A presentation on Power and authority

2. Rahanuma Islam Mithila
ID:16121035
Department of Development Studies
Faculty of Arts & Social Science
Bangladesh University of Professionals
(BUP)

4. OUT LINE
 What is Power?
 Concepts of Power
 Sources of Power
 What is Authority?
 Concepts of Authority
 Weber… 3 types of legitimacy
 Conclusion

5. POWER

6. What is Power?
•The ability to control and/or influence people
and resources
•The ability or capacity to do something or act
in a particular way.
•The ability or right to control people or
things.

7. Concepts of Power
Social
power
Cultural
power
Economic
power
Political
power
Legal
power

8. Social power
•use of power to influence people who have control over
who becomes, or remains, a decision maker
•Linked to political power
•Linked to cultural power (have social power bc are cultural
icons)
•E.g. charismatic politicians, sportspeople, entertainers,
academics.

9. Cultural power
•Use such power to gain an advantage –
economic or legal – for the group
•E.g. used by religious bodies, ethnic minority
groups, lobby groups that have as their basis
sex or sexuality.

10. Economic power
•Held by a person or entity that has the money,
means of production or capital to influence law and
decision-makers
•Low level (eg ‘breadwinner’ of family) or at high
levels (majority shareholder in company)
•Use such power to gain political or legal

11. Political power
•Held by the person or group that is able to control the
running and policy development of a decision-making
or controlling body.
•Such power is used by favouring a person/orgsn in a
decisions-making process
•E.g union leaders, school prefects, committee
chairpersons, politicians

12. Legal power
• Where the person/group has the ability and authority to
create sanctions or inhibit the rights of others – where a
group or person can enforce its rights or create or apply
the law.
• Other groups without genuine law making power but
with pol and eco power – e.g. power of media and
financial institutions to alter the law
• E.g. parliament and courts

13. • Reward Power: Influence staff by rewarding a desired behavior
• Coercive Power: Influence the staff by punishing them for
undesirable behavior.
• Legitimate power: Influence behavior of staff because of his/her
formal position (principal).
• Referent Power: Influence behavior based on the staff’s liking
and identification with the administrator
• Expert power: Influence subordinate’s behavior based on
specialized knowledge or skill
Sources of Power

15. •The legitimate or acceptable use of
power
•the power or right to give orders, make
decisions, and enforce obedience
•a person or organization having political
or administrative power and control
What is Authority?

16. Concepts of Authority
Customary
Statutory
Common law
Delegated

17. • Authority to wield power as a result of history or
tradition
• Historically, men over women, non-indigenous
over indigenous
• Often recognised at common law
• E.g. by parents over children, employers over
employees, the state over the individual (eg
police, gvt officers, defence etc)
Customary authority

18. • Held by persons and orgnization that are
provided with power by plt,
• E.g customs agencies and tax office.
Statutory authority

19. •Authority provided to persons and groups
by the courts
•E.g employers once had common law
authority to completely control the lives of
employees; the position of men in society
was reinforced by ability to ‘own’ a wife at
common law
Common law authority

20. •Authority given to subordinate, or lesser, people or
organization to make decisions or principles on their
own behalf.
•Used to increase administrative efficiency of an
organization .
•E.g junior staff in business organization to manage a
budget without having to bother managing director.
Local council given delegated authority to make law
Delegated authority

21. •Traditional - conferred by custom and accepted
practice
•Charismatic - charisma (gift of grace) and
extraordinary personal qualities of an individual
•Rational-legal - power authorised by certain
legal and bureaucratic procedures
Weber… 3 types of legitimacy

22. •Be polite and clear.
•Explain reasons when requesting
something from your staff.
•Respond to concerns of staffers
•Use legitimate authority.
Don’t abuse your power, just be
nice…