CHAPTER 3 “The day the power of love overrules the love
of power, the world will know peace.”
POWER
-Mahatma Gandhi
In its broadest sense, power
is one’s ability to achieve a
desired outcome.
However, in political terms,
power is the ability to
influence another—the way
one thinks or behaves—in a
manner not of his or her own
choosing (Lasswell 1936).
It thus involves one’s capacity
to get things done, and to
make someone do something
he or she would not otherwise
do.
Political power involves three
interrelated concepts:
legitimacy, authority, and
sovereignty.
According to Roskin et al. (2012),
legitimacy refers to the people’s
perception that their government rules
rightfully, and thus must be obeyed.
Sovereignty, on the other hand,
speaks of the ability of a national
government to be the sole leader,
which has the last word of law in that
society.
Lastly, authority is seen as
the political leader’s ability
to command respect and
exercise power.
Power is perceived as the influence on the content
of decisions.
Power as Who decides, what to be made, and
decision-making
how to execute such decision all
involve power.
Power involves the ability to set or control
Power as agenda political agenda,
setting highlighting one at the exclusion
of other issues.
Power is seen as an ideological indoctrination or
a psychological control where one has the ability
Power as thought to change or shape how another thinks or
control behaves.
Power and Authority
Power and authority are
usually used interchangeably.
In political science, authority
is legitimate power.
When the exercise of power by
a leader is recognized and is
accepted by those he or she
governs, such is considered as
legitimate power.
AUTHORITY AND
TABLE 1 Power vs. Authority
POWER Power Authority
NATURE Power is one’s ability to Authority is the official right
influence the beliefs and actions assumed by a leader to create
of others. judgments or to command.
FLOW Power can run in any course. Authority runs downward in the
Even juniors have power over organization. This is because it is
their seniors, if they can passed on the by the seniors to
influence their behavior. So the juniors.
power can run upwards,
downwards or horizontally.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHARTS Power relationships cannot be Authority relationships can be
shown in organization charts. shown in the organization
charts.
AUTHORITY AND
TABLE 1 Power vs. Authority
POWER Power Authority
LEVEL OF MANAGEMENT Power does not rest on the level Authority rests on the level of
of management. Power can be management. The more
at any level of management. A advancements in the level of
lower-level manager or an management, the higher will be
employee can have power to the authority and vice-versa.
influence the behavior of a top-
level manager.
LEGITIMACY Power need to be authorized in Authority is constantly
nature. authorized in nature.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHARTS Power lives in the person who Authority is given to a position.
uses it. The leader acquires the
authority only when he is in that
position.
HARD POWER vs. SOFT
POWER
It describes a nation It is a concept developed
or political body’s by Joseph Nye of Harvard
ability to use University to describe the
ability to attract and co-opt
economic incentives rather than by coercion
or military strength (hard power), using force
to influence other or giving money as a
means of persuasion.
actor’s behaviors.
6 BASES of POWER
Bauer and Erdogan (2009)
Reward
Legitimate Referent
POWER
Coercive
Expert
Information
LEGITIMATE POWER
the power that comes from one’s
organizational role or position.
Ex: a principal delegate task to a teacher
a traffic constable can arrest a traffic violator
a police can arrest a criminal
a security guard can fire at robbers
REWARD POWER
the ability to grant a reward.
Ex: increase in allowance of an employee due to
his remarkable performance
promotion of the subordinates
provide additional facilities
COERCIVE POWER
the ability to take something away or
punish someone for noncompliance.
Ex: threaten an employee’s job security
cut his pay
withdraw certain facilities
suspension
EXPERT POWER
it comes from knowledge and skills.
Ex: Doctors
Lawyers
Accountants
INFORMATION POWER
comes from the ability to access to
specific information.
Ex: a person buying a unit in condominium can
gain his power through reading thoroughly the
advertisements presented by the salesman
REFERENT POWER
comes from the personal
characteristics of the person such as
the degree to which we like, respect,
and want to be like them.
Ex: John F. Kennedy
Martin Luther King
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkhar
Mahatma Gandhi
MACHIAVELLIA
N CONCEPT OF
POWER
Who is Niccolo Machiavelli?
- he is a radical Florentine thinker,
Italian Renaissance political writer and
the author of the book “The Prince”.
Machiavelli says that the only concern
of the political ruler is the acquisition
and the maintenance of power (although
he talks less about power per se than
about “maintaining the state.”
The Prince purpots to reflect the self-
conscious political realism of an author who
is full aware – on the basis of direct
experience with the Florentine government
– that goodness and right here are not
sufficient to win and maintain political
office.
For him, power characteristically defines
political activity, and hence it is necessary
for any successful ruler to know how power
is to be used.
He acknowledges that good laws and
good arms constitute the dual foundations of
a well-ordered political systems.
“Since there cannot be good
laws without good arms, I will
not consider laws but speak of
arms.” – Machiavelli 1965
Consequences of Power
Coercive power may turn out to be
disastrous for one organization if
the power is not used rightfully.
Power and Its
Significance
1. The ability to give security.
2. It creates status.
3. Having special opportunities.
4. Role to affect the behavior of the ‘powerful’ in a way that it can bring
about dysfunctional thinking like selfishness and greed.
5. Ability to implement laws and impose proper sanctions to those who
violate them.
6. Improve economically, and thus it is important in the view in
politics.
It should really be considered by those people who want to be in
authority.
