Running Head: SOURCES OF POWER AND INFLUENCE 1 SOURCES OF POWER AND INFLUENCE 3 Sources of Power and Influence Name College Course Tutor Date Description of where the sources of power and influence exist in the organization Influence is the capability to have an effect on development, character and behavior of somebody or something. Power is the ability to control people or an area (Bacon, 2011). In the organization, the sources of power and influence exist in a person’s position and in the expertise of an individual. With the two sources, an individual is able to control and influence the rest to perform effectively. In any organization, the sources of power and influence are necessary to affect the characters of the staff so as to make them suitable for the achievement of the organizational goal. The positional power of an individual in an organization is the influence as a result of the position that the individual holds in the organization. The individual in a managerial position may be able to effectively influence the rest of the organization’s staff towards the organizational goal. Organizations find it beneficial to give individuals power to perform certain jobs. That is because the power can enable the other individuals and the entire organization to perform efficiently. The positional powers may be categorized as legitimate, reward and coercive powers. Legitimate power is the positional power derived from a person’s position in an organization. Managers of organizations are the individual who poses legitimate powers. Their managerial position in the organization grant the legitimate right to poses the power, as per the companies’ constitution. They have the power to carry out the specified duties and responsibilities in the organization. Reward power is a positional power which is based on the individual’s ability to reward the rest of the organizations staff for their desired behavior (Bacon, 2011). Most organizational managers have this kind of power since they are responsible of controlling most rewards. They are mainly responsible for pay increases, promotions, recognition rewards and status symbols. Coercive power is a positional reward which is based on an individual’s ability to prevent the rest of the staff from receiving desirable reward. It is the opposite of reward power since it is the power to punish those who do not achieve the desirable behavior. Personal powers are a source of power and influence such as expert powers, referent powers, connection power and information power which is got from an individual’s capability. Expert power is possessed by an individual who has knowledge which is valued in the organization. Referent power is possessed by an individual who causes the others to admire and emulate him or her. Examples of individuals with such a power in an organization are charismatic leaders. The leaders are visionary and exhibit great confidence to the rest of the staff in the or.

1. Running Head: SOURCES OF POWER AND INFLUENCE
1
SOURCES OF POWER AND INFLUENCE
3
Sources of Power and Influence
Name
College
Course
Tutor
Date
Description of where the sources of power and influence exist
in the organization
Influence is the capability to have an effect on development,
character and behavior of somebody or something. Power is the
ability to control people or an area (Bacon, 2011). In the
organization, the sources of power and influence exist in a
person’s position and in the expertise of an individual. With
the two sources, an individual is able to control and influence
the rest to perform effectively. In any organization, the sources

2. of power and influence are necessary to affect the characters of
the staff so as to make them suitable for the achievement of the
organizational goal.
The positional power of an individual in an organization is the
influence as a result of the position that the individual holds in
the organization. The individual in a managerial position may
be able to effectively influence the rest of the organization’s
staff towards the organizational goal. Organizations find it
beneficial to give individuals power to perform certain jobs.
That is because the power can enable the other individuals and
the entire organization to perform efficiently.
The positional powers may be categorized as legitimate, reward
and coercive powers. Legitimate power is the positional power
derived from a person’s position in an organization. Managers
of organizations are the individual who poses legitimate powers.
Their managerial position in the organization grant the
legitimate right to poses the power, as per the companies’
constitution. They have the power to carry out the specified
duties and responsibilities in the organization.
Reward power is a positional power which is based on the
individual’s ability to reward the rest of the organizations staff
for their desired behavior (Bacon, 2011). Most organizational
managers have this kind of power since they are responsible of
controlling most rewards. They are mainly responsible for pay
increases, promotions, recognition rewards and status symbols.
Coercive power is a positional reward which is based on an
individual’s ability to prevent the rest of the staff from
receiving desirable reward. It is the opposite of reward power
since it is the power to punish those who do not achieve the
desirable behavior.
Personal powers are a source of power and influence such as
expert powers, referent powers, connection power and
information power which is got from an individual’s capability.
Expert power is possessed by an individual who has knowledge

