Leader Preference for Different Forms of Power Test
How the Scales are Structured
Who Usually Takes This Test?
See How You Compare
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.
Example Questions From the Test
- Tell them that a bonus may be paid for completing this task.
- Ask them to work faster, because otherwise I may get into trouble as their manager.
- Order them to work faster.
- Suggest the best way to complete the task, based on my extensive experience and knowledge.
- Point out that sanctions may be applied if the work is not completed on time.
- I would apply sanctions, within my authority, to employees who do not carry out my instructions.
- I would point out to my subordinates that I am now their manager, not a colleague, and they are required to follow my instructions.
- I would try to earn my subordinates' respect and trust and build authority among them.
- I would use the rewards available to me to reinforce high-quality work.
- I would try to convince my subordinates that they should listen to my views and instructions because I have greater experience and knowledge.
- Call the employee in and try to persuade them, based on my professional experience, that my instructions are correct.
- Reprimand the employee and reassign the task to another staff member.
- Tell the employee that a subordinate should not make changes to a manager’s directives.
- Point out to the employee that following my directives precisely may bring material benefits (a bonus, a pay raise, etc.).
- Use my personal skills (e.g., clear communication, persuasion) to obtain the desired result from the employee.
Leader Preference for Different Forms of Power Test - Description and methodology of the test
Managers, team leads, and students of organizational behavior may find the Leader Preference for Different Forms of Power Test useful when reflecting on difficult workplace choices. Its scenarios support self-reflection about authority, persuasion, incentives, expertise, and control, helping readers examine leadership power decisions in context and reflect on personal responsibilities.
What This Assessment Explores
Vignettes cover delays, conflict, resistance, overtime, advice, and assignments. Each offers five actions involving rewards, sanctions, personal appeal, expertise, or directives. Some scenarios use managerial authority, while one scale result specifically reflects reliance on established norms, customs, and traditions. Together, choices describe different forms of power as a power preference profile, not guaranteed behavior.
These dimensions are:
- Charismatic Power (0-10) reflects reliance on personal attractiveness and individual qualities; Low 0-4, Moderate 4-7, High 7-10.
- Traditional Power (0-10) reflects reliance on established norms, customs, and traditions; Low 0-3, Moderate 4-6, High 7-10.
- Expert Power (0-10) reflects knowledge, experience, and competence; Low reliance 0-4, Balanced use 5-6, High reliance 7-10.
- Sanction-Based Power (0-10) reflects use of punishment or restriction; Low 0-3, Moderate 4-6, High 7-10.
- Reward Power (0-10) reflects use of incentives; Low 0-4, Moderate 5-6, High 7-10.
Methodology and Evidence Base
Methodologically, this is a situational self-report questionnaire. Each vignette offers five actions, and the respondent selects the response closest to a likely management choice. The options represent different influence routes, so scoring produces separate preference scores rather than one overall total. The displayed bands describe result levels, not universal cutoffs.
The evidence base includes Levkovich’s 2001 study of leader power preferences, the closest published match for this scenario format and construct. The questionnaire is conceptually consistent with that work; the online version has no stated standardized norms or validation data. French and Raven’s framework, plus Raven’s later developments, distinguish influence through rewards, sanctions, legitimacy, personal identification, and expertise. Together, these sources clarify the constructs without establishing psychometric evidence for this online version.
Context can shape manager influence strategies: self-report choices may reflect impression management, current pressures, or limited awareness of habitual responses. Read the result as a structured reflection on preferred influence routes, not as a diagnosis or complete measure of managerial effectiveness. Comparing it with workplace experience can reveal where a broader repertoire may help.
- Levkovich, L. Yu. (2001). Factors of Leaders' Preference for Different Forms of Power in an Organization. In A. L. Zhuravlev & E. V. Shorokhova (Eds.), Psychology of Joint Activity of Small Groups and Organizations (pp. 270-284). Moscow: Institute of Psychology of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Socium.
- French, J. R. P., Jr., & Raven, B. H. (1959). The Bases of Social Power. In D. Cartwright (Ed.), Studies in Social Power (pp. 150-167). Ann Arbor, MI: Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan.
- Raven, B. H. (1993). The Bases of Power: Origins and Recent Developments. Journal of Social Issues, 49(4), 227-251. 10.1111/j.1540-4560.1993.tb01191.x
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