Power and Authority

Power is the capacity to influence others or the potential to affect which reflects a degree of changes in human’s behavior and attitudes. While leadership is an ability to motivate or meld individual followers into smoothly working whole, dedicated to the accomplishment of group objectives. With the help of power the leadership practitioners improve their effectiveness. One of the best prime essays samples of the application of power in leader-followers relationship is an application of expert power. The power of knowledge can be viewed in a twofold position. A surgeon possessing an expert power makes other dependant on his knowledge. However, on the contrary, new leader may have less knowledge of particular sphere than his followers, thus the followers use expert power while making decision concerning the unknown for the leader activity.

Authority refers to accepted power—that is, power that people agree to follow or power to enforce obedience by holding some position. Leadership is an ability to direct and stimulate the followers. The relation of these two notions comprises from the fact that the use of authority in the leadership guides and organizes the followers. Thus, for example, teacher has the authority to assign homework, which stimulates and guides pupils to achieve something, to enrich their knowledge and to produce high results and improve their effectiveness.

First, I decided to apply equity theory, a fair treatment helps to avoid misunderstandings and create a favorable and fair competition. Then, I introduced a reward program. If the person wants to get a reward he/she should follow such rules as meeting deadlines, professionalism, readiness to cope with different challenges and trying not only to maintain the standard but to raise the qualification. Only after meeting all this requirements, the reward program will be launched. Its main options include: flexible schedule, bonuses, premiums, two additional days off per month, free courses on PC usage and foreign language learning and, of course, some praised guidelines. This program was quite a success because it increased the general level of productivity by 33%, as well as improved the professional skills of employees.