What power used by the leader that the person compels another to comply with others through threats or punishment?
Ever known someone pulled over for speeding? Chances are they knew what the speed limit was, but thought they wouldn’t be caught. The benefit of having traffic laws is to promote safety on the highways. But there is a cost to enforcing the laws, just as there is always a cost when using any force. Read on to learn about the costs of Coercive Power, and nine ways to keep it from backfiring on you. Show
What is Coercive Power?Coercive power is the opposite of Reward Power. It is the idea that you can compel people to behave in a certain way through force or threat of force. Coercion might mean physical force, but it can also include withholding resources, reprimand, demotion, firing, denial of privileges, pay cuts, layoffs, terminations, and undesirable assignments. There is even a social dimension – the Amish use social exclusion – shunning – as a way to force compliance. Coercive power is typically positional. Like Legitimate Power and Reward Powerthe position of the leader brings with it authorities and responsibilities that can include tools to force people to do things. To be effective, a good leader will need to have some Coercion Power in his bag of tricks. But it should not be the go-to option to get the team to a level of high performance. The Downside to Coercive PowerCoercion Can lead to Dissatisfaction and Backlash. There are great scenes in The Bridge on the River Kwai that show how this can occur. The Japanese commander attempts to force the British prisoners to build a bridge, but the prisoners find lots of ingenious ways to sabotage progress. Without true British cooperation, the bridge would never have been completed on time. The same thing applies to your team and in the work place. People don’t like to be forced to do things and may look for ways to retaliate. Coercion Takes Effort. Once a threat is made, the leader must be constantly aware of whether or not it has produced compliance. This requires constant vigilance. How many police patrol the highways with radar guns to make sure the speed limit is obeyed? And if you have to enforce the threat, there’s more for you to do. Possibly even involving paperwork. Is that where you want to spend your time? Coercion Gets Compliance, not Commitment. During the inquisition, I am sure many victims chose to repent of supposed heresies rather than be burned alive. But it would be hard to believe they truly were committed to the new beliefs they were forced to espouse. Using coercion, you might get the behavior you want, but their hearts may not be in it.
Coercion Stifles Innovation and Productivity. Studies have shown that in an environment of fear, people are less willing to take risks, which means creativity will suffer. And if you are under the gun to produce a certain quota every week, chances are you will only produce that much. Anything more you’ll save for next week so you don’t risk the consequences of falling behind. Under coercion, the incentive is to avoid penalty, not to maximize productivity, so productivity suffers.
Coercion has a Cost. After World War II, America spent vast amounts of money building up its defenses to deter the Soviet Union – it needed a credible threat against the communist regime. President Eisenhower lamented this cost when he said, “Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies…a theft from those who hunger and are not fed…” In the same way, the effort you expend on building and maintaining the ability to coerce is energy you could be spending productively elsewhere. It’s Subject to Abuse. A leader who is weak in his other power bases may rely too heavily on coercion, which can lead to abuse. The track record of authoritarian leaders and dictators is not good. How to use it to Best EffectNonetheless, there is a time and place for using coercive power. Here are nine how’s and when’s for using this tool:
Coercive Power – The TakeawayCoercive power can be effective, but the wise leader uses this power sparingly. When it’s in the best interest of the group that people act in certain ways, having clear policies and enforcement in place is a good idea. But using coercion to try and drive innovation, raise productivity and build a high performing team is not going to work out well – their hearts won’t be in it. It’s best to explore your other sources of power to accomplish that. Lead On! Credits: French, J. and Raven, B. (1959). The Bases of Social Power. In Studies in Social Power, D. Cartwright, Ed., pp. 150-167. Ann Arbor, MI: Institute for Social Research. What is the use of power by leaders?Leaders can use power to benefit others or to constrain them, to serve the organization's goals or to undermine them. Another way to view power is as a resource that people use in relationships. When a leader influences subordinates, it is called downward power.
What are the types of power that a leader can use?Types of Power in Leadership. Legitimate Power. Legitimate power happens when someone is in a higher position, giving them control over others. ... . Coercive Power. There's really no time or space for coercive power in the workplace, Lipkin notes. ... . Expert Power. ... . Informational Power. ... . Power of Reward. ... . Connection Power. ... . Referent Power.. What power must a leader have to lead effectively?In organizational settings, leaders must exert power to achieve individual, team, and organizational goals. Leaders must be able to influence their followers to achieve greater performance; their superiors and peers to make important decisions; and stake- holders to ensure the vitality of the organization.
Which power uses the threat of force to gain complaints from another?Coercive power is most effective, however, when the threat of violence or other punishment is sufficient in itself to get the target to accede to the demand.
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