Steve Jobs Using Coercive and Legitimate Power

Steve Jobs

How Steve Jobs demonstrated or used coercive and legitimate power

Coercive power

Jobs was famously arrogant, even pulling up to Apple's front entrance and parking in a handicapped space in the famously crowded Apple parking lot, because no one dared to ticket him (Kahney 2008).

Employees lived in fear of being fired by Jobs at Apple. "At most companies, the red-faced, tyrannical boss is an outdated archetype, a caricature from the life of Dagwood. Not at Apple. Whereas the rest of the tech industry may motivate employees with carrots, Jobs is known as an inveterate stick man" (Kahney 2008).

Jobs was known to curse at or openly berate employees in public whom he felt were underperforming (Mui 2008).

Jobs openly played favorites. "There is a small group at Apple...called the Top 100" which Jobs gathered for "an intense three-day strategy session at a proverbially secure, undisclosed location" annually (Lashinsky 2008). Jobs would remove individuals from this select number according to own whims.

Jobs communicated to employees that they were disposable by limiting the knowledge they gained about the company: when they were no longer necessary, they were let go. "Specialization is the norm at Apple, and as a result, Apple employees aren't exposed to functions outside their area of expertise" (Lashinsky 2008).

Legitimate power

Even for a CEO, Jobs was famous for micromanaging. "He also weighed in on the glass stairs in Apple stores (for which he held a patent), the design of the Apple shuttle buses, and the food in the cafeteria" (Mui 2011).

When a thirteen-year-old Apple enthusiast began a website designed to expose secrets about Apple, such as the launch of new products, Apple issued "dozens of cease-and-desist letters...charging him with everything from copyright infringement to disclosing trade secrets" (Kahney 2008). Apple maintained its obsessive secrecy, even though other companies might have welcomed the free publicity from a fan. Jobs was aggressive in litigating against individuals and companies he felt violated Apple's secrecy or trademarks.