Final answer:
Expertise Power is the type of interpersonal power based on an individual's specialized knowledge or skills. This form of power is significant in contexts where specific skills, such as software engineering, are valuable.
Step-by-step explanation:
The type of interpersonal power that is based on an individual's specialized knowledge or skills is Expertise Power. This form of power emerges when a person possesses specific and valuable knowledge or skills that others do not have, making that individual an important resource in certain contexts or situations. For example, a software engineer in an information society wields expertise power because of their specialized skills in developing and managing software solutions, which are critical in a technology-driven world.
In social and political structures, as defined by sociologist Max Weber, power can take many forms, including traditional authority, based on religious expertise or family position, charismatic authority, stemming from personal qualities, and rational-legal authority, associated with holding a defined legal role in society. In an information society, someone with formidable expertise, such as expertise in software engineering or a comparable field, would likely be considered a person of power.