MODULE 2 - PART 3 (PETER COLEMAN INDEPTH)

Secondary Power

•  refers to the exercise of power in the conventional sense. The ability to get one’s goals met in a relational content. This can take either a coercive or positive form; however, it entails operating in a domain that has already been defined normatively.

  • Examples: Revolutions, wars, coup

Primary Power

• refers to the ability to shape the normative domain, or to affect the socio-historical process of reality construction. This is the process by which our sense of reality, as we know it, our sense of truth, fairness, and justice, is constructed.

  • Examples: Laws, media, policies, education

IDEOLOGY

• an example of a Primary Power.

• It is the ability to shape normative domain (the norms, what you believe, the values shaping/allocation of values/creation of those values that you believe in).

Top-down channels

UNDER CHANNELS

- typically used by formal or elite leaders and decision makers (although third parties often employ this channel) and, although they can take many forms, often involve command and control strategies of influence that have a rapid and dramatic effect on systems.

Middle-out channels

UNDER CHANNELS

reside with the mid-level leaders, managers, and organizations of social systems (such as community-based and nongovernmental organizations) that can influence systems through their social capital and social networks. The influence employed at this level can have a strong effect on systems, but typically takes time to unfold.

Bottom-up power

UNDER CHANNELS

 is the result of changes at the local level (such as changes in individual attitudes or behaviors) that can have a substantial emergent effect on systems but that tend to take the longest amount of time to emerge.

EFFECTIVE POWER

UNDER EFFECTIVE AND SUSTAINABLE POWER

Having control of the resources to generate power, motivation to influence others, skill in converting resources to power, and good judgement in employing power so that is appropriate in type and magnitude to the situation

SUSTAINABLE OUTCOMES

UNDER EFFECTIVE AND SUSTAINABLE POWER

Requires both long-term strategic thinking and the ability of power users to read changes in situations, identify negative feedback, and respond adaptively when required

PERCIEVED POWER

• Power doesn’t necessarily have to be the result of actual resources owned and strategies employed by people but, in some circumstances, by what they are merely perceived to have.

• “Power is not only what you have, but what the enemy thinks you have.” (Alinsky, 1971)

PERCEPTION

Another important concept/distinct emotion of power is _________. (BLUFFING, PRETENDING, SURFACE-LEVEL)

General Power

UNDER GENERAL VS RELEVANT POWER

• Aggregates of relative power

Relevant Power

UNDER GENERAL VS RELEVANT POWER

Efficacy in implementing the necessary strategies relevant to the interaction at hand.

T

T OR F: In relation to that we have General and Relevant Power – Perception may be shaped by how you are effectively/effectively are able to implement your strategies.

T

T OR F: General Power are aggregates of Relative power.

Relative Power is our relative power to the specific actors.

T

T OR F: Relevant Power is in terms of efficacy in implementing the necessary strategies relevant to the interaction at hand.

• Effective Power is simply the use of resources. Relevant Power is strategically – how did you efficiently utilize the available resources in terms of gaining the outcome, regardless if the outcome is achieved.

COMPONENTS OF POWER

• Human Behavior based on Social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1999)

  • Result of dynamic interactions between three sources of influence.

1. SUPPORT

2. AUTONOMY

3. ASSERTION

4. TOGETHERNESS

WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF Power Orientations

• Categories of experiences and expressions of power (McCelland, 1975).

SUPPORT

UNDER POWER ORIENTATION

Obtaining assistance and support from others, often through a dependence relationship.

• For Example: Simply the orientation where you are able to obtain help/assistance often through dependent relationships. 

  • Asking for support often from a more capable political actor.

AUTONOMY

UNDER POWER ORIENTATION

Referred to as having “power to” or “power from” in the sense that one has enough power to achieve one’s objectives without being unduly constrained by someone or something else.

• For Example: A self-explaining term referring to power to or power from the ability to achieve one’s own desire on their own.

  •  This may require if you are held in a dependent positon, you may require a degree of autonomy/independence.

T

T OR F: In Personal Factors, we have Power Orientations which refers to categories of experiences and expressions of power (McCelland, 1975). Power Orientation therefore is your positionality in relation to the use of your capability.

ASSERTION

UNDER POWER ORIENTATION

This approach to power has been termed “power over” and is consistent with the popular definition of power as “an ability to get another person to do something that he or she would not otherwise have done” (Dahl, 1968)

• This may be an approach to power that has been declared as power over – the ability to influence/coerce into behavior a certain group of actors.

TOGETHERNESS

UNDER POWER ORIENTATION

Power with others, jointly developed, coactive, and noncoercive power (Follett, [1924] 1973).

• is the ability to achieve outcomes – it can be a cooperative or coactive and non-coercive approach. These are influenced by more liberal understanding of power where it is distributed/everyone gets to achieve their desired outcome which is the most ideal thing.