3. which is valued in the organization. Referent power is
possessed by an individual who causes the others to admire and
emulate him or her. Examples of individuals with such a power
in an organization are charismatic leaders. The leaders are
visionary and exhibit great confidence to the rest of the staff in
the organization. Connection power is the power got from
people one knows within and out of the organization. The other
source of power in the organization is information power.
Information power is the personal or positional power that an
individual has about the happening of events.
What do you need to do to have access to them?
To access the personal powers, one has to work extremely hard
so as to attain the desirable position. To access the said sources
of power, one has to build their character so as to access
personal powers. To access expert power, one has to undergo
training in the necessary field to access the expertise valued in
the organization. Referent power is achieved through practicing
and maintaining a character that is admired by the others.
Connection power may be achieved by socializing and making
friends with the right people who have influence in the
organization. One has to access the right information either
from the library or the right sources of information.
Information power may be accessed by accessing the library, the
internet or any other source of information concerning
happening of events which are of importance to the
organization.
To access positional power an individual has to work diligently
so as to get a job position and thereafter attain the most desired
position in the organization. Legitimate power may be accessed
by working hard and getting a promotion in the organization. To
attain the managerial position, one has to work hard and
convince the entire organization that they are able to effectively
perform the duties associated with the position. Their
managerial position in the organization grants one access the
legitimate right and possession of power, as per the companies’

4. constitution. They attain the power to carry out the specified
managerial duties and responsibilities in the organization.
Reward power may be accessed by working hard in the
organization and attaining the position of being able to reward
the rest of the organizations staff for their desired behavior.
Most organizational managers access this kind of power since
they are responsible of controlling most rewards. They access
the power and are entitled to mainly for pay increases,
promotions, recognition rewards and status symbols. Coercive
power may be accessed working hard to have the ability to
prevent the rest of the staff from receiving desirable reward.
Explain the major factors that lead to obtaining the benefits of
power and influence
The major factors that lead to obtaining the benefits of the
discussed power and influence are mainly hereditary factors,
acquired factors and social factors (Lussier & Achua, 2010).
Hereditary factors are the factors such as confidence and
personal talents which make one to be in a desired position.
Such individuals with such factors will likely obtain the
benefits that come with the power and influence. One may also
learn to behave in ways which will enable them and the
organization to obtain the benefits of the power and influence.
Social factors such as what one mostly spends time doing may
enable one in an organization obtain the benefits of power and
influence.
Describe what one can do to increase one's own share of that
power
To increase one’s own share of the power is to learn the best
characters necessary for one to acquire the powers. That will
involve working hard and adapting the right strategies to
achieve the organizational objectives. One may also acquire the
right role models who might influence them in the right way.
For instance, to access positional power an individual has to

5. work diligently so as to get a job position and thereafter attain
the most desired position in the organization. Legitimate power
may be accessed by working hard and getting a promotion in the
organization. To attain the managerial position, one has to work
hard and convince the entire organization that they are able to
effectively perform the duties associated with the position.
Their managerial position in the organization grants one access
the legitimate right and possession of power, as per the
companies’ constitution. They attain the power to carry out the
specified managerial duties and responsibilities in the
organization (Lussier & Achua, 2010).
Reference
Bacon, T. R. (2011). The elements of power: Lessons on
leadership and influence. New York: AMACOM American
Management Association.
Lussier, R. N., & Achua, C. F. (2010). Leadership: Theory,
application, skill development. Australia:
SouthWestern/Cengage Learning.
Week 4
1
Week 4
Billy jones
Rasmussen

6. Author Notes
This research is being submitted on March 10, 2014, for billy
jones
B492/MAN4143 Contemporary Leadership Challenges
How different individuals react differently to the change
process, why the differences occur and the way that they affect
the resulting changes
Different individuals react differently to the change process.
Some people like things to remain stable; the way they have
always been (Creasey & Hiatt, 2003). Others like, and are
constantly looking for different and new things. Basically,
individuals respond to change in four ways. Some individuals
known as eager beaver embrace change rather easily. They are
in possession of skills, which enable them to make change
easily, and in the right way. They enthusiastically respond to
change and are import to the organization’s adaptation to
change.
The tentative individuals are nervous to change and are always
cautious about adapting to change, since they know that they
will have to acquire new skills so as to adapt to the change. The
recalcitrants are individuals who despite having the needed
skills to change will always have a negative attitude towards the
change and feel threatened by it. The psychologically
challenged individuals greatly fear change to the extent that
they have to be professionally counseled for them to make the
necessary change.
When the individuals’ likes are different from the situation that
they find themselves in, they may be:

