The issues of leadership and power have always worried mankind. Today, their correlation is reflected in competent leaders of organizations, teachers, representatives of all branches of science, production, and management.
In order to understand the question of how leadership and power in an organization differ, you need to understand the meaning of these terms.
Power is the ability to impose one’s will, influence the behavior and activities of people, organize any processes, despite the approval or disapproval of subordinates. Power can be different: managerial, political executive, etc. But the goal of any government is to make people obey the will of the leader. Leaders can use different methods to exercise their leadership rights. Decent and literate most often use incentives, interest, less honest ones are able to use provocations, extortions, threats, authoritarian methods of leadership to maintain their own power. Some groups (especially bandit or militarized) use open violence and threats to maintain their own power.
Nevertheless, the essence of power does not change from this.
The boss, the leader is most often appointed by the senior management. If we are talking about state power, then it can be elective, sometimes inherited. In the history of both states and organizations (even modern ones) there have been cases when power was seized. In state structures these are usually armed or revolutionary coups, in organizations, especially today - raiding.
Power and leadership in an organization may belong to one person, but more often leaders and leaders are different people.
A leader is a person who enjoys universal trust and respect, is able to lead people, influence their worldview, actions, behavior. In the system of interpersonal relations, such people are subordinate.
Leadership in an organization can be formal. Formal leaders most often occupy leadership positions, they are vested with power, but do not have authority in the organization, or their authority is not high enough. Formal leaders obey because they are vested with legitimate authority.
Informal leadership in an organization can belong to any person who enjoys a general authority or the authority of the majority. An informal leader must be fair, be able to influence people and their worldview with the help of their abilities, skills.
Sometimes it happens that a leader appointed from above can become a real, not a formal leader.
Leadership in the organization is one of the most powerful factors in its success, development and improvement of the whole new, progressive, progressive, not yet included in the list of planned, mandatory activities.
Today, every educated and thoughtful leader:
- Knows that the greatest benefit and effectiveness of the organization, whether it is an ordinary small office or a large enterprise, will bring unity (interconnection, mutual understanding) of the leader and the informal leader of the team.
- Reasonably shows his power and formal leadership in the organization. The balance of power is such a management in which the requirements of the leadership are sufficient to achieve the goals, but not so much as to cause discontent or open protest of employees.
And finally, he understands that lower-ranking employees are also vested with power, albeit informal. For example, the activities of a boss depend largely on the competence of his secretary or other employees. After all, it is these people who possess the necessary information, the necessary skills and abilities.