coercive (adjective, co-er-cive, \ koʊˈɜːrsɪv \) power (noun, pow-er, \ ˈpaʊər \)
Definition: is a source of authority that relies on using fear-inducing tactics, on the suffocation of the worker’s free will, or on the usage of illegal punishments and intimidation. Such tactics are applied when a worker refuses to follow the manager’s orders, and the latter uses coercive power to force them. For instance, an employer can make a worker perform tasks he isn’t paid for by threatening that the employee will be fired or lose his year-end bonus if he doesn’t comply. The usage of coercive power is heavily frowned upon in the modern business world and in most situations is illegal.
In a Sentence:
- My boss used coercive power to force me to work till 10 p.m. for the last month without being compensated for it, saying that he will fire me otherwise.
- Mr. Blackstone used coercive power to make his employees perform tasks they weren’t willing to do.
- In the business world, if someone wields a huge amount of coercive power, he can force employees to do almost everything he wants to.
Synonyms and related words: coercive incentive, enabling power, reward power, legitimate power, expert power
