The Fragile Triangle of Formal Power
In organizational life, formal authority usually appears in three forms — legitimate, reward, and coercive power.
Elizabeth Perry describes legitimate power as authority granted by one’s role, the kind that thrives in hierarchical, almost military-like structures where rank guarantees obedience. But legitimate power is a borrowed coat: warm and impressive only while you’re wearing it. One memo, one reorganization, one political shift — and it can be taken from you instantly. Leaders who rely solely on titles eventually learn that authority handed to them can be just as easily reclaimed.
Alongside this is reward power, a familiar approach in many Filipino workplaces. It is the promise of “may increase ka next cycle,” the quiet suggestion of a promotion, the hint that an appraisal score might rise. Reward power works — transactionally. As Perry notes, it can produce compliance but rarely loyalty. People will chase the raise, not the leader behind it.
And finally, coercive power — the blade that cuts both ways. It thrives on fear, threats, and withheld opportunities. Leaders who wield it may get short-term compliance, but commitment evaporates. People stay physically, but their hearts leave early. Fear-based environments drain morale, and no amount of rewards can repair the damage.
Expert and Referent Power: Where True Influence Lives
Kelsey Miller notes that expertise often becomes the most reliable source of influence, especially when one lacks legitimate authority. If people believe you are the most knowledgeable person in the room, they will follow your lead. Ajay Kohli even argues that expert power is the strongest determinant of influence in organizational decisions. Filipino workplaces constantly prove this — ask anyone who has relied on “the IT guy who knows everything,” the tenured admin who understands the system better than the executives, or the quiet analyst who can explain the budget more clearly than the department head.
Beyond expertise lies something more fragile and potent: referent power. Fredrick Lunenburg describes this as influence rooted in trust and respect — the kind people grant voluntarily. Leaders with referent power listen well, extend help instinctively, and inspire not through authority but through presence. They become the steady anchors of teams, the quiet calm during crises. Unlike titles, referent power cannot be appointed; it grows from character and consistency. And in a country where relationships are workplace currency, referent power may be the most Filipino leadership tool of all.
You see this clearly in Guinaran’s 2021 study on Indigenous health policy implementation. Mid-level managers, despite limited formal authority, influenced outcomes through relationships, cultural negotiation, and contextual knowledge. Their power flowed not from rank but from trust — precisely the strengths many Filipino workers already possess.
A Necessary Counterpoint
Of course, legitimate power still has its place. When projects stall or boundaries blur, a supervisor’s intervention can reset direction (Miller, 2023). Bureaucracies — especially ours — require someone with positional authority to approve and sign off. And in technical industries, expertise is often dismissed if not paired with credentials.
Yet these limits do not erase the truth: influence often begins long before authority arrives. Many great leaders learned to lead without titles first.
Where Influence Really Begins
Influence starts in small, human moments — solving problems others avoid, helping coworkers understand new policies, mediating conflicts gently, creating psychological safety, or simply being someone colleagues trust.
In that New Jersey office, surrounded by quiet confidence, I realized influence begins the moment people decide you are worth listening to. Sometimes through expertise. Other times through integrity. Often through both.
A Call to Action for Filipino Workplaces
As the Philippine workforce grows younger and more exposed to global leadership models, it is time to loosen our grip on hierarchy. Let ideas — not titles — lead. Let expertise — not ego — shape decisions. And let referent power — not fear — be the foundation of followership.
So the next time you think, “Hindi kaya ng powers ko,” pause for a second. Maybe your real power was never tied to your title in the first place.
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Columnist Bio
Nicasio A. Pimentel III is a UK-certified human resources practitioner and educator with over 15 years of experience spanning HR strategy, analytics, systems integration and talent management across several Fortune Global 500 companies and public sector institutions in UK, Australia and the Middle East. He holds an MSc in Management and Human Resources from the prestigious London School of Economics and a BA Psychology from the University of the Philippines Diliman. A former Christian missionary to marginalized ethnic minorities in Cambodia, he now teaches psychology at the University of Antique and continues to serve underserved communities in Western Visayas through grassroots ministry and education advocacy. He is also an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (Assoc CIPD) in the UK. For questions, e-mail nicasio.pimentel@antiquespride.edu.ph./PN
