Authority/ Legitimacy

Authority

Authority is the Right to Rule.

Authority exists when subordinates acknowledge and recognize
the right of superiors to give orders.

Why is authority important?

Authority and legitimacy are crucial
in building effective, inclusive states.

3 different
sources of authority

Traditional Authority
Charismatic Authority
Legal-Rational Authority

Traditional Authority

Traditional authority exists by reference to tradition. Rulers refer to
tradition as the source of their authority. For example, religion.

Charismatic Authority

Charismatic leaders are generally inspiring individuals who emerge in times of crisis or upheaval. Charismatic leaders inspire their followers.

The holder of charisma is set apart from ordinary people as endowed with
supernatural, superhuman, or exceptional powers and qualities

Types of Charismatic Leadership:

Socialized vs. Personalized Charisma

Socialized Charismatic Leaders
Leaders

Serve the collective interest/good

They empower their followers
They have regard for their
followers’ feelings and rights
Go beyond self-interest for the
good of the team
Socialized charismatic leadership
can use their charisma to
produce positive outcomes and
changes.
Examples: Martin Luther
King Jr, Mohandas K. Gandhi

Personalized Charismatic
Leaders

 Have strong power needs (they
need to control and dominate)
 They exhibit authoritarian
behavior
 They tend to be self-serving
 Exploit others and disregard their
rights and feelings
 Personalized charismatic leaders
are often narcissistic.
Example: Adolf Hitler

Narcissism/Narcissistic Leadership:

Surround themselves with sycophants who
will feed their craving for admiration and adulation.

Difficult time accepting blame or criticism. When they are
blamed for something, they lash out in anger at those who accused them.

Dark Triad

T A combination of Charisma, Narcissism, and Machiavellianism

Charisma that is combined with narcissism and
Machiavellian leadership can be extremely
dangerous combination in leaders.

Adolf Hitler and Saddam Hussein

Legal-Rational Systems

people obey regardless of who sits in the office
 In legal rational systems, people recognize the power of the law as an abstract concept,
not those who enforce it.
 Authority is “depersonalized” and vested in the office.

Advantages of Legal-Rational Authority

One of the advantages of legal-rational authority is that it is not arbitrary and leaders can be held accountable.

Disadvantages of Legal Rational Authority

The bad thing about legal-rational authority is that it is very effective when put to bad uses.

Legitimacy

Refers to whether people accept the validity of a specific law or the entire political system. A legitimate political system is based on
authority.