Authority (management)

Authority in management is the formal or legitimate authority specified in a charter that gives a project manager the authority to act in the name of the sponsoring executive or on behalf on the organization.

There are different types of authority^[1]:

• Positional authority: refers to the project manager's authority enforced through the project charter.
• Coercive authority (also referred as penalty authority) : refers to motivating staff by punishment and is predicated on fear of losing status, positions, bonuses or jobs.
• Expert authority : is earned if the team respects one's skills as a project manager or subject-matter expert.
• Referent authority : refers to the ability to influence others through charisma, personality, and charm.
• Reward authority : refers to positive reinforcement and the ability to award something of value.

See also

• Government authority
• Power (philosophy)

References

1. ^ Grabbing Project Management Authority – Building from Scratch Thomas Cutting, October 3, 2008