Powers Flashcards
(7 cards)
Coercive (Punitive) Power
Coercive power is a form of positional power that gets you to comply with something you don’t want to do through the use of force or punishment. For example, your boss threatens to fire you if you don’t complete a project on time.
Expert Power
A type of personal power where the project manager has deep skills and experience in a discipline. For example, years of working in IT helps an IT project manager better manage IT projects.
Information Power
A type of personal power that is derived from the control of information. People with information power have access to information that is not readily available to others. This information can be used to influence others, make decisions, or gain an advantage. The project manager has power and control of the data gathering and distribution of information.
Legitimate Power
A form of positional power that is based on the perception that the person who has the power has a right to exercise it.
Pressure-Based Power
The project manager can restrict choices to get the project team to perform the project work. Pressure-based power can be effective in the short term, but it is not sustainable in the long term. This is because people who are pressured into doing something are not likely to be motivated to do it well or to do it again in the future.
Referent Power
A type of personal power where the project manager is respected or admired because of the team’s past experiences with the project manager. This is about the project manager’s credibility/believability in the organization.
Reward Power
A form of positional power that is based on the ability to give rewards to others. This type of power can be based on tangible rewards, such as money or promotions, or on intangible rewards, such as praise or recognition.
