Power refers to a person’s ability to influence, control, and direct other people with the aim of achieving certain outcomes. There are several types of power practiced in organizations. They include legitimate, reward, coercive, expert, and referent power (Bolman & Deal, 2013). Organizational power has different uses and elicits varied reactions from employees. Expert and referent power elicit commitment, legitimate, and reward power leads to compliance, and coercive power results in resistance (Murrell & Meredith, 2000). Using power properly and effectively leads to positive outcomes that drive organizations towards success and attainment of goals. In addition, it results in positive reactions among employees. Power is used for both positive and negative purposes and is influenced by position. The higher the position an employee holds in an organization, the more power he/she has.
Factors that affect the use of power and the nature of the response to its use include the style of leadership style applied, position, a leader’s personality, and expertise (Murrell & Meredith, 2000). The style of leadership embraced by a leader determines how they use power and how employees respond (Murrell & Meredith, 2000). For instant, the type of style will determine whether a leader will use the power to punish, reward, or empower employees. Transformational leadership rewards and empowers while autocratic leadership punishes and coerces. The position is also an important factor that determines how power is used.
Managers are responsible for reminding employees about their responsibilities and commitments to the organization. Therefore, they are likely to use it positively through delegation of duties and responsibilities or negatively through coercion and negative criticism. The use of power in an organization is also influenced by expertise (Murrell & Meredith, 2000). In many organizations, people with expertise in certain areas possess more power than employees with little expertise. They enjoy more privileges and higher remuneration than their colleagues. In addition, they are usually given influential roles that allow them to be part of their organizations’ decision-making teams.
Other important factors include a leader’s personality and strengths and the type of system they work under (Van Wart, 2014). Some organizations give leaders the power to reward and coerce employees while others give leaders the power to lead but delegate the power to execute critical organizational mandates to employee with great expertise in certain fields.
As a leader, there are several measures I would take to build an environment that empowers people. These measures include the promotion of teamwork, a delegation of duties and responsibilities, creation of workplace policies that prioritize employee welfare, enhancement of flexibility in working arrangements, and implementation of motivational strategies that encourage employees to work guided by a single mission, vision, and purpose (Van Wart, 2014). An effective strategy to empower employees is to delegate duties and responsibilities (Bolman & Deal, 2013).
This challenges them to improve themselves and gain more skills and knowledge. In addition, it gives them an opportunity to participate in the decision-making process of the organization. It is important to create employee-centered policies that give workers the freedom to decide how they work and make critical decisions that affect their work (Van Wart, 2014).
Employee empowerment is influenced by creating more flexible working arrangements that allow employees to create balanced lives. For instance, there is a need for policies that support workers who would like to create a family-work balance. The effect of globalization on organizations has necessitated the incorporation of flexibility in work schedules for higher output and productivity.
References
Bolman, L., & Deal, T. (2013). Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Web.
Murrell, K. L., & Meredith, M. (2000). Empowering Employees. New York, NY: McGraw Hill Professional. Web.
Van Wart, M. (2014). Leadership in Public Organizations: An Introduction. New York, NY: Routledge. Web.