Essentials of Organizational Behavior, 14/e

Bases of Power

Where does power come from? What gives an individual or a group influence over others? We answer by dividing the bases or sources of power into two general groupings, formal and personal, and breaking each of these down into more specific categories.2

Formal Power

Formal power is based on an individual’s position in an organization. It can come from the ability to coerce or reward, or from formal authority.

Coercive Power

The coercive power base depends on the target’s fear of negative results from failing to comply. On the physical level, coercive power rests on the application, or the threat of application, of bodily distress through the infliction of pain, the restriction of movement, or the withholding of basic physiological ...