In management authority is formal (or legitimate) authority specified in a charter gives a project manager the authority to act in the name of the sponsoring executive or on behalf on the organization. Management (from Old French ménagement the art of conducting, directing, from Latin manu agere to lead by the hand) characterises the process of leading and directing all or part of an organization, often a business, through the deployment and manipulation of resources (human, financial, material, intellectual or intangible). ... A project manager is the person who has the overall responsibility for the successful planning and execution of any project. ... An organization (U.S. spelling) or organisation (U.K. spelling) is a formal group of people with one or more shared goals. ...

Referent authority refers to the ability to influence others through charisma, personality, and charm.

Coercive authority refers to motivating staff by punishment and is predicated on fear of losing status, positions, bonuses or jobs.

Reward authority refers to positive reinforcement and the ability to award something of value.

Expert authority is earned if the team respects one's skills as a project manager or subject-matter expert.

See also

Project Management Body of Knowledge Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) is a project management standard developed by the Project Management Institute (PMI). ...