Reference no: EM132193410
Leadership and Power
When leaders are effective, their subordinates or followers are highly motivated, committed, and high performing. Leaders who exert influence over organizational members to help meet these goals increase their organizations' chances of success. Influence is based on power. One model of power states that power can come from the leader’s expertise, attractive personal characteristics, position in the organization’s hierarchy, and the ability to control rewards and punishments.
No matter what one's leadership style, effective leadership is based on the power the leader has over people's behavior. This is the focus of the exercise associated with this case. You will explore the types of power exhibited by Liane Pelletier at Alaska Communications Systems.
Read the case below and answer the questions that follow.
Liane Pelletier was a senior vice president at Sprint when a recruiting firm called her to see if she was interested in becoming CEO of Alaska Communications Systems (ACS). With over 15 years of experience in the telecommunications industry, she definitely had the skills, knowledge, and expertise to head ACS. Like many top managers, Connecticut-born Pelletier hesitated about making a move to Alaska—but she did not hesitate for long.
Pelletier loves adventure and new experiences. The opportunity to leverage her industry experience and take on the challenge of transforming ACS made her decision an easy one. For Pelletier, Alaska was not such a far-flung place to move to. She had traveled widely on excursions ranging from hiking the Appalachian Trail to boating down the Amazon River. Snowshoeing in Alaska became one of her new leisure activities.
When Pelletier joined ACS, it was Alaska's largest local exchange carrier and the only in-state provider with its own local, long distance, wireless, and Internet infrastructure. As an experienced top manager in telecommunications, Pelletier saw her role at ACS as an exciting opportunity. As the new CEO, she realized that the company was focused on products rather than customers: Different divisions would provide different kinds of services to customers without taking into account that the same customers might be using other services provided by other parts of the company. Pelletier restructured ACS around customers and how better to meet their needs through the company’s multiple products and services. Sales and service at ACS were integrated across product lines, products, and services. Pelletier's vision for ACS revolved around customer-focused growth and improved wireless services. Her efforts paid off for the company in terms of increases in ACS' earnings and stock price. Clearly ACS was fortunate that Pelletier assumed the top post and applied her expertise, enabling the company to serve its customers better and expand its range of products.
1. Because Pelletier has over 15 years' experience in telecommunication, we could assume that one of her major sources of power is
position power.
referent power.
relational power.
reward power.
2. Pelletier had done quite a bit of traveling and enjoyed taking on physical challenges such as hiking, boating, and snowshoeing. Many employees in Alaska enjoy outdoor challenges and would quickly view her as “like us.” This would enable Pelletier to develop and leverage ______ power.
reward
position
social
referent
3. As CEO of ACS, Pelletier would automatically have the highest possible level of _______ power.
structural
referent
legitimate
strategic
4. Pelletier’s ability to give formal rewards derives from her ______ power.
legitimate
strategic
referent
expert
ethical
5. Because her professional background would be so helpful in turning around ACS, Pelletier’s ______ power might have been even more important than her legitimate power.
leadership
expert
servant
coercive
referent
6. Pelletier was successful in changing the goals and direction of ACS. In doing so, she exerted excellent
power leverage.
expectancy.
servant leadership.
servant management.
leadership.