From the course: Exerting Social Power: A Solution Engineer's Guide
Bases of social power
From the course: Exerting Social Power: A Solution Engineer's Guide
Bases of social power
In 1959, two researchers from the University of Michigan, doctors John French and Bertram Raven, published a paper titled "The Basis of Social Power." In it, they defined the major types of social power that we all brandish. Since 1959, many additional papers and books have been created exploring and modifying the concepts of social power. According to this line of scholarship, there are seven types of social power. These seven include: reward power, coercive power, legitimate power, referent power, connection power, information power, and lastly, expert power. Solution engineers have access to all of these types of power, and none of them exist in isolation. Whenever we attempt to influence the behavior or the thought of another person, we do it typically through the exercise of one of these or more of these distinct social powers. We have all learned to exert our influence through these types. We do it automatically. So let's take a look at each of the forms of social power and then talk about how they apply to solution engineering.
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