Supervisory Power

It is often that employee leave the job not because they do not like the job, but merely because they do not like the boss/ supervisor. Their intention to leave the job is increasing as they have unavoidable conflict with the supervisor, or maybe because the managers act bossy and forgetting to strike a balance between reward and punishment. This article discuss on the supervisory power, conflict/ problem solving and intention to leave the job.
Power is defined as the ability of a party to modify or control the behavior, attitudes, opinions, objectives, needs, preferences, and values of another party. Several classifications of leader or supervisory power have been set forth, but the bases of power taxonomy suggested by French and Raven (1959) in their writing on The bases of social power. In D. Cartwright (Ed.), Studies in social power (pp. 150–167. Ann Arbor, MI: Institute for Social Research).

The French–Raven power bases can be classified as Position and Personal Power Bases.
Position Power Bases:

1. Coercive power is based on subordinates' perception that a superior has the ability to punish them if they fail to conform to his or her influence attempt.
2. Reward power is based on the perception of subordinates that a superior can reward them for desired behavior.
3. Legitimate power is based on the belief of the subordinates that a superior has the right to prescribe and control their behavior.

Personal Power Bases:

1. Expert power is based on subordinates' belief that a superior has job experience and special knowledge or expertise in a given area.
2. Referent power is based on subordinates' interpersonal attraction to and identification with a superior because of their admiration or personal liking of the superior.

Position Power. Managers may be encouraged to provide various kinds of performance contingent rewards to their subordinates. This can be done by granting managers for the power they need to reward subordinates for their contributions to the organization. In order to use this power effectively, the supervisors will require appropriate training. Supervisors can increase their legitimate power if they follow policies and procedures consistently and provide instructions, guidance, and advice unambiguously.

Personal Power. The challenge of the contemporary organizations is to enhance managers'
personal power base. Unfortunately, there is no easy way of achieving good results in this
respect. In order to obtain desired results, there have to be changes at the individual and
organizational levels. Improving managers' expert power would involve basic education and
specific job-related training. Managers should also be encouraged to enhance their skills through continuous self-learning. They may also need appropriate job experience to build on this power base. Supervisors who are deficient on referent power base may be provided human relations training so that they learn to be empathetic to the subordinates' needs and feelings, treat them fairly and ethically, and present their interests to higher level managers when there is a need to do so. Organizations should provide appropriate reinforcements for learning and improving their referent and expert power bases. Education and training may be of limited value when it comes to improving referent power base. Organizations may have to adapt the policy of recruiting managers with vision and charisma who are likely to bring an adequate referent power base. The challenge of the contemporary organization is also to encourage the use of the problem solving strategy of handling conflict with supervisors. Employees should also be trained not to engage in win−lose or bargaining strategy of managing conflict. This can be done by strengthening the integrating conflict-management style and discouraging the use of an avoiding style. To attain this goal, training in conflict management of employees and supervisors and
appropriate changes in organization design and culture would be needed.

Researchers suggested ways of using power bases in combination because it is believed that one power source may evolve into another. A change in the perception of one power base may affect the perceptions of other power bases. Knowing how power bases influence each other is important as each power base may influence outcomes, not only directly but also through the mediation of its effects on other power bases. The position power base influences the personal power base, which in turn, influences criterion variables. Supervisors who use a performance-contingent reward power base as well as the legitimate power base may be perceived by their subordinates as competent as well as friendly, considerate, and fair.

Managers with referent power make meaning for others and give them a sense of purpose. They are able to generate trust, openness and respect by using these same qualities in their interactions with others. Without these, leadership qualities associated with referent
power, other power bases may not be very effective in changing the behaviors of subordinates. In general, managers should be discouraged from using coercive power except under special circumstances. Guidelines for the use of performance-contingent coercive power by supervisors should be clearly spelled out by an organization. Failed in implementing this coercive power properly may increase the intention of the employees to leave the organization. The perception of subordinates of their supervisors' use of reward, legitimate, expert, and referent power bases may have a positive impact on the subordinates' problem solving conflict-management strategy and may reduce the intention of the employees to leave a job.

Therefore, the challenge of a contemporary organization is to enhance these power bases of their managers. Managers may be trained to use their position and personal power bases effectively so that their subordinates are encouraged to use more integrating and less avoiding styles (i.e., problem solving strategy) of handling conflict with supervisors and to reduce the intention to leave a job.