Power 💪

Power is often spoken about as a singular thing, when there are many different types of power relations which result in different power dynamics. When referring to issues involving the power dynamics within or between groups (i.e. more than two people), we often use the word 'structural' to describe these issues. Structural issues require a broader perspective than interpersonal interactions.

In this iteration (Mar 2022) of the Library of Care, we only talk about this briefly, though we hope to expand this information to apply to structural and organisational issues in the future.

In the sections before this, we have mostly been looking from the perspective of the individual. In some situations, however, an individual might feel powerless to change their situation. Although working on knowing ourselves can help us draw boundaries and fulfil our needs, sometimes there is little or no space for us to advocate for ourselves, without negative consequences. We have listed some examples of power dynamics below.

There are five ways in which people can wield ‘power over’ ✊ others:

• ✨ referent power

  • • Leaders who are charismatic and well-liked wield referent power. Followers base their self-esteem and sense of accomplishment on the leader’s approval. They want to work harder because the leader is famous and well-liked, and they want to be accepted and valued by the leader.

• 🎓 expert power

  • • Leaders with expert power are depended upon for their specialised skills, knowledge and abilities. Followers assume that the leader has superior skills and they depend upon the leader to wield these skills and knowledge instead of learning for themselves.

• 🏰 legitimate power

  • • Leaders with legitimate power are those with formal authority to control others. This power relies on position in an institution or governing body. An example of positions which hold legitimate power are arts council managers or programmers in arts venues.

• 🎁 reward power

  • • Leaders with reward power are those who can control access to benefits. If followers believe that these rewards are valuable and fair, reward power is effective. If reward power is overused, the relationship becomes transactional.

• 🚨 coercive power

  • • Leaders with coercive power control through punishment. They have the ability to disperse punishment and withhold resources or emotional support. Coercive power is often used to prevent bad behavior and when compliance is absolutely necessary, such as during a crisis situation.

Leaders can use multiple ways to exert power over others. Besides ‘power over’, there are other ways to look at power dynamics. Four of those mentioned by Elizabeth Talbot include:

• ✊ Power Over

  • • Power Over is the power to hire and fire a person, an example of such a relationship is the typical employer-employee one.

• 👐 Power With

  • • Power With means sharing power with a group of people through making shared decisions and acting together. An example of such relationships are those which prioritise communication and collective decision-making.

• 👉 Power To

  • • Power To refers to groups that rotate roles regularly without a clear leader. Everyone plays a different role and they learn to play new roles as time passes.

• 💗 Power Within

  • • Power Within is self-empowerment. It is related to Power With and Power To, because each individual has to feel valued by themselves and the group in order to learn new things and make decisions together with others.

In the most traditional sense, Power Over is the usual way that we run our organisations and nations. However, as people have become more aware of the potential of humans to grow continuously, we see more places implementing Power With and Power To. Can you think of any examples in your life that Power With and Power To have been used?

Further reading:

https://sustainingcommunity.wordpress.com/2019/02/01/4-types-of-power/

https://www.participatorymethods.org/method/power

https://www.powercube.net/other-forms-of-power/expressions-of-power/

Reflective Questions

NOTE: Reflective questions can feel intense! If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed or tired, please feel free to take a break or leave the section altogether. Alternatively, you can simply skim past the questions to get a feel of them without answering each individual question. Ultimately, these questions are for you: take what you need and leave what you don't! :)