Final answer:
The staff nurse's power comes from her referent power, which is based on admiration and influence through personality. It is different from power derived from formal roles (legitimate power), law or rules (rational-legal power), control of information (informational power), or personal connections (connection power).
Step-by-step explanation:
The type of power the staff nurse in question wields is referent power. This kind of power comes from the respect and admiration that she earns from her colleagues and patients. Her ability to manage her personal and professional responsibilities effectively, including her active participation in various important community and professional roles such as the nurses association and the ethics committee as well as coaching, demonstrates her skill at building strong relationships and inspiring trust. This form of power is closely associated with a person's ability to influence others through their personality, their capability to connect, and the example they set by their actions, rather than through formal positions of authority or access to information.
Referent power falls within the category of charismatic authority defined by sociologist Max Weber, where an individual's charismatic attributes drive the influence they have over others. Contrastingly, legitimate power and rational-legal power are based on formal, official positions within a structure, such as a nurse manager within a hospital, while informational power arises from access to, and control over, information. Connection power would typically involve having key relationships that enable influence.