Information Security Management, 2nd Edition

4.2 Organizational Power Structures

Power is the ability to influence someone to do something. The ability to influence someone may be accomplished through incentives, persuasion, or coercion. Thus, how power is exercised depends on the power source or base used; for example, managers have the power to reward and punish subordinates (this is called formal, legitimate, or positional power), whereas subordinates may have expertise (expert power) or charisma (referent power), which are forms of informal power. Because power is often related to control over valued resources, the formal organizational structures offer the most recognizable sources of power. Formal organizational structures and the use of power are accomplished by means of statutory ...