Let1 Task 3 Wgu

Power in the workplace is what people strive for, whether they admit it or not. Power is different from dependency but they go hand in hand as well. The main difference in power and dependency is you can have power without people depending on you. If you are a CEO of a company you have legitimate power. You are the top of the company, you have command, but the future of the company may not depend on you being at the top. If you do not have something that makes you different from the next person in line, something that the company would struggle without then their dependency on you is small and your power is only as big as the limits of your position. However, if you have something the company needs and only you hold the need your power can far stretch over your position. Employee 2 is an excellent example of dependency. He is the only one within the company that can do what he does. The company could find someone else with the same skills however their company would suffer greatly until they could. Therefore, a simple man with a development skill could hold more power than the CEO because they are more dependent on him.

There are several different kinds of power. Reward power is a very effective way to get an employee to do their best. However, just like dependency your reward has to be something that someone wants. If the reward is too small it may not be worth the effort to reach it. With Employee 1 the company uses the power of reward to inspire him to put forth the most effort and to be rated excellent. If he can get that the superior rating his life will be better off financially. With the superior rating he will receive a bonus and that will allow him to do something that during the year he is unable to do. In essence the whole year of work comes down to one evaluation.

Employee 1’s supervisor however uses a different type of power; coercive power. He has something his employees want, a superior rating. In order to get the employees...