power is that gained by assuming control over information; to either
provide or withhold it. Being in a position to control the access to crucial information gives the
responsible individuals power which they can exert over others (Griffin et al., 2019, p. 439). For
instance, an experienced party in an organization can have expansive networks and therefore is
important to others for what he knows and the connections he can deliver. The problem with
informational power is that it is elusive in that once the information is fully shared the associated
power is automatically lost (Griffin et al., 2019, p. 438). The way to maintain such kind of power
to constantly seek out and gather information, especially that which is difficult to get.

Referent power is the third type of personal power, and it is associated with charisma and the
ability to foster an attractive personality likable by other people (Griffin et al., 2019, p. 439). It is
more of how one presents himself with a level or respect coupled with approachability. The
resulting role model image influences subordinates to comply due to the respect and admiration.
Ethical behavior is a critical element that enhances referent power (Griffin et al., 2019, p. 439).
The last form of personal power is persuasive power, and that comes with an individual's ability
to apply logic coupled with facts as such persuade others (Griffin et al., 2019, p. 439). People
who have persuasive power have good listening skills and are able to identify and address the
motivations of others.

Overall, power is a necessary element in organizations to further organization goals and

objectives. Utilizing the different sources of power is crucial but concerned individuals should do
it altruistically to avoid negative implications.