Project Management Power Question

Submitted by raza82 on Wed, 01/30/2013 - 15:49

The organisation you joined has a weak matrix structure where all your project team members report to different functional managers and none of the team members report to you directly, Your project has extremely high visibility in the company and there is a lot of pressure for you to deliver on time and within budget.

However you are quite new to the company, joining just 3 weeks ago. Hence you are concerned whether you will have teh necessary authority and power to complete the project deliverables. which of the following types of power will be most effective in your situation?

 

a) Referent Power

b) Expert Power

c) Punishment Power

d) legitimate Power

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sspawar

Thu, 01/31/2013 - 01:15

 It is legitimate option D.

y0zh

Thu, 01/31/2013 - 08:14

Since it was mentioned a weak matrix I would choose a)


Referent power is also derived from personal connections that a person has with key people in the organization's hierarchy, such as the CEO. It's the perception of the personal relationships that she has that generates her power over others.

raza82

Thu, 01/31/2013 - 12:44

According to the simulator, D is given as the answer.

 

I had chosen expert power.

y0zh

Thu, 01/31/2013 - 19:13

Here is my thoughts:


it was mentioned, the PM is new in the organization, so nobody knows PM quality, skills level=expert power, am I correct? So, the only way to provide quick power for new comer in weak matrix is ask management support=Referent power thus the answer in my mind should be Referent power. But since it was asked most effective...actually there should be 2 answers=Referent+Expert...


 


Reference material:


5 Basic Forms of Power of a Project Manager


There are 5 basic forms of powers that a Project Manager can possess:
• Legitimate (or Formal): The formal authority or power derived from the position. It is also known as Formal power.
• Reward: The power of directly or indirectly rewarding the team member. Rewards may be in the form of salary, promotion, bonus or better work assignments.
• Penalty (or Coercive / Punishment): The power of directly or indirectly penalizing the team members. Penalty may be in the form of suspension, reprimand, unpleasant assignments etc. It is also known as Coercive power and Punishment power.
• Expert: The power derived from special knowledge or expertise.
• Referent (or Charisma): The power derived from personality traits or charisma. It is also known as Charisma power.


Positional Powers vs Personal Powers
Positional powers are derived from the position of the project manager. Legitimate, Reward and Penalty powers are positional powers.


Personal powers are derived from the knowledge, expertise or personality traits of the project manager. Expert and Referent powers are personal powers.



Total Power
Total power = Positional Powers + Personal Powers


Power vs Authority
Power is the ability to get things done, whereas Authority is the formal power derived from one's position in the organization.



Which is the best form of power for a Project Manager?
The best form of power depends upon the situation and the maturity level of the project manager. Generally speaking, personal powers (Expert and Referent) are better than positional powers (Legitimate, Reward and Penalty).

raza82

Thu, 01/31/2013 - 21:03

I think the best answer should be Reward Power but it is not given as a choice.

 

Since it is weak matrix, so PM will not limited power and hence wont be able to use legitimate power.

I dont think it will be referrant because there is no indication in the Question that he has any connection with the CEO neither mentioned anything about his personality.

Expert, it can be but then he has jus joined this company so nobody knows him whether he really is an expert or not.

Again Penalty power wont be much helpful in a weak organisation.

 

By Using Reward Power, he can influence the project team to complete the work