Perceived social power (French and Raven, 1959) and the organization's situational favorableness (Fiedler, 1964) were conceptually analyzed and empirically tested for theoretical similarities. First-level nursing managers (N = 137) in general hospital settings were asked about their perceived bases of social power, leader-member relations, formal position power, and task structure. Four of the five correlational hypotheses were supported (p (LESSTHEQ) .05), suggesting that perceptions of the bases of social power and the situation's favorableness have a positive association. The results hold promise for theory development since parsimony and refinement are recognized goals. Certain demographic characteristics such as age, length of time in the role, and formal educational preparation were also positively and significantly related to one or more of the tested variables. The findings have implications for the choice of the nursing organization's structure and the role-socialization of nurse managers. First-level nurse managers' ambivalence about rewarding subordinates was a serendipitous finding. Additional research is recommended and includes: (a) investigation of perceived reward behaviors among nurses, (b) improvements in the measurement tools, and (c) replication of the study in a variety of nursing settings.