Relationship between Power and Leadership Report

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Made by Human No AI

Ability to use power in order to influence other people is a key element of leadership. Those individuals, who are called leaders, have to shape the actions and attitudes of others. They even have to make people do certain things. Yet, the question is how this power can be obtained and what its major sources are.

The interview of interview with Ricardo Semler indicates that the power of leaders can and should be derived from the consent of the subordinates, in other words, employees. To a great extent, his approach resembles the theory of social contract which suggests that the authority can be legitimate only if it is based on the voluntary consent of the governed people.

This approach may ensure more effective leadership because the power of a leader will be approved by his or her future subordinates. Hence, there will be less resistance to the authority and decisions of this individual.

In his interview, Ricardo Semler argues that democratic leadership can exist in the modern workplace. To illustrate this idea he refers to the company that he runs. In this organization, those people, who occupy managerial positions, have to be selected the employees (Semler, 2007). Future managers have to take several interviews with the workers prior to being approved.

Their task is to convince that they are able to act good leaders. This example shows that the power of a leader or a person with some authority should legitimized by those people who will work under his or her command (Goethals & Sorenson 2006, p. 130). The approach taken by Ricardo Semler suggests that the leader’s right to power should approved by the consent of the subordinates.

To a great extent, this model of democratic workplace relies on the principles of social contract theory. It postulates that the consent of the governed people is indispensible for the legitimacy of the government (Goethals & Sorenson 2006, p. 130).

Ricardo Semler’s model is premised on the idea that future leaders will be selected by workers on the basis of their skills, expertise, or ability to interact with subordinates. These attributes will be the sources of their future authority.

Certainly, one should not assume that the managers working in Ricardo Semler’s company never use power or even coercion to make people do certain things. Even very skillful leaders may have to use coercion in order to achieve organizational goals. However, in this case, the employees understand that the authority of these managers does not come from top executives; more likely it comes from their agreement.

Therefore, they will not oppose the decisions of these managers. Certainly, even social contract theory has its limitation. The thing is that the general will of workers can be based on false assumptions about a person who wants to be a leader (Cawthon, 2002, p. 68). However, such a risk always exists and it can be even higher when managers are not selected by the employees.

So, this discussion shows that power is an attribute of leadership. However, one must ensure that the power of leaders is not imposed on the employees from outside; it must be approved by those people who will work under the leadership of an individual. The model advocated by Ricardo Semler can make the work of many organizations more effective.

References

Cawthon, D. 2002, Philosophical Foundations of Leadership, Transaction Publishers, London.

Goethals, G & Sorenson, G 2006, The Quest for a General Theory of Leadership, Edward Elgar Publishing, New York.

Semler, R. 2007, A Democratic Workplace. Interviewed by K. O’Brien. Rio de Janeiro : Brazil.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2019, May 20). Relationship between Power and Leadership. https://ivypanda.com/essays/relationship-between-power-and-leadership-report/

Work Cited

"Relationship between Power and Leadership." IvyPanda, 20 May 2019, ivypanda.com/essays/relationship-between-power-and-leadership-report/.

References

IvyPanda. (2019) 'Relationship between Power and Leadership'. 20 May.

References

IvyPanda. 2019. "Relationship between Power and Leadership." May 20, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/relationship-between-power-and-leadership-report/.

1. IvyPanda. "Relationship between Power and Leadership." May 20, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/relationship-between-power-and-leadership-report/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "Relationship between Power and Leadership." May 20, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/relationship-between-power-and-leadership-report/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
No AI was involved: only quilified experts contributed.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment
Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

1 / 1