Sources of Leader Power (Scenario)
Rachel is confused. As the new department manager, she had hoped that everyone would acknowledge her authority and respect her decisions. However, she has noticed that some of her employees seem to have nearly as much power as she does. For example, everyone seems to go to Helen whenever they have a question about the computer system. Helen helped with the design and implementation of the system, and employees find that she can usually correct problems faster than the system support staff. Then there is a sales representative named Joe who has a remarkable amount of charm and charisma. He is liked and admired by everyone, and seems to have a power based simply upon "being himself." Then there is Jill, her secretary, who also seems to have a lot of power. All employees have to record timecards, and it is Jill's responsibility to turn in the timecards every week. Occasionally, Rachel has seen Jill override the time clock to record an employee in earlier than they actually arrived or out later than they actually left. When Rachel questioned her about it, Jill just laughed and said it had been a common practice for years. Since the company did not pay overtime, she was merely adjusting the time cards to informally compensate those who put in extra time. Although Rachel was skeptical about this practice, Jill insisted that it was all right because the timecards always averaged out. As Rachel considered these and other events in her department, she began to wonder if she had any power at all!
-Helen possesses ________ power.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Helen has a high level of expertise in the computer system, which gives her an expert power over her colleagues. They trust her knowledge and skills to solve their problems efficiently.