Glossary
Social Power
What is social power?
Social power is the capacity to influence other people. Someone can have that capacity without using it, and their influence can vary across relationships and decisions.
Five bases of power
French and Raven distinguish five bases:
- Reward: Control over benefits someone values.
- Coercive: The ability to impose threatened costs.
- Legitimate: Accepted authority.
- Referent: Identification with the person or group.
- Expert: Expertise attributed to the person.
Example
A team leader may control assignments while a technician influences a technical decision through specialist knowledge. More than one kind of power can operate in the same relationship.
Why it matters
When examining power dynamics, ask who controls resources, whose judgment carries weight, and whether others can question a decision without threatened costs. These questions also help identify unequal influence or misuse of authority.
Identifying a source of influence helps explain who can affect a decision. Whether that influence is useful or harmful depends on how it is used and what happens to the people involved.