Using Expert Power in Human Resources

This situation seems to be influenced by expert power. Expert power is based on follower’s perceptions of the leader’s competence (Northouse, 2016, p. 10). The opinions, ideas, and decisions of people with expert power are held in high regard by other employees and hence greatly influence their actions. Even though the employees are distraught and seem to have made the decision to demand that everyone in their department (including the VP) take a pay reduction to save the Director’s job, it seems as though they are relying on the VP’s experience and competence to give them guidance in this most important decision.

It can be shocking and difficult to know how to handle an employee who experiences a meltdown during termination notification. When a meltdown occurs, it is important to remain calm and allow the employee to regain their composure. If the employee continues to remain upset, it may be best to reschedule the meeting for an hour or so later. Even though you don’t know the person well, give them the benefit of the doubt. They may be having a bad day. If you need to have a follow-up meeting, be sure to follow the organization’s protocols and have an HR representative in the room since the employee has already shown signs of unpredictable outbursts. Put the incident behind you and move on but take advantage of the opportunity to learn from this experience (Mitchell, 2017).

References:

 

Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice (7^th ed). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.

Mitchell, A. (2017). 3 Tips for Handling and Employee Meltdown. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/3-tips-handling-employee-meltdown-amanda-mitchell