Bases of Power French and Raven described five bases of power within any given organization that can still be used today to define each person's social role. The five bases of power were defined as coercive, reward, legitimate, referent, and expert power (Tauber, 2007, p.40). Each of these powers is visibly on display in the corporation described in the case study and the corresponding definitions can be applied to the employees and managers discussed in the study. Understanding the role of each employee and manager will also help to illuminate the power and dependency relationship that exists between them.

Reward Power

Reward power is the easiest power to define. It involves the dispensing of rewards in return for action that benefits either the entire company or the individual manager doing the rewarding. Because it is so easy to understand, it is also the easiest form of power to recognize and it exists at several places within Corporation A. The marketing department of Corporation A gives a large bonus to any employee who earns a superior rating on the yearly performance evaluation.

Employee 2 and 3 in the scenario also receive rewards from their superiors, though they are earned through other bases of power. Rewards are commonly combined with other forms of power to make them more meaningful to the employee. In the case of Employee 2, he receives a shortened work-week, while Employee...

Both reward and coercive power involve manipulation of the employee (Tauber, 2007, p.41). In the marketing department of Corporation A, the manager constantly reminds employees of the large bonus they can earn with a superior evaluation and, as a consequence, urges them to work beyond their mandated 40 hours per week. Because Employee 1 wants to pay for an expensive vacation, he works the extra time in hopes of securing the superior evaluation and corresponding large bonus.
Expert Power

Expert power is best described as offering expertise in a certain field in exchange for a reward of some kind. Employee 2 is the lone CPA in the accounting department and the only one who can prepare the company's financial statements. In exchange for that expertise, the accounting manager has allowed him to work a four-day work-week, the only person in the department allowed to do so.

Referent Power

Referent power is a bit more difficult to obtain and evaluate. In essence, it states that people confer rewards on an employee because they respect and are personally attracted to them (Tauber, 2007, p.43). Often, the person demonstrating this power is described as…