Here are some expert power examples from various industries to help you understand the concept:
- 1. Expert power in a law firm In a law firm, an employee who has specialized knowledge of a particular field of law has expert power. ...
- 3. Expert power in a marketing firm In a marketing firm, an employee may be the only one with knowledge of search engine marketing (SEM), giving them expert power. ...
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What are the different types of power in leadership?
6 Important Types of Power in Leadership. 1. Legitimate power. Legitimate power also known as position power or official power comes to the leader when the organization’s authority is accepted. It comes from the rules of the organization. It gives leaders the power to control resources and to reward and punish others.
How to become a leadership expert?
- Pragmatic yet willing to take some chances.
- Analytical and curious.
- Possess both a scientific and artistic mind.
- Energetic and engaging.
- Knows how to use humor and understands when humor may be inappropriate.
- Enjoy the challenge of working with highly successful people.
What are the advantages of expert power?
- You no longer read any books about that topic.
- You are not curious about how other people view the topic you’re an expert in.
- You give people unsolicited advice on the topic to show how much you know.
- You find it impossible to admit that you don’t know everything about the topic.
What is expert power?
“When you lose power like that you usually have at least a 24 hour period where you don’t have to worry about anything freezing in there. That gives you enough time to go out and get a generator, get a serviceman to take care of the breakdown,” said Clayton.
How is expert power used?
Expert power comes from knowledge or expertise, but position often serves as a proxy for expertise. In some organizations, people tend to assign expert power to people in certain positions. Having expert power can help you access positions of authority within your organization.
What is expert type of power?
Expert power Expert power comes from having both deep technical knowledge and extensive experience in your field of expertise. When you're the expert in your field, people in your company naturally come to you to benefit from your knowledge.
What are 5 examples of power?
Raises, promotions, desirable assignments, training opportunities, and simple compliments – these are all examples of rewards controlled by people "in power." If others expect that you'll reward them for doing what you want, there's a high probability that they'll do it.
How does a leader use expert power?
Expert power is power based upon employees' perception that a manager or some other member of an organization has a high level of knowledge or a specialized set of skills that other employees or members of the organization do not possess.
What is expert power in politics?
Results. Expert power refers to the opinion leader's ability to influence the thoughts, attitudes and behaviour of other people through information sharing, due to the possession of such knowledge and skills valued by others.
What is expert power in sociology?
"Knowledge is power." Expert Power is where expertise or knowledge is the source of power. This is where credentials, awards, and know-how play a role.
What is referent power Example?
An example of referent power in the workplace is a manager who is admired and respected by his subordinates and seen as a role model. In difficult situations, employees consider what their manager would do and try to take his or her example.
Which is the best example of legitimate power?
Legitimate power is power you derive from your formal position or office held in the organization's hierarchy of authority. For example, the president of a corporation has certain powers because of the office he holds in the corporation.
What is an example of power?
Power is defined as the ability to act or have influence over others. An example of power is the strength needed to run five miles. An example of power is the authority a local government has to collect taxes.
How do you show expert powers?
5 Tips to Increase Your Expert PowerStudy Up. First things first, to increase your expert power, study up on your specific areas of expertise. ... Seek Help. There's no shame in asking for help when you need it. ... Tactfully Promote Your Expertise. ... Act With Confidence. ... Understand Where Your Industry is Headed.
Why is expert power the best?
Benefits of Expert Power With expert power comes the ability to make more informed, streamlined decisions for your company. The longer you do something, and the more you focus on your education in that area, the better decisions you'll make, and the more confident you'll be in those decisions.
Why is expert power the most effective?
According to management professor Gary A. Yukl, expert power is more important than reward-based or coercive power in leading people effectively. If you have expert power, your team is likely to be more open to your efforts to guide them, and you'll find it easier to motivate them to perform to their full potential.
What is expert power?
Expert power is the ability an employee has, regardless of seniority, to show expertise in a subject or situation. For example, if no one else in the department knows how to run a certain software program and a specific employee does, that employee has the expert power in that situation. Expert power can help a department diversify its overall skill, allowing the department to handle many kinds of challenges and projects.
What are the drawbacks of expert power?
While expert power can help any department in the workplace, it does have a few drawbacks. Some of the drawbacks to expert power in the workplace are the following:
What is expert power?
A person’s expert power defines their standing in hierarchies, regardless of their official level or grade within their organization. An expert power example can be someone in the team who is the only person around to understand a particular language, write code in a particular computer programming language, or has first-hand experience of field or market conditions. Such individuals personify the expert power definition, becoming the go-to people for that specific knowledge or skill. It is a power that comes from others' belief that this individual possesses a level of expertise that is unique and which they do not possess themselves.
