Legitimate Power Essay

325 Words2 Pages
Definition Legitimate power is power you derive from your formal position or office held in the organization's hierarchy of authority. Legitimate Power Examples of legitimate power are: A president, prime minister, a king or queen has legitimate power. So does a CEO, a minister, or a fire chief. Electoral mandates, social hierarchies, cultural norms, and organizational structure all provide the basis for legitimate power. Having this type of power can be unpredictable and unstable. If you lose the title or position, legitimate power can instantly disappear. Since others were influenced by the position, not by you. Also, your scope of power is limited to situations that others believe you have a right to control. A good example of this is if a fire chief tells people to stay away from a burning building, they'll probably listen. But if he tries to make people stay away from a street fight, people may well ignore him. This is because it is beyond the scope of his authority. Therefore he has no control over it. Relying on legitimate power as your only way to influence others isn't enough. To be a leader, you need more. Like most power, legitimate power is based upon perception and reality. It is based upon the reality that a person holds a particular position in an organization. It's also based on the perception of an employee that someone holding that position has authority to exert control over her. Legitimate power as a source of authority has one distinct advantage over many other sources of authority, which is that it is usually based upon some objective rule or law of the organization. In conclusion legitimate power is perhaps the most important basis of authority in any formal organization. While legitimate authority may be a necessary component for effective leadership, it may not be a sufficient component. A wise leader will attempt to develop

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