Reflections of Power

by Dewi Handayani 09.38 0 komentar

Reflections of Power

Written by: Brett Richards, M.A.
President, Connective Intelligence Inc.

We are living in turbulent times. We are now being exposed and strongly influenced by various types of power strategies operating throughout our world. As citizens of a free and democratic society, we can no longer afford to turn our eyes away from these different faces of power if we wish to preserve the freedoms we so cherish.

Profound change has been thrust upon us. Before September 11th, we were already coping with rapid change brought on largely by the effects of globalization and astounding advances in information technology. No doubt these changes were impacting us personally in terms of downsizing and the subsequent need to re-skill ourselves to meet the needs of a changing global economy. But these changes were generally limited to the sphere of work.

Since September 11th, we have been physically, emotionally and psychologically shaken because we have been affected at deeper, more fundamental levels that impact our sense of community, personal meaning and physical security. Recent events have challenged our feelings of personal power as individuals and as a nation. How much control do we actually have over the various power strategies operating throughout our world? Especially those that seek to sabotage the very existence of the western world, as we know it? Unfortunately, we are no longer sheltered from those that violently conspire against us. In one day, we were awakened to a larger, more menacing reality; one which included the presence of radical, political networks operating abroad and worse - at home - committed to our demise. The realization that these networks have fed off the very freedoms we endorse is perhaps the gravest irony and most unsettling reality over these past months. In light of these realties, we are all now challenged to reassess what it means to be citizens of a free and open society that values tolerance, freedom and equality for all.

The Stress of Profound Change

In the early 80's, the concept of personal power took hold through research (for example, Maddi & Kobasa: The Hardy Executive, 1984) related to understanding the factors that help or hinder personal stress levels within organizations. The research found that in the absence of a real or perceived sense of personal power, individuals will be pre-disposed to experiencing higher levels of stress and anxiety. In other words, the construct of personal power has been shown to be an essential ingredient to maintain high levels of personal performance, health and wellness. People need to feel they have meaningful control over the circumstances that occur in their environment. Power, from this perspective, represents an inner ability to positively affect or influence circumstances external to ourselves. It also reflects a felt ability to self-manage personal attitudes and behaviours in ways that are deemed to be adaptive.

Recent world events have shaken our sense of personal power and produced high degrees of stress in part by limiting our sense of control. We are now exposed to higher levels of personal risk through unprecedented, random acts of violence within our borders. The short-term economic forecast is not overly favourable and many companies, especially those associated with the airline and tourism industries, are facing devastating financial losses and experiencing massive layoffs. For many thousands of people across North American, to coin a phrase: "the future isn't what it used to be". We are suffering from the emotional shock of the enormous loss of innocent lives. Many of us witnessed in living colour the disaster at ground zero. Some of us are faced with reduced incomes or job loss due to the after-shocks rippling through our economy. And we are faced with the now heightened anxiety of safety for ourselves friends and family. Profound change is indeed upon us and is distinguished by a heightened need to adapt simultaneously to significant changes within many different spheres of our lives.

The Power of the Human Spirit

And yet, many positive things have emerged from the ashes of terror. There has been an increase in community building, a greater sense of national unity, increased compassion and charity for each other as human beings, and perhaps even a more realistic view of our changing world. We are being encouraged by our governments and our leaders to re-empower ourselves, to regain our sense of control by trying to live our lives as we always have, to maintain our freedom by moving about the country as we always have. Our leaders have asked us to send a message to our adversaries that we, not they, will determine the extent of our freedom and that we will control our destiny.

These sentiments tap into another form of power, the power of the human spirit; the power of compassion, love and community. In times of crisis and profound change our ideals, our values and our beliefs are drawn to the surface of awareness, compelling us to re-examine what it means to be contributing members of a free society. For those of us in the Western world, we gain tremendous power (perhaps more than we realize) from our beliefs in freedom and equality. We gain tremendous power from our belief that everyone, regardless of colour, nation or creed is entitled to live in freedom, raise a family and contribute to the great upward striving of civilization. This kind of power cannot be underestimated, nor should it be ignored; it is what makes us a great.

The Concept of Power

I have found that there seems to be almost an aversion to talk about "power" as if it were some form of taboo. Lets instead talk of control, decision-making, or influence, all of which by the way are merely applications of the deeper, underlying current of power. Could it be that, for whatever reason, we have resisted to name the unthinkable? Even resisting the admission that power is very much a part of who we are? And that maybe we even like to use it, on occasion? Maybe power has just taken a bad wrap over the years by being associated only with negative attributes. Perhaps we simply need to understand it better.