How to protect your expert power?
Take great care to protect your expert power. Avoid careless decisions that may result in loss of credibility, and avoid being reckless about unfamiliar subjects.
Why Is Expert Power Important?
The question of why expert power is important can be answered in several ways.
When individuals have a high level of knowledge in a particular subject or are exceptionally skilled at a specific task,?
When individuals have a high level of knowledge in a particular subject or are exceptionally skilled at a specific task, they are said to wield expert power.
Is building expertise easy?
Building expertise is no easy task. It is time-consuming, but if you do it right, the pay-off is usually guaranteed. Here are a few ways you can accomplish that.
What is expert power?
Expert power is power based upon the perceived superior knowledge or specialized skills of any member of an organization. Sometimes the expert exerting power is not even technically the formal superior in the organizational relationship, like a lawyer relying upon a secretary for help with a computer program.
What are the disadvantages of expert power?
A significant disadvantage to expert power is that if the expert's knowledge is shared, his power will probably diminish over time; however, if the expert does not share his knowledge, then the organization will not be as effective. Learning Outcomes. When you finish this lesson, we should have you ready to:
Why is expert power upside down?
Expert power can actually turn power dynamics upside down because its use is not limited to the formal leaders of an organization. Any member of an organization who has a high level of knowledge or a set of specialized skills that others in the organization do not possess may exert expert power. For example, let's say you're a high-paid lawyer ...
Why does the respect for her superiority based on such knowledge and skills diminish?
As others learn the knowledge and skills from the leader sharing her expertise, the respect for her superiority based on such knowledge and skills diminish because they are no longer unique or specialized. A manager has two choices: share the knowledge or withhold the knowledge.
What happens if a manager shares knowledge?
A manager has two choices: share the knowledge or withhold the knowledge. If the knowledge is shared, the manager's authority will decrease over time. However, if the knowledge is withheld, the organization will not be as effective as it could be over time. paywall_expert-power-in-leadership-definition-examples-quiz. 3:29.
What is the power of an expert?
Confidence and Motivation: When an expert power is in a leadership position, they can motivate and inspire others to work hard based on the knowledge and skill sets they possess. When workers see a leader working hard and supporting the mission of the organization, it can ignite their own internal fires to work hard, too.
What does it mean to have expert power?
When a person holds power, they possess control or authority over others and have the ability to influence. The concept of power can exist in myriad forms and environments and can range from something as simple as telling a child when to go to bed to deciding a national law. The expert power definition encompasses the same authority but exists within organizations.
Why is perception of power important?
Efficiency: The perception of power in an organization is important to help a workplace run efficiently. The presence of an authority figure keeps people working on deadlines and working at a high level, as the subordinates will have to answer to this expert power if work is not completed.
What is an expert?
An expert is defined as someone with a special skill or superior knowledge. Expert power is perceived power held by a leader or authority figure based on a specific topic with information or a skill that no one else possesses. Those without the skill or knowledge are beholden to this expert to guide them in various ways. This perception is based on the expert's perceived and or actual level of knowledge and unique skill sets.
How to build expert power?
1. Education: Whether it's through an online class, night school, or full-time degree program , furthering a person's education can build their expert knowledge base. Reading books, subscribing to daily email chains, and taking classes of any kind will help build expert power.
Why don't experts share their knowledge?
Greed: Some experts don't want to share their knowledge and skill sets because they want to maintain the power dynamic. In this case, a workplace can become toxic and hostile if authoritarian power comes into play.
How does the mindset of an expert power affect the person in power?
Limited Growth: The mindset of an expert power can be damaging as it can stop a person from learning and growing. Not only can this damage the person in power but it can cause other people within the organization to rely on a certain person to complete tasks they could also learn how to do.
What is expert power?
Expert power is defined as the use of (the perception of) expert knowledge to get a subordinate to follow an instruction or order. Here, power comes from the subordinate’s belief that their manager or leader possesses expert skills or knowledge that they do not themselves possess.
What are the advantages of expert power?
The key advantage of expert power is based on knowledge perceived to be held by the expert and not by others. Based on this, some of the key advantages of expert power include: 1 If you have this type of power then your team will be more open to being guided by you, as they will trust the guidance you give. This can reduce the friction within a team and move a team towards performing at a high level. In fact, expert power means your team will naturally look to you for direction in areas related to your subject of expertise. 2 Once you’ve established yourself as an expert, you will have a reputation and power base upon which to build. This can mean it is more likely that you will get promoted or invited to important meetings and decisions. 3 By holding this type of power you can win the trust and respect of others within the organization.
