Reply With QuotePower is the capacity of a person, team, or organization to influence others. There are a few important features of this definition. First, power is not the act of changing someone’s attitudes or behavior; it is only the potential to do so. People frequently have power they do not use; they might not even know they have power. Second, power is based on the target’s perception that the power holder controls (i.e., possesses, has access to, or regulates) a *valuable resource that can help him or her achieve goals. People might generate power by convincing others that they control something of value, whether or not they actually control that resource. This perception is also formed from the power holder’s behavior, such as those who are not swayed by authority or norms. For instance, one recent study found that people are perceived as more powerful just by their behavior such as putting their feet on a table, *taking coffee from someone else’s container, and being less vigilant of *bookkeeping rules. Notice, too, that power is not a personal feeling of power. You might feel powerful or think you have power over others, but it is not power unless others believe you have that capacity.
