Referent power is a form ofreverence gained by aleader who has stronginterpersonal relationship skills. Referent power, as an aspect ofpersonal power, becomes particularly important as organizational leadership becomes increasingly aboutcollaboration and influence and less aboutcommand and control.
In an organizational setting, referent power is most easily seen in thecharismatic leader who excels in making others feel comfortable in his or her presence. Staff typically express their excitement about work in terms of their attraction to their leader's personal characteristics and charisma. They commit to their work because of the leader's likability, and they base theirself-esteem and sense of accomplishment on their leader's approval.
Referent power may be defined as 'the ability of a leader to influence a follower due to the follower's admiration, respect, or identification with the leader'.[1] It has been suggested[by whom?] that the termreferent power may reflect a misspelling, with a more appropriate label beingreverent power. TheCambridge English Dictionary definesreverent as "showing great respect and admiration",[2] whereas "referent" is typically defined as "the thing that asymbol stands for, or refers to".[3]Bertram Raven states that "Referent power stems from the target identifying with the agent, or seeing the agent as amodel that the target would want to emulate".[4]
Information power
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