My first job out of college was in the logistics domain - warehousing to be specific. As young mechanical engineering graduates, we were given authority various aspects of operations.
And each young graduate had a team of workers they were responsible for, their 'team'.
As a 22 year old then, I had much older team members - some even in their 50s with kids as old as me.
Many of them had been doing the work for several years. They clearly knew a lot more than me!
The only authority I had was the one bestowed on me by way of organisational structure.
Apart from the theoretical training we had received, what we as young graduates needed was the ability to reconcile the other kinds of authorities other team members brought to the mix. And make the best of it to get the job done.
I struggled then.
In hindsight, I understand things better.
Here are the 4 kinds of authority -
1. Authority through (organisational) Hierarchy - This stems from designation primarily.
2. Authority through Expertise - The authority of the expert comes from skills. Imagine a young musician who has put in those hours of practice to come across as that expert. Such an authority matures through years (seniority) and experiences.
3. Authority through Seniority - There are things which only time can teach. Many things in the personal life especially as parents stem from this. On the professional side, this reflects in quality of people management and equanimity in tough situations.
4. Authority through Experience - This is the kind of authority people gain through real world exposures, some of which can be painful. It could be dealing with a layoff, chronic illness or death, or simply case by case scenarios that medical or legal professionals develop.
While most of us exercise all these types of authority, somehow in the professional setting, we value the hierarchical over the others.
Authority of expertise and experience is fairly within our control. Let's exercise them, and promote the same within our team.
Are there other types of authority that come to your mind?
Share in the comments.
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