The Importance of Expert Power

As I am becoming more comfortable in my internship role and have become more familiar with my supervisors, it has become clear that the expert power that they possess is a powerful influencer among myself and my fellow interns. Despite never meeting or working with either of my bosses, it is clear that they possess a wide range of knowledge in the field of process science and consulting. Since I and the rest of the intern class are not experts in this field, the expert power that my supervisors hold garners themselves a certain level of respect from us. This expert power has been clear in a number of ways. First, and most importantly, Sam and Hassan are incredibly knowledgable about process science and consulting from their years working in these fields and they have been able to educate us on the important pillars of process science. Additionally, when we are working on a project, their knowledge of the field allows them to know exactly what they want our work product to look like when we are finished. That allows them to give us clear and constructive feedback that not only helps us complete the project in the most efficient and successful manner, but helps educate us on why they want it done in that way. With their knowledge, the intern class trusts their expertise when they critique our work. We don’t second guess them because we trust that they are more knowledgable on the subject and understand all the positives and negatives of each decision they make.

This source of respect has become even more important during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a small start-up, Cavi was not capable of paying any of the interns in any capacity, so there was no form of transactional leadership taking place. While many people have noted how their bosses display transformational leadership behaviors, I have not noticed those behaviors among my leaders. While I like and respect my supervisors, I do not feel that they have raised my levels of morality or have conveyed an inspiring vision for the future of Cavi Consulting. Without having expert power, my supervisors Sam and Hassan would have struggled to gain respect from the interns, which could have significantly impacted the quality of our work product.