Referent Power: What, How and Why?
In 1959 social psychologists French and Raven found five types of powers in organizational behavior. Coercive, Reward, Legitimate, Expert, and Referent power are five different powers. They divided these five power types into formal and personal powers. Coercive, reward, and legitimate are formal powers whereas Referent and Expert powers fall into the category of personal powers. Leadership requires different types of powers and an ideal leader knows which power to use in which situation.