AUTHORITY
Most people can recognize authority, but they have difficulty defining it. Simply defined, it is having the power over people to accomplish some specific goal, objective, or task.
Authority comes from many sources and can fall into one of three categories: traditional, charismatic, and legal-rational.
Traditional authority is based upon what the term implies: tradition. Certain people have power over others based upon historical factors. A sheik in the Arab world has authority because he fills a position based upon historic precedence.
Charismatic authority is based upon innate personal qualities. Frequently, these people do not have any formal authority, only that granted by their followers. Martin Luther King, Jim Jones, and Huey Long are examples of people with charismatic authority.
Legal-rational authority is that given to a person by an institution. The degree of authority depends on one’s position in the organization. Rank in the military is a prime example of legal-rational authority. Your boss at work is another example. Typically, the higher up in an organization, the more authority rests with a person.
In the business world, you can face a circumstance where a person holds a position that embodies two or three categories of authority. That’s rare, but it translates into real power that can have positive or negative consequences.
Knowing who has what authority, and the basis for it, can help you. This information enables you to determine who makes decisions and the importance of those decisions. In other words, you can determine who are the movers and shakers in an organization.
for Authority
To determine the type of authority that exists in an organization, observe the following steps.
- Look at the organization chart, identifying reporting relationships.
- Identify who attends which meetings and who calls them.
- Look for where the meetings are held.
- Pinpoint who grants approvals for funding, taking action, and so on.
- Pay attention to the formal and informal power structure.