Power and Status: The Building Blocks of Effective Leadership

Abstract

Experimental social science research tests theories about basic elements of social processes. This research offers valuable insights for leader development and indicates that structural power and status are the building blocks of effective leadership. Power, defined as the ability to get what one wants despite resistance, and status, defined as a position in a group based on respect or esteem, both lead to influence. Status overcomes the resentment that is typically produced by the use of power. We identify approaches to gaining status and power and discuss their use by leaders. Sixty years of cumulative research on power and status in groups indicates that developing effective leadership requires the sparing use of power. To be most effective, leaders should rely on status.