Contents
- 1 What is rational-legal authority based on?
- 2 Why is legal rational authority?
- 3 What is legal rational authority sociology?
- 4 What is an example of legal authority?
- 5 What is the characteristics of rational legal authority?
- 6 What are the 4 types of authority?
- 7 Who is a rational-legal authority leader?
- 8 What is the difference between power and authority?
- 9 What are the legal authorities?
- 10 What are the 3 types of authority?
- 11 Which type of authority is tied to the characteristics of an individual?
- 12 Who is an example of traditional authority?
- 13 What does the area over which someone has legal authority called?
Rational-legal authority is legitimate because laws, rules, norms, and procedures are respected and obeyed because they are laws, rules, norms, and procedures. Since charismatic and traditional administrations are typically based on the whims of their leaders, rational-legal administrations should be superior.
The authority system is rational because means are designed expressly to achieve certain goals and it is legal because authority is exercised through an office with its associated rules and procedures. For Weber the bureaucratic organization was technically the most efficient form of organization possible.
Rational-Legal Authority. According to Weber, power made legitimate by laws, written rules, and regulations is termed rational-legal authority. In this type of authority, power is vested in a particular rationale, system, or ideology and not necessarily in the person who implements the specifics of that doctrine.
Legal authority means any provision of law or regulation that carries the force of law, including, for example, statutes, rules and regulations, and court rulings.
According to Weber (1968), a rational-legal form of authority is characterized by abstract legality and stability and is based on balancing all everyday activities which are repetitive; it contains a system of rational rules.
Types of Authority:
- Legal Authority.
- Traditional or Formal or top-down Authority.
- Acceptance or Bottom-up Authority.
- Charismatic Authority.
- Competence or personal Authority.
Max Weber on Rational-Legal Authority: According to Weber, rational-legal authority is a form of leadership in which the authority of an organization or a ruling regime is largely tied to legal rationality, legal legitimacy, and bureaucracy.
Power is an entity’s or individual’s ability to control or direct others, while authority is influence that is predicated on perceived legitimacy. Consequently, power is necessary for authority, but it is possible to have power without authority.
Legal authorities are agents that have the power to decide for other agents. These decisions are usually made by creating, eliminating, or modifying legal norms, that is, by way of actions that introduce a change in the legal order.
His three types of authority are traditional authority, charismatic authority, and legal-rational authority (Weber 1922).
Charismatic authority is found in a leader whose mission and vision inspire others. It is based upon the perceived extraordinary characteristics of an individual. Weber saw a charismatic leader as the head of a new social movement, and one instilled with divine or supernatural powers, such as a religious prophet.
Traditional authority is generally associated with monarchies or tribal systems. For example, historically, kings derived their authority from tradition. They gained power through a line of succession. They became kings because their fathers before them had been kings, not because of any special ability or popularity.
The area over which someone has legal authority is called jurisdiction.