Power Defined

There are many definitions of power. In its simplest form, power is pure potential or, energy in waiting. Being neither inherently good, nor inherently bad, it really depends on how it is used. And the determination of whether it is being used for good or for ill really depends on the unique perspective from whom the value judgment is being made. Bennis and Nanus, (1991) describe power as the "capacity to translate intention into reality and sustain it. French and Raven (1968) classified different types of power such as, legitimate or positional, expert, referent (i.e. through role modeling), reward, coercive or information based. Another definition of power that is of particular interest in lieu of the efforts that President Bush and his administration are making to build a global coalition against terrorism is as follows:

"Power is the ability to create and maintain a dominant coalition which can mobilize resources, get others to accomplish a plan, prevent having that plan modified in undesirable ways, and induce most members to accept the dominant coalition's decision as binding" - Virgil Blanke (1980)

It is interesting to reflect back on how soon after September 11th, President Bush was attempting to build a "dominant coalition" and to get others to help him accomplish a plan to eradicate terrorism. Another exceptional definition I have found comes from Dr. Alan Miller (1992), who defines power as:

...that which is full of potential to act, do and effect (or prevent) change, and which therefore represents both opportunity and threat.

Power, in all its forms, is pervasive and very real. And most importantly, it doesn't just exist somewhere 'out there', it is a part of each and every one of us. Whether we care to admit it or not, we apply power strategies on our friends, colleagues and children every day of our lives. And we in turn, are affected by the application of power imposed upon us at deeply personal levels each and every day, as well.

The Faces of Power

A better understanding of power can help us cope with a changing world. It can help us in our roles as leaders, managers and employees to regain some control over an increasingly complex workplace. It can help to increase our sensitivity and awareness of the different kinds of power strategy dynamics currently operating within the walls of our organizations. To heighten our understanding and regain some semblance of control, we might consider the following approach:

1. Name it - What are the different faces of power?
2. Understand it - What motivates these different approaches?
3. Adapt to it - How can we adapt our own thinking and behaviour to better cope with the different faces of power?

To better understand the different faces of power, I believe it is instructive to think of power in terms of how it is applied through the use of strategies. Power strategies represent collections of attitudes and behaviours that use power through different means to achieve different ends. People naturally gravitate towards certain applications of power over others, but it is important to realize that different types of power strategies exist, and we can be blind-sided by the use of other strategies that do not necessarily match our desired or intended picture of the world. Ground zero comes to mind.

Dr. Ana Mieres has done a wonderful job of simplifying the complexities of power and making them operational. She developed the first assessment of its kind called, The Power Styles Survey (1991), to identify distinct power strategies operating within organizations. Each of us has a preferred power strategy, which is fundamentally driven by a unique combination of preferences we have for 5 distinct power styles. Briefly described, they are:

Power Over (Hierarchic Style)
Driven by status, elitism and entitlement. Will use fear and intimidation to achieve objectives.

Power Through (Competitive Style)
Driven by systems, rules and competitiveness. Will use hard data and regulations to achieve objectives.

Power With (Collaborative Style)
Driven by broad participation and shared decision-making. Will use negotiation and open confrontation to achieve objectives.

Power Against (Oppositional Style)
Driven by a need to overthrow real or perceived oppressors. Will use chaos and subtle or overt sabotage to achieve objectives.

Power Created (Empathic Style)
Driven by compassion and tolerance. Will use self-sacrifice and empathy to achieve objectives.

Each of these unique power styles uses control, decision-making, relationships, language and behaviours to achieve, influence or prevent the completion or attainment of desired goals. Power strategies can also help define an organization's culture by describing the unique characteristics, behaviours and attitudes it condones and values.

Power is indeed mysterious and provocative. Power affects us for better or worse every day of our lives. Perhaps you will notice some of these different faces of power being played out in your life or organization. For certain, a powerful force imposed itself upon us on September 11th. It has affected many of us very deeply. In fact, some say the Western world will never be the same as it was. I believe a piece of our innocence was lost on that day. Sometimes with a loss of innocence comes knowledge and if we're lucky, wisdom follows. Wisdom that flows from a deeper level of understanding is the source of ultimate power.

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About Brett Richards:
Brett is the President of Connective Intelligence. He is a performance coach and a certified North American Effective Intelligence® Master Trainer. He is dedicated to helping people, teams and organizations realize their full potential, by helping them to transform their brainpower and intelligence into more effective action.

www. connectiveintelligence.com (8 des 2010)