Power dynamics and conflict

As well as power dynamics between our own organisations and the community, we need to be mindful of potential power dynamics within the community. We need to develop an understanding of who does or doesn’t have power and influence within the community, and whether there are gatekeepers or opinion leaders. No community is a homogenous group. 

If we don’t develop an understanding of this during our engagement and respond appropriately, we can risk reproducing these power dynamics through our engagement. Understanding these dynamics can help us make sure our engagement process is inclusive.  We may also risk only hearing or promoting the views of a few people or groups that do not represent those of the whole community or others in the community. 

For example, if we only engage with opinion leaders or 'gatekeepers' and take their views as representative of the community’s views, we may misrepresent the views of others who haven’t had the opportunity to share what they think. It may prevent us from developing a holistic and nuanced understanding of the community. 

There are a number of steps we can take to help understand and respond to some of the potential power dynamics within communities. Building our understanding of these dynamics can help us better understand how people may view or engage with health and social care research differently, and how we might need to adapt our approach depending on who we are engaging. It can also help us to understand different needs and priorities, such as research priorities within communities. 

To learn about potential power dynamics in the community, we can: 

Understanding power dynamics in the community

• Ask questions - As part of your initial engagement, you can ask people questions, such as: 

  • Which people in your community have the greatest power and influence? 

  • How about when it comes to issues relating to people’s health and care?

  • Are there people who hold less power and influence? Who are they? 

• Observation - Being present in the community and observing how people interact, for example, at group meetings, events, or in conversation, can also help in learning about power dynamics. For example, you may notice that some people/groups don’t attend certain community events or spaces and that it may be more effective to engage with them in other ways or places. Equally, you may notice at community events or meetings that some voices carry more weight than others, that organising one open community workshop or meeting would not be inclusive of all voices, and that other forms of engagement might also be needed. 

• Try to spend some time in the community and, if appropriate, talk to people you meet and ask them some of the above questions. Could you, for example, spend one day a week or fortnight working from a location in the community, for example, at the local library, at a local charity’s office, or at a food bank or community centre?

Addressing power dynamics

If you become aware of power dynamics within the community, there are a number of steps you can take:

• Ask partners - Ask partner organisations or members of the community you are working with how community events normally work, if there are any dynamics you need to be aware of, and how conflict or disagreement is usually dealt with. 

• Notice who isn’t participating - Pay attention to people who speak less in discussions. Provide opportunities to share their views by asking if they have anything they would like to add or by asking the group “Is there anything else people would like to add if they haven’t already?”. Use different methods of engagement and facilitation to provide space for people to share their thoughts, for example, by getting people to write down ideas individually on post-it notes, and organising breakout discussions in a range of group sizes and pairs.  Also, take note of who doesn’t attend or participate in the activities you organise. Are there particular groups or people that aren’t represented in the discussion? Speak to your community partners about why this might be and how you can hear from them.

• Establish ground rules - Ground rules are an excellent way to frame any community event or discussion. They set out the parameters for acceptable and unacceptable behaviour during the discussion. By asking attendees to suggest ground rules and drawing up a shared agreement of the rules everyone will follow during the discussion, you can create buy-in and ownership for them as a way of working together in that space. By everyone agreeing to follow this way of working together, you can remind people of the behaviours they agreed to at the beginning of the event, if anyone acts in a challenging or confrontational way. 

• Establish common ground - At the beginning of your engagement activity or process, it can be useful to help people find common ground. This can help people build positive relationships and feel encouraged to treat each other with respect and listen to each other’s views. You can do this by starting with icebreakers that build common ground and facilitating the group to find or prioritise common themes or topics from their discussion.

If a conflict does arise: 

• Stay calm; 

• Intervene early and be kind but firm in your approach; 

• Remind people of the purpose of your discussion and the agreed ground rules. Remind people you are here for a shared purpose;

• Gently encourage a move towards hearing other people’s ideas, but with care and respect for those involved in the conflict, so that you avoid feelings of embarrassment or dismissal.