06/05/2024
Authority and Power (Part 2)
Let’s once again illustrate the difference between authority and power using four (4) levels of influence in the society:
i.) Family level
ii.) Company or organizational level
iii.) Government level, Monarchy or administration of public office
iv.) Religion level (the Christian example)
1. Family level: the man is the presumed head of family and often exercises some level of authority which is a natural authority to decide for his family and children. In exercising authority, he needs power to back it up. Such power emanates from
a.) Personal resources to take care of his family
b.) Ability to do things (fix a broken pipe, cut the lawn, draw and paint, sing, play ball, work and earn etc.) This is intrinsic or personal power and is improved upon by training and education.
c.) Enablement: direct support from family, relations, support from his wife and grown-up children, sometimes from friends and colleagues. Support can be in the form of finances, physical and psychological support.
d.) Ability to influence which is latent and varies from person to person
e.) Moral authority based on his integrity, character, and responsibilities as well as modelling for his children (role model to them)
f.) Age if he is older than his wife.
His exercise of authority diminishes systematically if he loses any of these powers. In some school of thought, they will add that ‘he is delegated by God’ and so possesses natural authority and has a responsibility to instruct and teach his household the proper way to go (Bible: Deut 6:6; Eph 5:23-25)
2. Company or organizational level: the management board or company director exercises authority over his organization. This authority can be delegated to the managing director, executive director, general manager or manager. The authority is a legal position backed by law such as Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2004 but he needs power to function properly. In management cycle, it is often said that it is dangerous to delegate authority without power. Powers of such directors/manager include:
i. Resources of the organization: to pay salaries, wages and commissions, reward exceptional performances and to refrain from making such payments.
ii. He is delegated by someone with legal authority and therefore his decision has the force of law.
iii. His ability to control things and influence people which is part of his leadership qualities.
iv. His intrinsic abilities to do things example, a doctor running a hospital, a welder managing steel designs and fabrication as an entrepreneur, an artist managing a printing/publishing company, an ex-footballer managing a football team.
v. Moral authority: integrity, truth, empathy
vi. Enablement: loyalty and cooperation from workers and business associates.
Without such powers, he will not be able to exercise authority, that is to say, control things and influence people and change the course of events to obtain positive outcomes for his organization or community.
At organizational level, power to reward and to punish go hand in hand and being in the opposite end of the spectrum. Power to praise and to reprimand is the same as the power to reward and to punish. Punishment is only possible because a worker wants to be rewarded, compensated or recognized for his work. Otherwise, he will refuse punishment and equally reject reward confirming that power partly emanates from the people. However, a person who takes only reward and not punishment will not last or grow in the organization because without discipleship, stewardship or followership, there would probably be no leadership as the former precedes the later as a normal sequence in life.
Abuse of power or unnecessary exercise of authority is when one applies reward or punishment disproportionate to work or offense committed respectively among loyal subjects from whom power is partly derived. However, exercise of authority should be consistent with the level of power one has. Such exercise of authority when in excess can cause disloyalty from workers and can bring about a change in management.
3. At Governmental level: a monarch embodies the power of the people and he exercises authority in the land. His power is derived from:
i.) Delegation council of elders, chiefs, national assembly or cabinet
ii.) Enablement or support from his loyal subjects and citizens
iii.) Resources of the state. He determines the budget (which may require legislative approval)
iv.) Intrinsic abilities: experience, training, age, technical know-how
v.) Ability to control things and influence people which is leadership qualities that make people follow him willingly as a leader. Influence can come from his eloquence, lobbying, consensus building, clear plan of action that will cause buy-in and people’s support.
vi.) Moral authority: naturally derived from his duties, character and moral principles.
His moral authority should strengthen his legal or constitutional authority. A law enforcement official should not be seen committing crime. According to an English adage, ‘those that live in glass house should not throw stone.’
In a Unitary system of government where there is a Prime Minster, the power of the Head of State is divided between him and the Head of Government which is the Prime Minister. Thus, the Head of Government can exercise certain authority that should otherwise be exercised by the Head of State, Monarch or the President. The argument is that such devolution of power prevents abuse of power and mismanagement of state resources, prevents excessive use of rewards (corruption) and excessive use of punishment (tyranny). For this reason, punishment is delegated to the judiciary which is another arm of government.
