Written in collaboration with Sarah L.M. Griffiths and AI for the Community Leadership Accelerator
In our society, power is often seen as a finite resource, leading to a zero-sum mindset where one person or group gaining power must come at the expense of others. This assumption underpins many aspects of our lives, from politics and economics to social dynamics and organizational structures. However, this traditional view of power overlooks the transformative potential of collaboration and empowerment. Rethinking power can unleash this potential.
Why Leaders Should Care About Power and Power Dynamics
In the realm of leadership, power is often a misunderstood and underutilized asset. While the term ‘power’ might conjure images of dominance and control, its role in effective leadership is far more nuanced and essential. Understanding power dynamics is crucial for leaders at all levels, as it directly impacts organizational and group health, employee/volunteer engagement, and the leader’s ability to effect change. Here’s why leaders should pay close attention to power and power dynamics within their teams, groups, and organizations. And why they might want to be rethinking power.
- Power is Relational and Pervasive—Power is not just about the authority that comes with a leadership position. It’s about the relationships between people and how influence is exerted within those relationships. Power dynamics are present in every interaction and decision-making process, shaping the flow of information, resources, and support. Leaders who are aware of these dynamics can navigate organizational complexities more effectively, fostering a culture of transparency and collaboration.
- Power Influences Conflict Resolution—Conflicts are inevitable in any organization, and how they are resolved is heavily influenced by power dynamics. A leader’s understanding of power can lead to more constructive conflict resolution strategies, emphasizing cooperative and integrative approaches over competitive ones. This not only resolves conflicts more effectively but also builds trust and strengthens relationships within the team.
- Empowerment and Engagement—Leaders who understand power dynamics are better positioned to empower those around them. By recognizing and leveraging the various sources of power within their teams—such as expertise, information, and relationships—leaders can distribute power more equitably. This empowerment leads to higher levels of engagement, as team members feel valued, heard, and capable of contributing meaningfully to the organization’s goals.
- Navigating Organizational Change—Change is a constant in today’s organizational environment, and leading through change requires a nuanced understanding of power dynamics. Leaders must know how to mobilize support, work with resistance, and align diverse interests. By rethinking power and engaging with it more effectively, leaders can inspire and guide their teams through transitions smoothly, ensuring that change initiatives are successful.
- Ethical Considerations—Power, if misused, can lead to negative outcomes such as abuse, corruption, and organizational dysfunction. Ethical leadership requires a deep understanding of power dynamics to ensure that power is used responsibly and for the collective good. Leaders must be vigilant about the potential for power abuse and strive to create an environment where power is exercised with integrity and accountability.
Understanding Expressions of Power
One of the most common assumptions about power is its inherently hierarchical nature, where individuals or groups at the top wield control over those below them. In this way, power is often defined only in negative terms, and as a form of domination, but it can also be a positive force for individual and collective capacity to act for change. Lisa VeneKlasen and Valeries Miller in A New Weave of Power, People, & Politics (2002, page 55) describe four ‘expressions of power’ as follows[1]: power over, power to, power within, and power with. The UC Berkeley Integrated Civic Actions Project added a fifth expression: power for[2].
Power over—This mindset can lead to abuses of power, inequality, and systemic injustices. Moreover, it fosters a competitive environment where individuals vie for dominance rather than working together for mutual benefit. Examples of this include repression, force, coercion, discrimination, corruption, and abuse. Having power over involves taking it from someone else, and then, using it to dominate and prevent others from gaining it. In the absence of alternative models and relationships, people repeat the ‘power over’ pattern in their personal relationships, communities, and institutions. This is also true of people who come from a marginalized or ‘powerless’ group. When they gain power in leadership positions, they sometimes ‘imitate the oppressor.’ For this reason, new forms of leadership and decision-making must be explicitly defined and taught to promote more democratic forms of power. Rethinking power takes us into the other expressions of power.
Power to—True leaders understand that their strength lies not in dominating others but in connecting to them while uplifting and enabling them to reach their full potential. Power to refers to the unique potential of every person to shape his or her life and world. When based on mutual support, it opens up the possibilities of joint action, or ‘power with’. Citizen education and leadership development for advocacy are based on the belief that everyone has the power to make a difference.
Power within—Power is something that naturally resides in all of us. This is the “power within.” It connects us to our sense of worth and our own wisdom and recognizes the strength of others’ unique experience and worth. It is a source of hope and possibility and a recognition of human dignity and value. Many grassroots efforts use individual storytelling and reflection to help people affirm personal worth and recognize their ‘power to’ and ‘power with’. Both these forms of power are referred to as agency – the ability to act and change the world – by scholars writing about development and social change.
Power with—When we have connected to power within and power to, “powering with,” offers an alternative approach to traditional notions of power in that it emphasizes cooperation, synergy, and collective action. By bringing together diverse perspectives, skills, and resources, collaboration enables us to tackle complex challenges more effectively. Rather than viewing power as a fixed pie to be divided, powering with recognizes it as a renewable resource that grows stronger through shared efforts. Based on mutual support, solidarity and collaboration, power with multiplies individual talents and knowledge. It can help build bridges across different interests to transform or reduce social conflict and promote equitable relations.
Through powering with, we can address the following challenges associated with traditional power dynamics:
- Overcoming Division: Collaboration breaks down barriers and fosters unity by bringing people together around common goals and values.
- Promoting Equity: Including and empowering voices and communities usually left out of the conversation ensures that power is distributed more equitably.
- Building Resilience: By harnessing the collective wisdom and resources of diverse stakeholders, collaboration strengthens our ability to adapt and respond to change.
- Fostering Innovation: Collaboration encourages creativity and innovation by facilitating the exchange of ideas and perspectives, leading to novel solutions to complex problems.
Power for—Power impacts and shapes our world. Power for reminds us to be clear on our intentions and goals to guide us in how we use/grow/share power.
Whether we give notice to power or not, it is in operation every minute of every day. When we start noticing and rethinking power, we can see it in action, name it, and intentionally make decisions about it. We can interrupt it, shift it, connect to it and employ it. We can choose to interact with power in ways that align with our goals and values and drive the change we want to see in our organizations, communities and the world.
[1]See also powercube: Expressions of Power (https://www.powercube.net/other-forms-of-power/expressions-of-power/)
[2] UC Berkeley Integrated Civic Actions Project (https://iacp.berkeley.edu/change-analysis/power-analysis)