Nov 28 2007
Types of Power & Motivation
Legitimate - Stuctural, orginizational power
Coercive - Threatening negative action unless desired action is done
Reward - Offering positive action if desired action is done
Referent - Offering complements and recognizing someone’s good actions
Expert - Showing you “know what you’re talking about”
By far coercive power is probably the least affective of all power one can use for the purposes of leadership. Other more subtle forms of power are more widely accepted and promotes motivation instead of just getting a quick action.
When is does use of leadership power become manipulation?
We see manipulation in places of power all the time. In relationships men manipulate women and women manipulate men. In the work place, lazy people might manipulate good natured helpful people into doing their work. When a waiter is fishing for better tips there is manipulation. When a salesmen is trying to land the sale, there is manipulation.
When ever there is power over another individual there is manipulation. How one defines manipulation is in the eye of the beholder. Some people define manipulation as coercive power. Some people are more sensative to charismatic referend power. While others might have problem with direct authoritative power.
I think as a leader the difference between motivation and manipulation is finding out what kind of power turns an individual off and what kind of power motivates an individual. You might have one individual who is motivated by orders, maybe he has a military background and wants to be ordered. You might have an individual who is impressed and motivated by displays of expert power and strives to be better when shown how he/she can improve his/her potential. It really depends on the individual to figure out what motivates THEM and then use the appropriate power that motivates them and avoid using power that demotivates them.