Position Power is best described as?

• A. The leader's technical expertise.
• B. The amount of legitimate, reward, and coercive power a leader has by virtue of his position.
• C. The personal charisma of a leader.
• D. The influence of peers on a leader.

Answer: (B)

Position power is the authority that a leader gains from their formal role in the organization. It includes legitimate power—the recognized right to give orders and make requests; reward power—the ability to grant rewards, praise, or promotions; and coercive power—the capacity to punish or sanction. These sources of influence come from the position itself, not from the leader’s personal qualities. The other descriptions describe personal or external sources of influence—technical expertise relates to expert power, charisma to referent power, and peer influence reflects social dynamics rather than formal authority.