Little Book of Big Management Theories, The, 2nd Edition

A FINAL WORD ON AUTHORITY, POWER AND INFLUENCE THEORIES

WHY FRENCH AND RAVENS WERE CROWNED AS KINGS

Other writers have examined the sources of power and produced much longer tracts on the subject. They have examined the nature of power, how you get it, how you keep it and how it can be lost. But none have been as succinct as French and Ravens or identified so clearly how synergy occurs when you can access power from a variety of sources. The identification of synergy more than any other factor makes this theory a worthy recipient of the title of king.

In everyday situations most British people are fairly diffident. They don’t like telling other people what to do or barking orders. They are terrified that if they do tell someone what to do ...