QUOTATION 70
MAX WEBER ON AUTHORITY
Use this to identify the different forms of authority that are available to you as a manager.
Karl Emil Maximilian (Max) Weber (1864–1920) was a German sociologist, philosopher and political economist whose work has had a major influence on social theory and social research. He identified three forms of authority:
[Charismatic authority is an] extraordinary and personal gift of grace; [he distinguished charisma from the other forms of authority by stating that] Men do not obey him [the charismatic ruler] by virtue of tradition or statute, but because they believe in him.
[Tradition is] the authority of the eternal yesterday.
[Legal authority is the product of] rationally created rules.
Max Weber
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