Motivated Compliance With Bases of Social Power

Abstract

This contribution examines the degree of compliance with hard and soft power bases (Raven, Schwarzwald, & Koslowsky, 1998) as a function of target motivational and personal orientations. Four field studies were conducted in different European organizations where intrinsic–extrinsic motivational orientations, desire for control, self‐presentational styles, and self‐esteem were respectively considered as antecedents of employees’ compliance with their supervisors’ power strategies. Results show that compliance with soft power strategies is positively related to intrinsic motivation, desire for control, “getting‐ahead” style, and self‐esteem; and negatively related to the “getting‐along” style. Compliance with hard power strategies is positively related to extrinsic motivation and to the getting‐along style, but negatively related to intrinsic motivation, desire for control, and self‐esteem.