POWER,AUTHORITY, AND INFLUENCE (CASE) - Essay Example

Power, ity and Influence First and Power, ity and Influence Today, women are on top of their games. Ifbefore we are used to seeing male executives, well nowadays it has totally changed. While competitions in the various industries rise to a higher level, the competence and confidence of women have also shown a remarkable growth. The exercise of power by women in most organizations shows how determined they are in proving their worth in the society. Although at times there are variations as to its implementation and acquisition, women, most of the time, gain power through their good attitude towards work.

Although man is inherently strong, a woman's ability to apply her instincts in times of conflict could be an advantage when in the process of decision making. In fact, the women of this generation are more sophisticated and this is proven by their existence as top officials in organizations with different specializations. The “Woman and Men, Work and Power” article talks about women empowerment at work. It features some women and their different stories of success in their chosen careers.

In spite of the many obstacles and criticisms, they have managed to stay focused and goal-oriented. They are given the privilege to exercise authority in their respected organizations that is through the legitimate power that is vested to them. A top position in a company would give one the legitimate power, the formal power to exercise authority (Heinemann, 2008, p. 35). They are determined leaders but are distinguished by their opposing belief when it comes to the method and principles that they consider in their practice of power and on how they use this power to influence those who are under them.

Some of them are leaders with a tender heart, who stay calm amidst difficult situations, taking into account their feelings and emotions, while the others have a more radical approach to organizational management and into achieving their goals. Well for all of them, there is no room for weakness; one must be optimistic and truthful when thinking of becoming a leader. It is common for women to be rejected by some people. There is no sense of belongingness felt, especially to those women leaders in some organizations, in effect, these feminine soft hearted leaders would self pity and put all the blame on themselves (Coughlin, Wingard, & Hollihan, 2005, p. 7). That used to be the case before, but now as we hear more stories of influential women who are popular in the business world, discouragement is not applicable.

Real power at work is achieved through the proper exercise of leadership. That is, if one is able to distinguish what is a good practice of leadership from what is not. Women are important to society as well as to men. Because without them no union or partnership would take place between a man and woman. Unfortunately some would question the ability of women in handling companies considering woman’s emotional nature as a hindrance (Wilson, 2009, p. 5). Well that’s true, women are indeed emotional, but this emotion could be used to their advantage, because in business it’s not enough to have all the skills, one must have the passion and the heart, because that is the only way to discover the true meaning and value of power.

Women may be dissimilar in some aspects of their personality but their immeasurable dedication at work is enough to let them become leaders with power and authority. References Coughlin, L., Wingard, E., & Hollihan K. (2005). Enlightened power: How women are transforming the practice of leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Heinemann, P. (2008). Power bases an information and informational influence strategies: A behavioral study on the use of management accounting information. Germany: Deutscher Universitats-Verlag.

Wilson, J. (2009). The voice of success: A woman's guide to a powerful and persuasive voice. United States: Amacom Books.