11. Workplace Structure and Culture

11.1. The Role of Power in Conflict Management

Power determines the way people interact with each other and subsequently, the way they engage in conflicts and conflict resolution. Power-holders are best able to asymmetrically enforce their will and therefore, they have the capability to determine the process and the outcome of a conflict.[1]

Positional Power

A leader acquires positional power from their status or position in the organisation, i.e. it is the authority provided to a person because of the rank they occupy within the organisational structure or hierarchy. People with positional power are bound by the rules and regulations that have been established by the organisation or institution to which they belong. The main aim of this kind of power is to make sure that people work together with one another to achieve the goals of the organisation. Positional power makes sure that people work in a specific way and towards the same objectives.

Leaders with positional power have the authority to hire and fire people, offer them rewards or punishments and provide instructions and directions to all those who are working under them.

Positional power is awarded to a person because of their rank or title in an organization. Hence, as it is based on external factors, it is possible to take it away from individuals.

Personal Power

To be highly effective leaders, one needs something more than just a designation or a title. It needs personal power, which is the power given to an individual because of their personal skills and competencies. It is the power awarded to individuals by others, and is not formally assigned by the organization. Personal power is linked to a person’s integrity and their readiness to live up to their promises. It is essentially a form of power that inspires and motivates other people to be fully involved in achieving the goals and objectives of the organisation.

Personal power emerges from the personal characteristics of a person; hence, it is internal in nature, and emerges from internal features of a person, such as credibility, intelligence, skills and experience, self-confidence, etc. Therefore, it cannot be taken away from a person.[2]