Power vs. Authority: Differences Between Power and Authority

Power is a person’s capacity to influence the actions of others. Power can result from both personality traits and acquired abilities. One may derive their source of power from confidence, ego, or years of experience. Power may work its way into social groups, with one friend better able to convince others to participate in group activities. Within an organization, those lower on the totem pole might be able to use the power of charisma to sway the decision-making of higher-ups.

Authority is the legitimacy of power; this often manifests as one’s appointed or elected right to power. Police officers are hired for their jobs, politicians are voted into office, and managers rise through the ranks of their jobs: All of these titles give people authority.

There are a few key distinctions between power vs. authority:

1. 1. Source: Power is one’s ability to influence people, and personal characteristics can contribute to a person’s power. Authority figures do not need charisma to hold legitimate power and formal rights, but there can be crossover. A president, for example, holds a position of authority, and their power may be amplified by their magnetism—this is an example of charismatic authority.
2. 2. Legitimacy: Personal power can be very influential, but it is not formalized. Authority is a type of power that elections, laws, or formal hirings can legitimize.
3. 3. Hierarchy: Power is not necessarily hierarchical. In political systems, for example, a president may hold power over their staff, but the president’s advisor may also have the power to influence the president and steer their actions. On the other hand, many types of authority have different levels of reporting. At an office, for example, an associate may report to a manager who reports to an executive. Each person will hold a different tier of authority, though their innate power may blur the line between specified authority and capability to influence.

According to sociologist Max Weber in Economy and Society (1922), there are three types of authority: traditional authority, charismatic authority, and rational-legal authority:

1. 1. Traditional authority: Long-standing structures enable the inheritance of power in traditional authority, like kings and queens in monarchies.
2. 2. Charismatic authority: This form of authority is more organic—leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr. have charismatic authority. Charismatic leaders amass followers with their extraordinary personalities and communication skills.
3. 3. Rational-legal authority: If traditional authority is based on customs, rational-legal authority derives from laws and societal rules by which elected officials abide. In democracies, politicians are voted in by the people and must abide by preset guidelines, such as those in a constitution or charter. Rational-legal authority also clarifies the peaceful transfer of power.

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