Being a 2nd Lieutenant in the Air
Force I find myself in an interesting dilemma when it comes to power and
authority. As an officer I outrank 80%
of the Air Force and have been put in a position of power and authority over
the enlisted ranks (AFPC, 2013) . This would be considered Legitimate Power. In the text, Yukl describes Legitimate Power
as “stemming from formal authority over work activities” (Yukl, 2013,
p. 188) . I have been commissioned by congress and put
in a position of power to make certain decisions as I see fit. To a person with very little understanding of
the true nature of power this may seem like an enticing spot to be in. However, as I have learned in the last 18
months, much like in the case of Spiderman, “With great power comes great responsibility”
(Raimi, 2002) .
While I find myself in the position of
Legitimate Power I find that I am often lacking Expert Power. As a Logistics Officer we are often referred
to as a Jack of All Trades and often are put in ambiguous positions being
expected to get the job done no matter what it is. This makes it difficult to be experts in any
given field. In my short time in the Air
Force so far I have been a Fuels Deputy Flight Commander a Supply Flight
Commander and now I am in the position of the Wing Installation Deployment
Officer. Each of these positions require
leadership but each also calls for some form of Expert Knowledge to be able to
make informed decisions about the work being done within the flight. This is difficult seeing as I have only been
in each position for a very short period of time. Because of my lack of Expert Power I have to
find other ways to gain power over my subordinates. One way in which I have been able to accomplish
this is through Position, Referent and Personal Power. In my position that I hold I have power over
my subordinates. When I ask them to do
things they are expected to accomplish those tasks. However if I only use Position Power without
using Personal and Referent Power the tasks may get done, but the quality will
suffer. Using Personal Power I can gain
a sense of trust and report with my subordinates. If I can show them that I will do my best to
help them and take care of them while doing my best to learn from them, then I
can gain that trust and respect while instilling a desire to help and take care
of me when needed. In the military we
are often asked to sacrifice a lot with often with very little thanks. If I can gain the respect and trust of others
I will hopefully receive their trust and loyalty in return. Then I can even offer rewards in return for
excellent work. The 52 Fighter Wing
Commander does this frequently. He
understands that in Europe a great reward for people is time. There are certain goals the wing is asked to
hit. When these goals are hit the wing
commander will give a day off. This
gives families a chance to explore Europe and spend time together. I too have used this form of power when
asking for help from people in projects that require volunteering. This form of power is effective when used
appropriately and can help tasks be accomplished when subordinates know the
reward is great. I myself have worked
more quickly and carefully when I know I have the chance to take a day off and
spend it with my family.
A concept discussed in the office is one of
moral. Over the past few months, due to
personality clashes with previous leadership and subordinates, foul language,
an intense atmosphere and a degree of lack of caring about the personal lives
of subordinates moral has been low. The
leadership that was there previously had a poor understanding of the Social
Exchange Theory. In the text Yukl
explains this as “how power is gained or lost in organizations” (Yukl, 2013, p. 193) . Through the Social Exchange Theory you can
gain influence over others when you show expertise and loyalty to your
subordinates. In turn when your
subordinates know you will take care of them when needed they will then more
fully do what is asked and be more willing to go the extra mile in the future.
Another form of power used in my office with
previous leadership was Coercive Power. This
form of power is based on the company or organization’s authority over
punishments. The military has a greater
ability to enforce this type of behavior due to the power of punishment ranking
officers hold. Failure to obey a direct
order is punishable under the military’s UCMJ (Uniform Code of Military Justice). In my experience I have only found this to be
useful when attempting to change already present bad behavior, not attempting
to force good behavior from already hard workers as used by previous leadership. However, I have seen situations where a
person has made a mistake and the punishment was intended to correct that
behavior while hoping that person could continue in the Air Force and come back
from their mistakes. These are often in
the form of Letters of Counseling, Letters of Reprimand and in severe cases an
Article 15 along with another form of punishment to include extra duty for a
period of time or a pay cut. This form
of power is not something I enjoy having to use but have found that it is
useful in some situations. We had a
situation where a Staff Sergeant had what I like to call a “momentary lapse of
reason”. This is a great airmen whose
wife (soon to be ex-wife) was fooling around on him with another person. He went to the house she was at, broke in to
the car, broke in to the house and threatened the man with her, with a crowbar
and a knife. In any other situation this
airman is a great, hardworking person.
He saw a threat and addressed it, albeit in an illegal manner. As punishment he had a stripe suspended with
suspended pay and extra duty for a month.
This was after much discussion and pleading on the part of his flight
leadership. This form of coercive
punishment was appropriate for the situation and so far worked very well. I do not enjoy this form of power however and
hope to find other ways of leading people that may be able to help my lack of
experience and knowledge in my field.
In hopes of overcoming my weaknesses in Expert
Power I hope to show those in the office that I have a desire to learn and
understand the job while showing I am there to take care of them. I find when I show I care about others and
take a genuine interest in their well-being they are much more willing to be
proactive while helping out and going the extra mile when needed. I have also found that office moral is much
higher and that the work place is a much better place to be on a daily
basis.
References
AFPC. (2013, December 31). afpc.af.mil.
Retrieved from afpc.af.mil:
http://www.afpc.af.mil/library/airforcepersonneldemographics.asp
Raimi, S. (Director). (2002). Spider-Man
[Motion Picture].
Yukl, G. (2013). Leadership in Organizations.
Boston: Pearson.
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