7. · Stressed.
· Strongly dissatisfied.
· Become resistant to the change.
· Experience strong emotions.
· Lose their ability to judge rationally.
· Develop a negative attitude towards their counterparts who
prefer what they don’t.
The individuals usually resist the situation, which they do not
like. The differences occur since individuals have different
behavior and style.
The leaders’ role in the change process and reaction to change
The leader should communicate, participate and support his or
her team during the changing process. The leader should adopt a
variety of methods in an effort to successfully initiate change.
The leader may participate in surveys to find out the employee
opinion concerning the change, contribute improvement ideas to
the other leaders and employees and being a proactive in
briefing the team or organization members, brainstorming ideas
and participating in discussions.
The leader should advocate for the change in their capacity.
They should sponsor the change and maintain the others towards
the change. They should use their capacity to influence the
change. They should also act as role model and therefore
willing to go first for the change. They should demonstrate the
behaviors and attitudes, which are expected for the rest. That is
due to the fact that the other employees watch towards their
leaders to identify the consistency between change words and
actions. They thereafter believe that the change will take effect,
from seeing the leaders’ actions.
The leader should also make decisions concerning the change.
That is because they have the power to give a go ahead or to
refuse the change. They should therefore choose the option,
which supports the change. The leader could be at the forefront
in motivation the rest to change. They should make people
aware of the need to change. They should also show their
commitment towards the change and getting the results. They

8. should enforce the people to change by talking them from their
comfort zones. They should clarify the roles, which they should
fulfill in the different areas.
Helping overcome resistance to change by the subordinates and
peers
To overcome resistance to change, a way should be created to
communicate with the employees concerning the change
initiative (Great Britain & Great Britain, 2011). They should
perhaps be regularly updated at the meetings. The new
strategies should be made known to the groups. Each group
member should be made to understand how the change will
make their job easier and better. The goal of the new change to
be embraced should be understood by each of the organization’s
members.
The team members from each group should then be invited to
participate in seminars, which will make them aware of the new
strategy to be adapted. Change agents from each group should
then be selected for effective planning and implementation. The
individuals should be vocal and also come from the rest of the
employees and not the management.
A final report should then be prepared for the departments and
individuals who are involved in the new strategy to be adapted.
The report should be tailored to suite the departmental or
organizational goal. Reports on performance should be regularly
reported and good performers who meet the set goals should be
rewarded.
Bringing appropriate change in the current position
To help bring an appropriate change in an organization, a sense
of urgency on the need for change should first be created. That
will ignite the necessary motivation needed to initially move
things. The potential threats or difficult scenarios that could
happen in future could be identified. The opportunities, which
could be exploited, should be examined. Open discussions with
the peers that will ignite talking and thinking about the issues
should then ensue. A request will then be made for the
stakeholders to support the argument.

9. A powerful coalition will then be made to convince people that
the change is necessary. That will be by identifying the true
leaders within the organization and among the stakeholders. The
people will then be asked for support and to work as a team.
The weak areas in the team will be identified to ensure that the
entire team is a good one.
A vision for change will then be created by: Determining of the
values which are central to change, developing a summary
which captures what is seen to be the future of the organization,
creating a strategy to execute the vision, ensuring that the
change team can easily describe the vision and practicing the
vision speech (Paton & McCalman, 2008).The vision will then
be communicated, the obstacles removed, short term-wins
created, build on the changes and instill them on the corporate
culture.
References
Creasey, T. J., & Hiatt, J. M. (2003). Change management: The
people side of change. Madison, Wis: Prosci Learning Center
Publications.
Great Britain., & Great Britain. (2011). Behaviour change: 2nd
report of session 2010-12 : report. London: Stationery Office.
Paton, R. A., & McCalman, J. (2008). Change Management: A
Guide to Effective Implementation. London: Sage Publications.
Week 3
2

