Task three report on authority
The nature of authority is the right or the power which someone has to force individuals or groups to abide their rules and
orders. Having authority gives a person the right to delegate power or roles to other people. A person with authority is
someone who has respect and power because their opinions are valued because of their experiences and knowledge.
Power can refer to strength or a tool of persuasion, power is dependent on the context in which it is found. Power is the
ability to convince a person to conform to a person’s demands and requests. Power is used in circumstances where there is
a conflict of some sort, this can include a clash in opinion. Power can be sourced from a lawful or unlawful origin. Within
the context of authority power is the right to guarantee that individuals and organisations are adhering to reasonable and
lawful demands. In 1959 Bertram Raven and John. R. P French (two social psychologists) discovered the six bases of power,
these are; reward, coercive, informational, expert, legitimate and referent. Reward power is where a person or team is
driven to complete tasks for reward purposes. Coercive power is when an employee completes tasks out of fear of being
disciplined. Informational power is when you have knowledge which is useful to the task at hand. Expert power is when a
person completes tasks as they have experience to do so. Legitimate power is when someone completes the tasks given to
them as they have been asked to do so by someone who has authority. Referent power is when someone can relate to the
objective or a person who is inspiring or influencing them.
A person’s position is the rank or status which someone has in society. Within the public services there are many different
ways in which they can find themselves in a position of authority, this includes getting a promotion and climbing up the
ranks. Different services have different rank structures, for example within the British Army you have NCO’s (Non
Commissioned Officers) which are ranks such as Lance Corporal, Corporal, Sergeant, Staff Sergeant (also known as Colour
Sergeant), Company Sergeant Major, and Regimental Sergeant Major. They also have Commissioned Officers which are the
ranks of Second Lieutenant, Lieutenant, Captain, Major etc. In the Police force they have different ranks, this includes
Police Constable, Sergeant, Inspector, Chief Inspector, Superintendent, Chief Superintendent, Assistant Chief Constable,
Deputy Chief Constable, Chief Constable. Within the Public Services if you are placed in position of authority you can
generally find yourself commanding team members to reach and complete a shared goal.
Public Service workers need to recognise their rank and where they fit into the hierarchy and rank system within their
service. Status is similar to obedience with the aspect that they are both dependent upon authority, for example people
abide those with authority because they have earnt the right to authority through good work they have completed so they
are respected or with status they may be a lower rank and have less authority so they need to resect they have less power
and that the other person has earnt their authority. Public service employees respect and obey those with a higher status
as they may be; experts and have extensive knowledge on situations and subjects, a person with status (such as a member
of the royal family), figures who can punish or discipline them, or just because someone simply holds a higher rank then
them.
Influence is a stimulus which inspires or forces someone to complete a task or carry out an act, it can also change
someone’s view, opinion or they way that they behave. Someone can be influenced or motivated to behave or carry out
acts through feelings and thoughts such as; fear, rewards/ benefits, inspiration, respect and/ or trust. For example, groups
or individuals may be motivated or influenced to work hard out of wanting to prove to a person with authority that they
are good at what they do and desire praise, are inspired by what the person with authority has achieved or through the
fear that the person with power may discipline them if they have not worked hard enough. It is important that when a
person has power that those work for them or hold a lower rank has respect for them and inspires to be like them as they
will want to work harder as they feel positive emotions towards them instead of feeling resentment and only completing
work because they have to, in this case the work produced will not be to a higher standard than those who respect the
person with a higher status.
Corruption is dishonesty or an illegal act which is committed by a person with authority in order to receive some sort of
reward or benefit, for example in 2015 two police officers were found guilty of stealing at least ten thousand pounds when
undergoing a raid on a suspected drug dealer. Corruption can take place in many forms including bribery or the prospect of
climbing the rank structure.
Disobedience is when a person knowingly refuses to follow rules and regulations set out to them by either the government,
laws or those of a higher rank. People may commit this to receive benefits from another source or influence or they may be
rebelling against regulations. An example of this is when Sergeant Alexander Blackman disregarded the Geneva
Conventions and killed a member of the Taliban in Afghanistan who was unarmed. Disobedience is immaturity and means
that a person or group of people are defective of moral fibre and are willing to be dishonest in order to prevent getting
disciplined.
