IntroductionTo explain the statement: “Power does not flow to unknown people in the organization”, I will give an overview of the model of power in organizations according to Mc Shane and Von Glinow, which includes a definition of the meaning of power, the different sources of power, and the contingencies that must exist before the sources of power translate into actual power. Finally, I will make a conclusion and a recommendation. The Sources and Contingencies of Power in Organizations McShane and Von Glinow define power as “the ability of a person, team, or organization to influence others” (300). Furthermore, they assert that power derives from five main sources and four main contingencies, as the following figure illustrates. Figure 2: A model of power within organizations Source: McShane and Von Glinow 302 McShane and von Glinow determine that the first three powers - legitimate, and coercive power - are granted to people through the organization or collaborators, while the other two powers – expert power and reference power – depend on the “specific characteristics of the power holders” (301). The first source of power that can be attributed to organizational members is legitimate power, which is defined as an “agreement among organizational members that people in certain roles can demand certain behaviors from others” (302 ). This source of power usually results from different roles within the organization (hierarchy). In the same way, the manager can expect his employees to do what he needs. Another source of power that can be granted to employees is reward power, which is defined as “the person's ability to control the allocation of rewards valued by others and to eliminate negative aspects” (302). Reward power provides incentives and is the opposite of the third source of power, which is coercive power. Coercive power is the final source of power attributed to people and involves “the capacity to apply punishment” (303). The fourth source of power is Expert Power, which does not come from the position but rather from within the person. Expert power is “the ability to influence others by possessing knowledge or skills that others value” (303). For example, an employee can develop his or her expert power by acquiring knowledge important to the organization that others would also like to possess. The fifth source of power, which does not depend on an employee's role or position, but on the person's own characteristics, is referent power, defined as "the ability to influence others based on an identification and respect for power.” holder” (303).