Assignment: Applying French and Raven’s Bases of Social Power: A Powerful Solution
There have been many stories throughout history of leaders who have been corrupted by their power. The very definition of leadership as “a process by which an individual influences the group to achieve a common goal” (Northouse, 2016, p. 6) implies the power to exert influence. Leaders must exert power in order to lead, but they must also strive to understand the complexities of power. Research by French and Raven (1959) and by others (Burns, 1976; Neck & Manz, 1994) provides insight on the types, or bases, of power available to a leader, the process of choosing among those bases, and the motivations for leaders’ choices (Northouse, 2016, p. 379). Recent researchers (Barbuto & Warneke, 2014; Vevere, 2014) also explore the effectiveness of using individual bases of power in particular situations and the effects certain bases of powers have on leaders and those they lead. Armed with this information, leaders can avoid utilizing certain bases of power when the choice may lead to negative consequences. They can instead choose to wield power in ways that will foster organizational success. Understanding the bases also gives both leaders and followers insight into situations they observe and difficult interpersonal interactions they negotiate.
To prepare for this Assignment, consider Case Study 7.1, “His Team Gets the Best Assignments” on pages 150–151 of Northouse (2016).
Submit a 3-page analysis of the case study. In your analysis, do the following:
• Identify two of French and Raven’s bases of power in the case study, and explain how leaders can use these bases of power to exert influence.
• Explain how you might use your knowledge of French and Raven’s theory to resolve one of the problems presented in the case study. Justify your response.
Note: Be sure to use the APA Course Paper Template (6th ed.) to complete this Assignment. Also, refer to the Week 4 Assignment Rubric for specific grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use this rubric to assess your work. Please Note: For each page of your paper, you must include a minimum of two APA-formatted scholarly citations.
Week 4: Motivation and Power
Consider the following scenario:
The board members of XYZ Corporation meet to discuss candidates for the CEO position. One board member speaks up, saying, “What we need is someone with a vision for change who can turn this company around. He or she must inspire others to follow him or her and achieve great things.” A second board member offers, “He or she must be a master communicator who can show employees why the change is good for them and the company. He or she must display expert knowledge.“ A third member says, “but he or she must do so with humility to inspire trust.” Each board member continues to offer ingredients for the board’s recipe for effective leadership.
Business board members like those described in this scenario have long sought after the “ingredients” for effective leadership. This week, you will investigate two closely related ingredients for effective leadership: motivation and power. You will analyze personal sources of motivation. Then, you will apply French and Raven’s bases of social power to a specific leadership situation.
Learning Objectives
Independent scholars will:
• Analyze personal sources of motivation in relation to motivation theories and leadership theories
• Evaluate the application of French and Raven’s bases of social power in exerting social influence
Photo Credit: Vernon Wiley / Vetta / Getty Images
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Learning Resources
Note: To access this week’s required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.
Required Readings
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice (7th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
• Case 7.1, “His Team Gets the Best Assignments” (pp. 151–152)
Barbuto, J. E., Jr., & Story, J. S. P. (2011). Work motivation and organizational citizenship behaviors. Journal of Leadership Studies, 5(1), 23–34. doi:10.1002/jls.20202
Note: Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
Dwyer, P. C., Bono, J. E., Snyder, M., Nov, O., & Berson, Y. (2013). Sources of volunteer motivation: Transformational leadership and personal motives influence volunteer outcomes. Nonprofit Management & Leadership, 24(2), 181–205. doi:10.1002/nml.21084
Note: Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
Effelsberg, D., Solga, M., & Gurt, J. (2014). Getting followers to transcend their self-interest for the benefit of their company: Testing a core assumption of transformational leadership theory. Journal of Business & Psychology, 29(1), 131–143. doi:10.1007/s10869-013-9305-x
Note: Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
Fehr, E., Herz, H., & Wilkening, T. (2013). The lure of authority: Motivation and incentive effects of power. American Economic Review, 103(4), 1325–1359. doi:10.1257/aer.103.4.1325
Note: Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
Jenkins, S., & Delbridge, R. (2013). Context matters: Examining “soft” and “hard” approaches to employee engagement in two workplaces. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 24(14), 2670–2691. doi:10.1080/09585192.2013.770780
Note: Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
Raven, B. H. (1993). The bases of power: Origins and recent developments. Journal of Social Issues, 49(4), 227–251.
Note: Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
Schriesheim, C. A., Podsakoff, P. M., & Hinkin, T. R. (1991). Can ipsative and single-item measures produce erroneous results in field studies of French and Raven’s (1959) five bases of power? An empirical investigation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 76(1), 106–114. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.76.1.106
Note: Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
Walden University. (2015a). APA course paper template (6th ed.). Retrieved from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/ld.php?content_id=7980596