Question

William is a good guy but with his promotion to a higher-level manager, he seems to be punishing his workers more. Each time a employee is late to a meeting, he takes away the amount of time they have for break, makes them work overtime in order to meet quota, or get a pay cut. What kind of power does William have?

a.) Coercive Power
b.) Expertise Power
c.) Reward Power
d.) Relationship Power

Answer 1

William is using coercive power by punishing employees with reduced break time, mandatory overtime, or pay cuts for being late to meetings. Hence, the correct answer is option (a).

Step-by-step explanation:

William is displaying coercive power, which is the ability of a manager or leader to enforce obedience through punishments or threats. This form of power relies on fear and the negative consequences that can be applied if subordinates do not follow orders or meet expectations.

Examples of coercive power in action are removing break time, enforcing overtime, and proposing pay cuts in response to employees being late to meetings, which are all forms of punishment. Coercive power contrasts with other forms of power such as reward power, where leaders use positive incentives to motivate behavior, and expertise power, which is based on the skills and knowledge a leader possesses.