10. Week 3
Billy Jones
Rasmussen
Author Notes
This research is being submitted on March 4, 2014, for billy
jones B492/MAN4143 Contemporary Leadership Challenges
The High school soccer team coach was the best leader that
anyone would be exposed to. The man in his mid 30’s was
confidence, respectful, enthusiastic, good communicator,
flexible, well educated and resourceful. He exhibited
confidence by being sure of himself and his deeds. Those
characteristics were not only exhibited on the field but also
while outside, pursuing his other individual goals. At one time
he confidently confronted a group of five armed robbers, who in
the end of the incidence, were found to be in possession of fake
guns. He treated the entire soccer team with respect, despite the
fact that he was much older than all of the team members. He
generally respected anybody who had good intentions. The
character saw him awarded the most well behaved coach of the
year by the National soccer association.
The coach was also very enthusiastic and optimistic. He got the
team to the national level during the schools’ tournaments. He
never minded the fact that his team was competing against

11. nationally recognized champions. He was a good communicator
and communicated to the team about the right moves that would
enable the entire team to realize its goals. He was effective in
his non verbal communications in such a way that he was able
to communicate to the players even from a far distance. He was
consistent in his actions and beliefs. Whatever he stood for the
previous year was upheld even in the following years. He did
not show any signs of upholding double standards.
He had several leadership skills which saw his team lead in
most of the competitions. He had the skill to empower the entire
team and that particular skill led to, the team winning most of
the tournaments which had challenging competitors. He also
possessed the skill of delegating responsibilities. That skill
enabled him to position the players in a way that produced the
most powerful team during the tournament. The defender and
the goal keeper of his team were voted the best in the national
level. Most of his team players also scooped the best positions
in their category. His active listening skills also made him
understand the needs and difficulties facing the players. He was
also able to consider their opinions thereby making the entire
team successful.
The leader employed tactics which were rather flexible and
unique. During one crucial competition, he replaced the team’s
goal keeper with his substitute; in a game that was considered
extremely important by the team members, to the team’s
success. To every body’s surprise, the team worn and that was
mainly because of the replaced goal keeper. He effectively
defended against the opponents’ striker who was very good at
low shots. The substitute goalkeeper was good at blocking such
low goals as when compared to the team’s main goalkeeper, a
talent that the coach had already observed. He would carry out
such effective adjustments; most of which people did not
understand, until the game was over, and the team had worn. He
mainly new the strengths and weaknesses of the opponents and
capitalized on them effectively.
The traits possessed by the leader are important since they

12. enable leaders to carry out the basic leadership roles and
responsibilities. For instance, to direct a team, the leader has to
be in possession of the good communicator trait. With that trait,
the leader will effectively communicate to the team and
harmonize their individual goals to the objectives of the entire
team. For the coaching responsibility to be carried out, the
leader should be enthusiastic and resourceful. With the traits,
the leader will instill confidence in the team, and enable them to
pursue the teams’ as well as their individual objective
enthusiastically. With respect and flexibility, the leader will be
able to adjust to any kind of challenges and enable the entire
team to easily adjust and perform better than the competitors
with regards to the challenging environment.
There are a number of theories of effective leadership which
would greatly help explain why the leader might be the best.
They are: Trait theory, behavioral theory, contingency theory
and power and influence theory. The trait theories states that
effective leaders share common personality traits (Beatty &
Hughes, 2013). The theory helps to identify the qualities which
are useful for leading others. The theory would help to explain
why the high school soccer team coach was the best leader. He
possessed the traits which are similar to those of other leaders
such as Barrack Obama, Richard Branson and Michael Joseph
among other leaders in different fields. The similar traits have
been proven to be the cause of any leaders’ success. The high
school soccer team coach was able to carry out his
responsibilities due to his possession of the discussed traits.
The other theory that would help explain why the leader is
considered the best is the contingency theory. The theory states
that there is no one right type of leader but rather, the best
leadership style depends on the situation at hand. It tries to
describe the best style for the different circumstances
(Speculand, 2009). The high school coach never led the team
using a specified formula. He swiftly adjusted to the different
circumstances which presented themselves upon the
tournaments. As a result, he got the full support of the team

