Getting a Handle On Power

After being promoted to a supervisory position at a former employer, I had the responsibility of managing two notoriously difficult employees who had previously been my co-workers. Initially I considered turning down the promotion but eventually decided to take on the challenge. In that situation, I had a limited amount of Reward and Legitimate power, but virtually no Coercive, Referent, or Expert power, because both employees had been with the company much longer than I had. I was able to make the situation work by focusing on the cooperative aspect of supervision, while building on the positive social relationships I had previously established. As the book points out, power is continually negotiated throughout changing relationships.