Mariana Holoștenco March 19, 2022
Referent power can be seen as the influence and domination that one can exercise over other people.
Have you ever had a sense of oneness towards someone you look up to and value as a leader? Did you also have felt that you were identifying with that person and would like to model yourself after them?
This means you have felt the Referent power that person exerts over you.
And keep in mind that you don't have to think specifically about your professional life because the same thing happens in private life.
Table of contents
The Referent power is the ability of some people to instill in others a sense of belonging, acceptance, or personal approval, while they come to be seen as role models.
Some other definitions of this notion:
Referent power stems from the target identifying with the agent, or seeing the agent as a model that the target would want to emulate." (“I really admire my supervisor and wish to be like him/her. Doing things the way s/he believes they should be done gives me some special satisfaction.”)
Individuals who are attractive and socially adept – because of charisma, energy, stamina, political smarts, gift of gab, vision, or some other characteristic – are imbued with power independent of other sources.
Power that stems from others identifying with an individual, or using that individual as a model.
Referent power is a form of reverence gained by a leader who has strong interpersonal relationship skills. Referent power, as an aspect of personal power, becomes particularly important as organizational leadership becomes increasingly about collaboration and influence and less about command and control.
The power exercised over people and how it influences their lives has always been an area of great interest and has been constantly investigated.
An outstanding study conducted in 1959 by social psychologists John R. P. French and Bertram Raven initially identified five bases of power. Later, in 1965, Raven completed them with the sixth one.
These power bases create a model that shows us how one's leadership and success can be influenced by different forms of approach and manifestations of power.
From the point of view of power dynamics, this is categorized as informal because it does not require the presence of an authority to supervise everything.
In this case:
I really admire my supervisor and wish to be like him/her. Doing things the way s/he believes they should be done gives me some special satisfaction.
In this situation, everything goes well when employees are the kind of people who do not need constant supervision. But the Referent power can become stressful for the person in charge when the employees need to be constantly monitored and guided.
Note that the Referent power is usually chosen by a leader with strong affiliation needs and concerns about whether their subordinates will like them.
According to power dynamics, Legitimate power is a formal one. This means that it exists because of holding a formal position of authority.
In this situation:
After all s/he is my supervisor and I should do what s/he requests of me.
the legitimate right of some other individual or groups to prescribe behavior or beliefs for a personFrench and Raven, 1959, pg. 265.
Notably, such a leadership model is usually chosen by a leader or supervisor with a high need for power.
This one is, similar to the Referent one, a form of power categorized as informal because it can exist without any recognized formal authority. It is based strictly on the level of knowledge and experience a person has in a specific field. In this case, the social status or the position held in the company has no relevance.
When it comes to Experts power:
My supervisor has had a lot of experience with this sort of thing, and so s/he is probably right, even though I don’t really understand the reason.
The Expert power will usually be picked by a leader or supervisor with a need for achievement
Another form of formal power. In this case:
This form of leadership will be the choice of a leader with strong affiliation needs and concern that their subordinate will like them.
This is also formal in terms of power dynamics.
A coercive leadership will usually be chosen by a leader or supervisor with a high need for power.
In this form of authority, the relationship between supervisor and subordinate is informational.
It should be noted that this model of authority will also be chosen by a leader or supervisor with a high need for power.
A Referent power leader can create a shared vision for all his subordinates and inspire everyone to work towards their common goals.
Leaders who lead through referent power emphasize the relationship with employees and support all team members to use their strengths to create the changes that will lead to the bold goals they set for their team.
As for themselves, they:
For their subordinates, they:
Steve Jobs - is recognized as one of the most iconic leaders in the world. It allowed all employees to use and express their creativity. In fact, Apple is well known for its innovations.
Jeff Bezos - transferred his innovative style to his employees, always supporting them to think of new products and possibilities. But, as we know, Amazon is "something else" in terms of e-commerce and deliveries.
Barack Obama - was a president with a distinct personality, close to his employees, open to their ideas and thoughts of improvement.
Elon Musk - Apart from the fact that he strongly believes in his visions, he also can make others trust and support them.
Bill Gates - One of the most influential people in the world who turned from a businessman into a philanthropist and now continues to support various causes and start-ups.
Richard Branson - is a fantastic leader who puts his employees first. He inspires them with his charismatic personality and motivates them to feel at home when they are at work.
Oprah Winfrey - is one of the most powerful and influential women in the world. She constantly inspires people through her actions. She relies on a “leadership philosophy that prioritizes people, vision, and values.”
Michelle Obama - a perfect first lady with a high level of self-esteem. Close to her employees, whom she also treats with respect. She was involved in solving the problems of obese children and offered support to military spouses.
There are different ways to deal with situations where you want to impact when acting with power. But, depending on the specific challenges of each situation, the most important things to keep in mind when doing so are:
This means that you have to be able to show, but without taking it to an extreme, that you are: in charge
And this means that, also without exaggerating, you should be:
Please note that this second past is as important as the first one. This is how you can make people feel that they want to be close to you and that they can come to you with whatever is on their minds.
This is what can help you to gain status.