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Informal authority is power that isn't recognized by the systems of a society, organization or team. Here power is the ability to set strategy, allocate resources and make decisions. The following are illustrative examples of informal authority.Charismatic AuthorityCharismatic authority is power based on an individual's personal presence. This is based on the observation that people with fearsome social abilities such as wit can walk into a room and dominate a conversation without any formal authority to do so.
Expert AuthorityAuthority based on what you know. For example, an employee who ends up crafting an organization's information security strategy simply because they know more about security than anyone else in the organization.PersuasionPersuasion is the art of influencing with words. This can include appeals to logic and emotion that can change the direction of an organization.
Agents of ChangeChange is often resisted. It is a common reality that those who resist a change that's more or less inevitable are sidelined even if they have significant formal authority. In this context, agents of change become influential by virtue of being a part of the change of the day. For example, an executive of the 1980s who resists the computerization of an organization who is sidelined whereby programmers with no formal authority end up being more influential over time.
Stakeholder Salience Stakeholder salience is the degree to which stakeholders in an organization, department, team, strategy or project are aggressive in getting what they want. In other words, some people influence simply by virtue of being the most insistent, vocal and committed to battling for their agenda.Relationship BuildingBuilding relationships and then leveraging these relationships to influence. For example, a network of social connections that exercises significant control over a society, industry or organization.
Cronyism Cronyism is the extension of unfair influence or advantages to social connections often in exchange for a future, current or past benefit. For example, a corporate executive who influences or controls certain policies of a nation based on a relationship with that nation's political elite. Cronyism is a destructive force that can cause a nation to go into decline.|
| Type | | | Definition | Power that isn't rooted in the official structure and systems of a society, organization or team. | | Also Known As | InfluencingLeadership | | Related Concepts | |
Informal Authority
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