It is disturbing then how people who have no power to reward want to exercise power to punish, and how people accept reward but refuses punishment from the same source. That is indiscipline. Power to reward, to praise, to appraise, to give testimonial, to recommend should be done by the same person who punishes except it is delegated to another arm of government or a statutory body, tribunal or committee.
4. At Religious level: from the Christian perspective, the Church accepts Jesus as the Lord and Savior as well as the head of the Church as an organization. He obtained authority from God (Matthew 28: 18-20 which some people outside the Christian family question like questioning his divinity, but not so with his followers and those who believe that through him they might obtain salvation, favor, blessing and rewards from God Almighty who is believed to be supreme and has natural authority from the beginning over all, whether Christian, Judaist, traditional and some other belief systems). God is a supernatural being who Himself possesses power and delegates authority. In exercising authority, the power of Jesus emanates from:
i.) Intrinsic ability to do things such as healing, deliverance, teaching, clairvoyance, vision, ability to understand and speak all languages etc.
ii.) Resources of the Church in the form of tithes and offering
iii.) Delegated by God. Of his ministry he says, ‘I speak not of my own authority but authority of him that sent me.’
iv.) His ability to control things and influence people positively which is part of his leadership qualities as his is generally acclaimed to be a natural and charismatic leader. His Charisma was seem in his handling of his disciples and general followership which started from the early church.
v.) Enablement: loyalty and support from inner core followers, apostles and family members including the Virgin Mary who shared God’s vision of his ministry.
His moral authority which strengthens his natural and delegated authority. He is without sin, spot or wrinkles. His exercise of authority is consistent with his power. Supposing he starts killing people and starts forcing them to follow him and his teachings, what will happen? If he has that intrinsic power to raise up and to strike someone down and deploy destructive arrows against those who oppose him, how many followers will he have? Maybe, he should have deployed that strategy from the beginning instead of appealing to people’s sense of reasoning and freedom to choose.
If we refer back to our discussion on authority at management or organizational level, such abuse of power or excessive use of authority has never been his approach. He said to his disciples, ‘don’t you know the manner of power that you (his disciples) have? I did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.’ But even if he deploys such a cantankerous strategy like Satan and deploys deadly arrows and fear, like in management, it will certainly lead to disloyalty from followers, cause disenchantment, rebellion and possibly change of government or change of management. God will probably stop him just like he stops Satan. Of course, God with his league of angels, the Cherubim and Seraphim together with other heavenly hosts will probably push back to stop him and every forms of tyranny.
But God is merciful and slow to anger. He rewards the good and reserves punishment for the wicked so that they can come to repentance. Thus, we can trust God and his messenger (or prophet) and savior that in him is love and salvation and reward, not hatred, accusation, or fear or punishment apart from those that refuse to repent. God too gave man freedom to choose and he is not a tyrant.
In the final analysis, this theory or concept of power and authority transcends our knowledge of the physical and the metaphysical and has somewhat a universal application even if there are exceptions. Control or influence can be both physical and metaphysical.
Not all aspects of physical is controlled by the metaphysical. There is some aspects of physical that is controlled by the physical itself and there are some aspects of physical that is controlled by the metaphysical. Thus, a manager must be careful not to pass the bulk because it may land at no one’s table. As a manager, one should be firm, thorough and be in charge and shun dereliction of duty, leading to low productivity and output.
There is also an aspect of metaphysical that is controlled by the physical. For example, your vote and physical support of a candidate is vital in determining the outcome of a particular election even if the candidate’s star shows that he will win someday or that he will be a king in the future. Willingness to go the extra mile and physical support (enablement) helps the manager to achieve goals, not just that he is born to rule or that ‘he has so much power.’
