Canadian Health Information Management Association Practice Exam

Three types of position power are:

1. Legitimate, coercive, expert.

2. Reward, coercive, expert.

3. Reward, coercive, legitimate.

4. Reward, legitimate, expert.

The correct answer is: Reward, coercive, legitimate.

Position power refers to the various ways in which a person can influence others based on their position within an organization. The correct types of position power identified are reward power, coercive power, and legitimate power. Reward power is the ability to provide rewards to others, such as promotions, pay raises, bonuses, or other benefits. This type of power can motivate individuals to work harder or align with the desires of those in authority, as they seek to obtain these rewards. Coercive power involves the ability to impose punishments or sanctions on others. This could include reprimands, demotions, or other negative consequences resulting from undesirable behavior. This power relies on the fear of consequences to influence actions and decisions. Legitimate power arises from an individual's official position or role within an organization. This is the authority assigned to them through the company’s hierarchy, allowing them to make decisions and direct resources due to their recognized position. While options mentioning expert power are significant, they relate more to personal power, where an individual's expertise and knowledge earn them influence and respect rather than their position per se. Therefore, the emphasis is rightly placed in option C on the three main types of position power recognized in organizational behavior.