Expert power stems from what you know and can do—people with specialized knowledge or skills that others rely on hold expert influence. In modern organizations, technical specialists, seasoned professionals, or those with deep institutional knowledge often wield this power. A project manager might not officially report to the IT architect, but everyone defers to the architect’s expertise when a critical system issue arises. Their recommendations carry weight because others trust their competence.

Expert power can exist at any level. Even a junior analyst who becomes the go-to person for data insights develops significant informal influence. Leaders often lean on advisors or team members with expert power to guide decisions – a CFO relies on her lead accountant for complex regulatory knowledge, for instance. This reliance can speed up problem-solving and lead to better decisions if the expertise is relevant and up-to-date.

For practitioners, cultivating expert power means continuous learning and sharing knowledge. It’s a positive form of power that generally earns respect, especially when experts use their know-how to help others rather than hoard information.

On the flip side, if one person’s expertise becomes a bottleneck (say, only one engineer understands a key process), you might encourage cross-training to distribute knowledge more broadly. In essence, expert power underscores a simple truth: competence confers influence. Organizations benefit when they recognise and appropriately leverage their experts.