Why is it dangerous to be promoted as an expert?
A danger exists around experts who get promoted. As their expertise diminishes they may still be regarded as an expert by their team. This can lead to them choosing the wrong decision from a series of options. Because of this, it is advisable to still be amenable to the opinions of others even if you are established as an expert in your field.
Why is holding expert power a double edged sword?
Holding expert power can be a double edged sword, because as you share your knowledge with others your power diminishes.
How to retain your expert power?
To retain your expert power, you need to constantly work on keeping your skills up to date. This can be a problem for people whose expertise got them promoted. With their focus elsewhere they find themselves losing their expert knowledge to some degree, and thus their power diminishes.
What happens when you establish yourself as an expert?
Once you’ve established yourself as an expert, you will have a reputation and power base upon which to build. This can mean it is more likely that you will get promoted or invited to important meetings and decisions.
Is Power Dynamic upside down?
In fact, the power dynamic has been completely turned upside down, with the manager at the mercy of the junior engineer whilst the problem is being resolved!
Why is expert power important?
Expert power is particularly important because it transcends the traditional pyramid of power.
Where does expert power come from?
Expert power comes from your experience, skills and knowledge. As you gain experience and climb the ladder of success, you can begin to gather expert knowledge. This knowledge leads to expert power that others can use.
How can a manager have referent power?
For example, a manager can have great referent power by being known as a fair boss who respects their employees and by quickly righting wrongs.
How does reward power work?
As the name suggests, reward power is attained through rewarding individuals. This could be done through giving a raise, a promotion or some extra time off of work.
What are the 5 types of power?
The 5 types of power were defined as coercive, reward, legitimate, referent and expert.
What happens if you use power too much?
If you use your power too much, you can disenfranchise the people around you. If you use it too little you lose respect and be walked over.
How many bases of power are there?
There are typically five bases of power, as identified by John French and Bertram Raven in the early 1960s. Their study showed how the different types of power affected a leader’s ability and success in a leadership role.
What is Expert Power?
Expert power is when people around you perceive that you have a high level of knowledge, expertise, or skill in a particular area because you've demonstrated your ability. Usually, this perception leads to having more power and influence in your workplace.
How to develop expert power?
A great way to develop expert power is to work in a fast-paced environment and learn to make strategic, decisive choices quickly. This means keeping yourself cool, calm, and collected in the face of a critical situation. With this experience, you'll develop excellent expert power and leadership skills.
How to become an expert in something?
To be an expert in something you also have to be a student in that industry. If you stop being a student, then your expertise will expire. You should read books, stay up to date with the news and trends in your field, and volunteer for projects at your workplace so you can soak up knowledge. That's how you'll truly develop expert power and maintain it.
What are the benefits of expert power?
One of the main benefits of expert power in the workplace is the ability to advance your career (hopefully at an accelerated pace). When you're getting started in your career, a great thing to do is spend a lot of time learning and developing your expertise.
Why is expert power important?
Expert power is something that is hugely important for aspiring business leaders because it's this power that gives you the ability to lead with confidence and humility. With those two things, you'll be successful in whatever industry you choose.
How long does it take to become an expert?
Since that's impossible, calculating about 3-4 hours a day of deliberate practice, it would take around 8-10 years to be considered an expert at something.
The Basic Idea
TDL is an applied research consultancy. In our work, we leverage the insights of diverse fields—from psychology and economics to machine learning and behavioral data science—to sculpt targeted solutions to nuanced problems.
Key Terms
Social Power: The ability to influence others through social interaction, specifically changing an individual’s beliefs, opinions, attitudes or behaviors.
History
Expert power was formally articulated by social psychologists John French and Bertram Raven in their 1959 publication, The Bases of Social Power. 1 French and Raven described social power as one source of influence in altering a target’s beliefs and behaviors. They distinguished five types of social power in the following way 1:
People
An American social psychologist who, together with John French, articulated the six bases of social power. He also worked as a professor at UCLA, where he exploring social power relationships, interpersonal influence, and developing the Power/Interaction Model of Interpersonal Influence. 4
Consequences
Ever since French and Raven’s articulation of expert power, it has become easy to identify in everyday settings, specifically in workplaces and universities.
Controversies
Despite its effectiveness in influencing targets, expert power can also create detrimental results. Like all power, expert power can cloud an individual’s judgment by fostering a sense of pride. Overzealous pride can result in an expert losing sight of the domain their expertise lies in, leading them to apply their knowledge to irrelevant fields.
Case Study
One of the biggest challenges for salespeople is effectively winning the trust of customers. To combat this, researchers have explored how French and Raven’s bases of social power can enable a salesperson to gain a client’s trust.