Bifalgorithm post · IntroductionToBusiness OP 8D04gAa · 2026-10-07-36573 · 6.4. Leading, Guiding, and Motivating Others*
How do leaders use power to influence organizational behavior?
How do leaders use power to influence organizational behavior? (IntroductionToBusiness OP 8D04gAa · 2026-10-07-36573 · 6.4. Leading, Guiding, and Motivating Ot…
Ideas in this flowchart
- Leadership is the third key management function that guides and motivates people toward organizational goals.
- A leader can be anyone who influences others to act or follow, regardless of organizational position.
- Managers are designated leaders, but may use negative consequences or coercion to achieve change.
- Leadership operates at multiple levels within the organizational structure.
- Top managers use leadership to establish, communicate, and gain support for the mission, vision, values, and strategy.
- Middle and supervisory managers direct employees daily as they execute plans within the management-created structure.
- Jeff Bezos and Jack Welch demonstrate top-level leadership, which has also been widely studied.
- Organizations need effective leadership at all levels to achieve goals and remain competitive.
- Effective leaders influence other people's behavior.
- Power is the ability to influence others to behave in a particular way.
- The five primary sources of power are the main bases leaders use to influence others.
- Legitimate power comes from an individual's organizational position.
- Reward power comes from controlling rewards.
- Coercive power comes from the ability to threaten negative outcomes.
- Expert power comes from extensive knowledge in one or more areas.
- Referent power comes from personal charisma and the respect or admiration a leader inspires.
- Leaders often combine several sources of power to guide people toward goal achievement.
- A. G. Lafley illustrates the combined use of power while serving as CEO of Procter & Gamble.
- Lafley's legitimate power came from his position as CEO.
- His reward power came from improving company performance, increasing stock value, and rewarding managers who met goals.
- His coercive power appeared in eliminating jobs, selling underperforming brands, and ending weak product lines.
- His nearly 40 years of service gave him expert power concerning P&G's products, markets, innovations, and customers.
- Business results, acquisitions, and broad respect gave Lafley substantial referent power.
