Reflection of Authority Principle

Authority

The fascinating principle of Authority can be seen in play at various institutions such as the army and the police department. I believe that there are pros and cons of influence using authority principle in these departments. The organization is structured in such a way that only with time and experience, an officer is given authority. Now since the officer has more experience, he can be assumed as a more capable leader and a better decision maker than the newly joined recruits. The influence of authority principle is good in this situation since it enables a new recruit to follow the leader without any resistance. Now, if the recruit doesn’t follow orders and questions the leader at every single step, it would bring the consensus principle into the picture and then every other recruit will start questioning the leader. This might not end well for the battalion in an emergency situation. At times, a stronger newer recruit might also overthrow the senior leader and the structure of the organization might be at threat. This would result in collapse of the defense system of any country without any external force. Authority gives the decision making power only in the hand of the most senior & most responsible leader and recruits following it either under the influence of authority or not, keeps the defense organization run smoothly. Authority principle manages to keep an emotional distance between the team and the leader which might be useful in an emergency situation. When every team member is of equal importance for the leader, a leader would think rationally in an emergency situation even when a fewer lives are at stake. A leader would be able to think for the greater good. For instance: An emergency situation in the battlefield where the team needs cover fire to move back. The leader can decide who can provide cover fire based on a war-based factor without thinking about saving a specific member because of an emotional tie, thereby saving the rest...