Employee Three is the most junior employee within the sales department at Corporation A. This employee has only been there about a year, while the majority of the other employees have been there longer by being there for three or more years. Although Employee Three is still the new kid on the block, so to speak, they are esteemed and readily accepted by all. But they are perhaps best described as being positive, well liked, very charismatic, and able to cultivate others. These characteristics fit the description of someone with referent type of power. Robbins and Judge explain that, “referent power is based on identification with a person who has desirable resources or personal traits” (2013, p. 416). So it is with these qualities that an employee is able to attract attention and popularity. We can clearly see these tools in action when Employee Three is selected to lead the team for a project because of their ability to get the team eager, excited, and motivated.
Power and dependence go hand in hand. According to Robbins and Judge, “the most important aspect of power is that it is a function of dependence” (2013, p. 417). The more dependent one is of something, the more power that thing will has over them; furthermore, if what you have is important, scarce, and non-substitutable, then the dependency will increase. In the example given, we see a relationship with dependence and power between Employee One and the Marketing Manager. Employee One is dependent on the Marketing Manager in order to receive a superior rating on their evaluation, and in turn, the manager uses this power over them to get a better and longer performance out of them. This corresponds with the non-substitutable because Employee One has no other choice. Another example of dependency and power and their effects can be seen between Employee Two and the Accounting Manager. Because of the CPA credentials that Employee Two exhibits, they exercise expert power over their manager. Since Employee Two is the only one with those credentials, that resource becomes important and scarce. This results in leaving the Accounting Manager dependent upon Employee Two and they will do everything to keep Employee Two happy, which is reflected in the adjusted work schedule.