13. and succeeded in facing the challenges effectively.
The ideal leadership behaviors exhibited by the leader were,
demonstration of optimism, setting priorities, creating a culture
of focus, listening and developing talents. The high school
soccer team coach demonstrated high level of optimism even at
times when the team seemed to be on the losing side during the
many tournaments that the school participated in. there was no
one time when the coach lost hope with the fact that the team
would win the game in the end. He also set priorities and
executed them effectively. For instance he set the priorities
during the training sessions. One had to be in the right outfit for
them to train alongside the rest of the team members. He also
never condoned individuals who never adhered to disciplinary
issues. All the training had to be effectively done and any kind
of indiscipline cases would not go unpunished.
He was very good at listening to team members’ opinions and
complaints. On one occasion, the coach accepted one of the
team members to train without their boots on due to the fact that
his boots had been stolen. He let the team member do the
training on the condition that he would come with boots on the
next day of training. He was also known for his behavior of
developing talents. Most of the team members were later called
to national as well as international teams as a result of the
coach’s tutelage.
The coach instilled the team with the culture of maintaining a
focus while training and while at the field, battling it out in the
tournaments. He never condoned one who was tolerating other
things while playing or while training. He persistently reminded
the team members of the importance associated with
maintaining focus while on the soccer pitch. On several
occasions, he dismissed players who seemed to pay little
attention to what was going on in class and in the pitch. He was
a stickler of the maintaining focus on team work and obtaining
the team’s goals. He designed a plan of rewarding the best
focused players and that greatly impacted on the team’s
performance.

14. From the example, the leadership guidelines that one can learn
are that, for one to be a successful leader, there are a number of
characters which one should possess. The characters may be
learned from other leaders since they are not necessarily inborn.
The characters that one should have are necessary for the leader
to effectively carry out the basic leadership roles which are
instrumental for an organization’s success (Northouse, 2010).
The high school soccer team was successful as a result of the
coach’s leadership role. The coach was able to direct, coach and
control the team towards the organizational objectives by
allocating the various resources that were at his disposal.
Reference
Beatty, K. M., & Hughes, R. L. (2013). Becoming a strategic
leader: Your role in your organization's enduring success. San
Francisco, Calif: Jossey-Bass.
Northouse, P. G. (2010). Leadership: Theory and practice.
Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
Speculand, R. (2009). Beyond strategy: The leader's role in
successful implementation. Singapore: Jossey-Bass.
Week 2
2
Week 2
Billy jones
Rasmussen

15. Author Notes
This research is being submitted on February 25, 2014, for billy
jones B492/MAN4143 Contemporary Leadership Challenges
A leader should possess the character traits which will enable
him or her to perform the main leadership roles. The main
leadership roles are: Directing, Coaching, Supporting and
Delegating. For the leadership role of directing, the task and
activities of the organization should be kept on the right track.
The leaders should be able to explain things or activities to be
done in the right way. The leader should also be visible to the
organization’s employees so as to give them the desire to
achieve more. The leader should also consider opposing views
from, as many individuals as possible. From such knowledge,
the leader will be able to use the right approach in giving the
directives to the organization (Northouse, 2010).
The leaders’ coaching role instills to the employees; the desire
to remain in control of the allocated task. Coaching the team
means that the leader has to use the basic concepts of life and
also set good example to the workers. The leader has to teach
the team members the virtues which are important for one’s
development and progress. That makes the employees change
their attitude towards the work assignment. The leader should
therefore listen for objections and issues that bring about
misunderstanding. The leader should try to understand each and
every ones attitude and try to adjust the negative ones into more
positive and productive ones. Understanding another person’s
attitudes and attention may assist the leader and equip him or

