Leadership as influence
If leadership is a process of influence, the key question is where a leader's ability to influence comes from. Power is the potential for influence; influence is its actual use.
French and Raven's typology
In 1959 John French and Bertram Raven described five bases of social power; Raven later added a sixth (informational).
| Type | Source | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Reward | ability to give benefits | praise, promotion, privilege |
| Coercive | ability to punish | reprimand, removal from a role |
| Legitimate | position and authority | president, parish priest, manager |
| Expert | knowledge and skills | experienced formator |
| Referent | respect, liking, wish to imitate | the leader's witness of life |
| Informational | access to information | the person who “knows what is going on” |
The first three stem mainly from position, the last three from the person. Research shows that expert and referent power are associated with greater commitment, while coercive power tends to produce compliance or resistance.
Influence tactics
Gary Yukl described specific influence tactics, including rational persuasion, inspirational appeals, consultation, collaboration, personal appeals, exchange, ingratiation, coalitions and pressure. The most effective for building commitment are usually rational persuasion, inspirational appeals, consultation and collaboration.
Influence in ethical terms
Power is not evil in itself, but it is easily abused. The boundary is the other's freedom: ethical influence persuades and inspires, manipulation bypasses conscious choice. Robert Cialdini, describing the principles of social influence (reciprocity, commitment and consistency, social proof, liking, authority, scarcity), warned against using them dishonestly.
In the Christian perspective, power is service: Jesus contrasts rulers who “exercise authority over” others with disciples who are to be servants (Mark 10:42-45). A community leader should rely above all on referent and expert power - on witness and competence - and use formal authority within clear rules. See Christian leadership, integrity.
Sources
J. R. P. French, B. Raven, The bases of social power, in: D. Cartwright (ed.), Studies in Social Power, University of Michigan 1959 B. H. Raven, Social influence and power, 1965 G. Yukl, W. L. Gardner, Leadership in Organizations, ch. 6, Pearson 2020 R. B. Cialdini, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, 1984 Mark 10:42-45