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Erge

Referent power is the ability of individuals to attract others and build loyalty through charisma and interpersonal skills. It allows for interpersonal influence based on admiration for personal traits, but can be abused by those lacking integrity. While effective, referent power alone is unstable and is best combined with other power sources for lasting leadership success.

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38 views1 page

Erge

Referent power is the ability of individuals to attract others and build loyalty through charisma and interpersonal skills. It allows for interpersonal influence based on admiration for personal traits, but can be abused by those lacking integrity. While effective, referent power alone is unstable and is best combined with other power sources for lasting leadership success.

Uploaded by

ashwani
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as TXT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Referent power

Main article: Referent power


Referent power is the power or ability of individuals to attract others and build
loyalty. It is based on the charisma and interpersonal skills of the power holder.
A person may be admired because of specific personal trait, and this admiration
creates the opportunity for interpersonal influence. Here the person under power
desires to identify with these personal qualities, and gains satisfaction from
being an accepted follower. Nationalism and patriotism count towards an intangible
sort of referent power. For example, soldiers fight in wars to defend the honor of
the country. This is the second least obvious power, but the most effective.
Advertisers have long used the referent power of sports figures for products
endorsements, for example. The charismatic appeal of the sports star supposedly
leads to an acceptance of the endorsement, although the individual may have little
real credibility outside the sports arena.[5] Abuse is possible when someone that
is likable, yet lacks integrity and honesty, rises to power, placing them in a
situation to gain personal advantage at the cost of the group's position. Referent
power is unstable alone, and is not enough for a leader who wants longevity and
respect. When combined with other sources of power, however, it can help a person
achieve great success.

Expert power

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