16. her with the ability of guiding the individuals from a more
informed basis.
The leaders should effectively carry out their supporting roles
by actively supporting the rest emotionally and physically
(Speculand, 2009). They may be able to do that when they
acknowledge their worker’s individual efforts. They should do
that with comments of praise or support when the team member
is seen to have put a positive effort in any of their duties. They
should also be able to achieve the performance of the role by
disclosing their feelings in an open manner. They will also be
able to delegate depending on their strengths and weaknesses.
They should have confidence in the people they delegate duties
to and also allowing the individuals to determine their best
cause of action. In case a team member is faced with some kind
of physical challenges, they should be encouraged and given
support in all the possible ways. As such the employees will be
motivated to work even harder or they may be encouraged to
respond positively towards the physical challenges that face
them. They may also overcome the physical and emotional
challenges as a result and thereby increase their level of
performance (Northouse, 2010).
As a leader one should possess the qualities of being proactive,
flexible, good in communication, respectful, confident,
enthusiastic, organized, well educated, open to change and
resourceful among others so as to effectively and efficiently
carry out the leadership roles. Being proactive is important to a
leader because they will be able to avoid a problem before it
even occurs. With such a characteristic, the leader will be able
to avoid the problems that may hinder the achievement of an
organization’s pursuit or goals. The leader will likely see
disaster; which the rest may not be able to see, and respond
diligently thereby saving the entire organization from the
misfortunes that the disaster would likely bring upon the
organization. When a leader is flexible, he or she may be able to
handle themselves and maintain their focus on the
organizational goals even when faced with challenges. They

17. will adapt to new environments and adjust effectively.
Being able to communicate well is a trait which will enable the
leader to listen to the team members, understand their
grievances and address them in the right manner (Beatty &
Hughes, 2013). The leader must be a good listener and ready to
listen to the opinions of the rest of the employees. The leaders
must then get themselves in the shoes of the others and try to
understand them by asking questions and considering all options
in the situation. They should then direct the others in the right
way which is in harmony with the goals of the organization. The
leader should be respectful since they will treat the others with
respect and thereafter, earn respect from them. A respectful
leader will earn respect from the rest of the organization’s
members who will in turn be ready to listen or follow the
leader’s directives. If the leader lacks respect for the rest of the
members, they will likely be less respected. The team members
will not be willing to follow whatever the leader says or does.
A leader should be innovative in their endeavors. An innovative
leader will likely come up with new ways of improving the
organization’s performance. They will design new products for
the organization. They will also come up with innovative ways
which will motivate the other team members and make them
more productive. For instance, the leader will be able to come
up with a good marketing strategic plan which when followed,
will increase the organization’s performance and profitability.
The leader should also be consistent so that the other team
members may build confidence in the leader. They will have
confidence in the leader since they will believe that the leader
will listen and respond to their opinions.
A leader should be delegator (Beatty & Hughes, 2013). They
should be able to identify individuals’ talents and capitalize on
the m to the benefit of the organization and its performance.
They should be able to identify talents and nurture them. For
instance, if an individual is found to be good in relating with
others and in communication, they should be trained to be
marketers. By doing that, the organization will merge out as the

18. one with the most talented employees. The most talented
employees will mean that the organization will achieve its
organization goals.
When a leader possesses the character trait of being confident,
they will be able to instill the same to the others. An
enthusiastic leader will be highly motivated by something and
the other workers will be more inclined to follow the leader.
With good education, the leader will be able to gather
information from reliable sources and apply the right theories.
They will also be able to make decisions on the basis of the
information which was earlier gathered in their pursuit for
education. A resourceful leader will know the right resource
allocation which will guarantee the organization’s success. For
instance, if an organization deals with the production of motor
vehicles, the leader will know the right employee to perform the
duty of selling the motor vehicles. As such, the organization
will be able to increase its profitability and also achieve its
other organizational goals.
A leader should therefore possess the character traits which will
enable him or her to perform the main leadership roles which,
as discussed, are: Directing, Coaching, Supporting and
Delegating (Speculand, 2009). For the leadership roles to be
effectively carried out, the task and activities of the
organization to be kept on the right track. The discussed
characteristic traits should be possessed. For instance, the
leaders should possess good communication skills so as to be
able to explain things or activities to be done in the right way.
The leader should also be visible to the organization’s
employees so as to give them the desire to achieve more. The
leader should also consider opposing views from, as many
individuals as possible. From such knowledge, the leader will
be able to use the right approach in giving the directives to the
organization. The fact that the leaders should possess the
necessary traits so as to carry out the leadership roles has led to
many discussion’s the most common being “Are leaders born or
made?”.

19. References
Beatty, K. M., & Hughes, R. L. (2013). Becoming a strategic
leader: Your role in your organization's enduring success. San
Francisco, Calif: Jossey-Bass.
Northouse, P. G. (2010). Leadership: Theory and practice.
Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
Speculand, R. (2009). Beyond strategy: The leader's role in
successful implementation. Singapore: Jossey-Bass.