1. and what you can do with them.
7 Types of Power
and what you can do with them.

2. Power Quotes
“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Lord John Acton (historian)
“No man is wise enough, nor good enough to be trusted with unlimited power.“ Charles Caleb Colton (cleric)
“Power is not an institution, and not a structure; neither is it a certain strength we are endowed with; it is the name that one attributes to a complex strategical situation in a particular society.” Michel Foucault (philosopher)
“Perhaps those who are best suited to power are those who have never sought it. Those who ... have leadership thrust upon them, and take up the mantle because they must, and find to their own surprise that they wear it well.” J. K. ROWLING, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

3. 1. Reward Power
based on a leader’s ability to give rewards and positive consequences if people do what is asked of them.

4. Reward Power Example:
While shopping at the grocery store, a father promises his daughter a candy bar if she will be quiet until they are done.

5. Positive Effects of Reward Power
✔ The potential for a reward motivates the daughter to keep quiet.

6. Negative Effects of Reward Power
✖ Once the daughter realizes her father’s strategy, she may only be quiet if she gets candy. She also won’t learn the basic value of proper behavior.

7. 2. Referent Power
Referent power is based on a leader’s likeability. People often are willing to do as the leader asks because they like or want to be like this person.

8. Referent Power Example
An admired friend encourages you to do well academically.

9. Positive Effects of Referent Power
✔ A person’s admiration for someone who offers encouragement inspires the person to do well.

10. Negative Effects of Referent Power
✖ Admiration for another person and ‘encouragement’ from that person in the form of peer pressure can also inspire making poor choices, such as cheating in order to get a better grade.

11. 3. Legitimate Power
Legitimate Power is based on a leader’s position. People see the position as one that gives the leader power.

12. Legitimate Power Example
Political figures, government officers, police, teachers, principals, student council members, youth group leaders, or athletic team captains are all leaders whose positions represent legitimate power.

13. Positive Effects of Legitimate Power
✔ While someone holds a certain position, people respect and respond to him or her in that position.

14. Negative Effects of Legitimate Power
✖ Just because an individual holds a leadership position doesn’t mean the person is an effective or admirable leader.

15. 4. Information Power
Information power is based on a leader’s control of or access to information that is perceived as valuable.

16. Information Power Example
The adult advisor to a student advisory group knows what other adult decision makers will support and disapprove of regarding possible activities.

17. Positive Effects of Information Power
✔ A leader with information power can share information with the students to help propose some activities rather than have the group spend a lot of time strategizing for something that is not likely to get approved.

18. Negative Effects of Information Power
✖ This person could inappropriately share other decision makers’ preferences with the students. Or this person could prevent sharing information from the student group with the other decision makers.

19. 5. Expert Power
based on a leader’s expertise, skill, and knowledge. People respect the leader’s expertise and are influenced by it.

20. Expert Power Example
Doctors, scientists, lawyers, professors, athletes, or anyone else who has a great deal of experience in a particular field, activity, or hobby have expert power.

21. Positive Effects of Expert Power
✔ People can get the best and most accurate information from people who are considered experts.

22. Negative Effects of Expert Power
✖ An expert could take advantage of someone by providing incomplete or misleading information. This may influence a person to make a decision that he or she may not make otherwise with the right information.

23. 6. Connection Power
based on whom a leader knows. People see the leader as having power because of his or her connections to or relationships with influential or important people.

24. Connection Power Example
A high school senior knows a parent who is an alumnus of a private or prestigious college. The alumnus can get the student an interview with the Admissions Office.

25. Positive Effects of Connection Power
✔ Connections can help people obtain important things, such as a recommendation, a job, acceptance into a school or special program, tickets to a show, or passes backstage to meet a performer.

26. Negative Effects of Connection Power
✖ Connections can mean some people get certain things without deserving them, or keep others from getting what they deserve.

27. 7. Coercive Power
based on a leader’s ability to invoke fear in people. The leader has the ability to take away privileges or punish those who do not cooperate.

28. Coercive Power Example
A parent who insists you complete a project exactly the way he or she says or else you can’t do something you were hoping to do.

29. Positive Effects of Coercive Power
✔ Sometimes, setting specific rules is the only way to get the job done.

30. Negative Effects of Coercive Power
✖ Often, threatening punishment doesn’t help people recognize the value of the project.

31. Authority & Influence
To get things done and use their power, leaders apply different styles. Some draw on their authority, the process of insisting or demanding that others do a task; other use influence, a way of persuading that is lest direct or obvious. Both styles are ways of expressing power, and leaders can use them with positive and negative effects.

32. Authority Vs. influence
Give directions and see that they are carried out.
Reassure the group that someone is in charge.
State her or his preference, without offering anyone choices or opportunities to ask questions.
Make others obey regardless of whether they agree with the request.
Oversee a project, but may not get involved in the actual work.
Support others accomplishing things without threats.
Ask people to help achieve goals together, so sometimes the group doesn’t even realize who is in charge.
Encourage cooperation, communication and interaction to achieve goals.
Allow people to ask questions for clarification.
Take the first steps toward getting things done.
Drive particular decisions, which could be positive or negative, such as taking a risk that may not be worthwhile

33. External influences that impact our use of power
Other People and their use of Power
The way other people may be using their power negatively can have a huge impact on your ability to function effectively. This can cause you to be less attentive to the power you have and how you choose to use it.
Time & Stress
When given a leadership role and we don’t have time to execute it properly because the time frame is unreasonable, we can sometimes choose the wrong kind of power to lead with.

34. Sweet rewards Activity
7 volunteers
1 activity leader

35. What do you know about Power?
Which of the power types have you observed or experienced the most? Describe the situation. Were they used effectively? Why or why not?
Which types of power do you think are most effective and why? Which types are ineffective and why?
What other types of power not on this list have you observed or experienced?
In Animal Farm, which types of power do you see demonstrated by the characters? (e.g. Mr. Jones, Napoleon, Moses the Raven, Squealer)
How might Napoleon have led the animals differently? At what point in the plot would his use of power led to different outcomes?