In the same vein, not all of structure is controlled by the superstructure. There are some aspects of structure that is controlled by the structure and there are some aspects of structure that is controlled by the superstructure. For example, is it the services of a hospital that determine the actual rating or is it the sizes and number of buildings (superstructure)? That is to say, is it the services rendered (specialties and departments) that will determine the allocation of resources from the state or is it the size and number of buildings? As expected, most administrators such as Governors and Director Generals base allocation of resources on services offered and number of patients seen (structure on ground) not on the size and number of buildings or edifices. In that regard, the structure controlled the superstructure as such a hospital can construct new buildings to accommodate the increasing number of patients. However, some persons classify a hospital with many or high-rise buildings and equipment as a big hospital even though they might see much fewer number of patients, they are very expensive and lacks manpower (structure) and consequently receives more attention and patronage from such persons. In that regard, the superstructure controlled the structure as the hospital can employ more hands with increase in allocation since the spaces and equipment (superstructure) are already in place. Ideal as it is, it occurs only sparingly in reality.
Control or influence refers to what is within one’s sphere of control or influence and to consider if the factor is a controllable factor or an uncontrollable (e.g. natural) factor. Because of this, managers should constantly seek to control controllable factors, work on both the structure as well as the superstructure of the organization as each influences the other. He should aim to do what is physically doable, not leaving everything to chance as well as tap into the metaphysical through prayers, penance and sacrifices through giving and willful devotion to a worthy cause (Corporate Social Responsibilities, CSR).
In conclusion, one can say that there is a clear difference between authority and power from management and social science perspective and the terms are not used interchangeably. Power like energy is latent; it’s only a potential until it is activated through exercise of authority. Authority is the life force of power. Power is finite and measurable and so is exercise of authority which should be consistent with the level of power.
Paradoxically, one’s power tends to increase with exercise of authority. The power of a governor or president is activated the moment he carries out his first assignment in office. Just like talent becomes more evident with application, and skill gets more proficient with practice, so is use of authority. In choosing a discipline, field of study or specialization in the university and technical workshop, we do know that one only becomes an authority in that field through practice and not through classroom study alone or claim of possessing certain knowledge or behaving in a certain way.
As a director, manager, team leader, union leader or state administrator, exercising authority (influencing people positively towards individual or group goal or a cause) shows the level of power one wields. Using one’s ‘little’ position of authority to achieve something for one’s company/community is what is paramount and not necessarily power (position). As authority needs power, one who has authority must ensure however that a delegate should have his level of power spelt out to him; as to whether he has discretionary power (to use his intrinsic initiative to decide) or not, as to whether he has power to reward (allocate or use resources) or not, as to whether he has power to punish or reprimand other group members if need be or not.
Lack of exercise of authority can undermine one’s power and make the leader moribund. Some leaders are thus ineffective even if they possess all the organizational or state power.
Power ultimately emanates from the people and partly from within which is one’s intrinsic and personal power. It’s God’s given abilities, strength and wisdom and are enhanced through conscious learning and ability to influence people positively to follow the leader or mobilizer willingly towards a goal or cause.
6. Recommendations:
i.) Managers, team leaders, group leaders should exercise authority bearing in mind the power they have which is both intrinsic and extrinsic.
ii.) Exercise of authority should be positively directed towards group goal, not excessive or abusive as power partly emanates from the people.
7. Conclusions: Authority is control and influence. Power is ability to control or influence. Authority is the live force or manifestation of power which is latent until activated. Power is derived from Delegation, Enablement, personal or group Resources, Intrinsic abilities and ability to control things and influence people which is leadership qualities that make people follow a person willingly as a leader. Moral authority, naturally derived from his duties, character and moral principles strengthens one’s natural and legal authority.
References:
i.) Stephen R. Covey (2008) the 8th Habit, Stephen Covey Publishing, England.
ii.) Holy Bible (Matthew 28: 18-20)
iii.) Chukwuemeka DD Ogbodo (2023) Moral Authority of A Husband, New Generation Scroll International Magazine, Vol 7 No 4 Oct – Dec 2023
Culled from: New Generation Scroll International, Vol 8 No 1, Jan – March 2024.
Business and Development Economics Column,
Chukwuemeka Desmond Ogbodo is a theorist in natural and management sciences. He has taught Principles of Management at some institutions and academy. He has been a columnist in Business and Development Economics column of the magazine.
