The interdependence of power, authority and the type of leadership

Abstract

The terms 'leadership' and 'the leader' are some of the most used words in the business world, often in disregard of their true meaning. Many management theorists believe that the skills and the knowledge of the person who lead the company and from which derives its power and authority are crucial for company's survival, development and growth. It is known that the power is a potential ability to influence the behavior of others and this is one of the main characteristics of leaders. Theoretically speaking the leader's power comes from the position which he occupies in the organization and from which derives its authority. Managers/leaders can achieve the power by using multiple sources of power and various forms and tactics based on power. The authority is a type of power that can be identified as a legitimate, official or a formal type of power. This means that such power occurs when subordinates recognize that someone has that 'right' or the law authorizes him to affect to some extent. In addition, the authority is a form of power that is generally used in a broad sense and includes the ability of people to use the power arising from their skills or their role.

Keywords

• Power
• sources of power
• authority
• leadership
• tactics of leadership influence based on power