Week 12| Power

Question 1

What is a brief description of the three dimensions of powers?

Answer 1

First dimension of power:

• managing resources
• conscious strategy to defeat resistance

Second dimension of power:

• managing process
• conscious strategy to sideline resistance

Third dimension of power:

• managing meaning
• conscious strategy to prevent resistance

Question 2

What does the first dimension of power include?

Answer 2

• mobilising resources to defeat resistance
  -power derives from control over resources
• based on dependency, if someone depends on you for the scarce resource then you have power over them
• whether a resource confers power depends on context
  1 Authority power: formal position in the hierarchy
  2 Reward power: tangible and intangible ways to reward and punish people
  3 Coercive power: capacity to injure or damage somebody
  4 Referent power: capacity to establish a personal rapport (charisma)
  5 Expert power: capacity to do things that others cannot (e.g. credibility, track record etc)
  6 Information power: exclusive info
  7 Affiliation power: connections to powerful people
  8 Budgets, equipment: capacity to allocate budgets, equipment to others
  9 Group support: support of many people

Question 3

What are the intentions, resistance, action, power and conflict of the first dimension of power?

Answer 3

Intentions: person A gets person B to do smth they otherwise wouldn’t have wanted to do
Resistance: B’s opposition is directly confronted by A
Action: A mobilizes resources
Power use: relatively visible
Conflict: overt

Question 4

What form of power does first dimension belong to?

Answer 4

• Based on control of (scarce, valued) resources on which others depend
• Resources have to be mobilized
• This form of power is relational, context-specific, and dynamic
• Any resource can be a source of power, depending on the situation

Question 5

What is the second dimension of power?

Answer 5

• Managing decision making processes to sideline resistance
• Non decision making (Bachrach & Baratz)
• Challenge Dahl who had argued that power was shared equally among groups who all had access to decision making processes
• Revisited how decisions in New Haven were actually made
• Bachrach and Baratz argued that many issues/people that threatened power-holders never make it to the decision area
• Resistance is sidelined by managing decision making processes
• Control of access to decision-making arena not everyone attends/or is invited to be voting members)
• What gets discussed (what is on the agenda)
• When and how it gets discussed (at end of agenda when people are tired)
• Criteria for decision making (some people don’t get to vote)

Question 6

What are the intentions, resistance, power, conflict or second dimension of power?

Answer 6

• Intention: A wants to get B to do smth they would not otherwise do
• Resistance: B’s resistance opposition is indirectly confronted (side-lined/avoided) by A using the “rules of the game”
• Action: ‘A’ manages decision making processes
• Power use: less visible
• Conflict: sidelined (possible only for a while)
• Power is less visible

Question 7

What is the third dimension of power? Hint Managing processes

Answer 7

• Rests on managing meaning to prevent resistance
• Meaning is created for desired outcomes so that they are seen as legitimate, inevitable, natural, beneficial etc
• Often by associating outcomes with symbols and skillful use of language
• There is no opposition because outcomes are accepted
• By targeting what people think about outcomes, behaviour is influenced indirectly
  Managing meaning
• If the arrangement of power in society or organizations can be seen as ‘normal’ it becomes not only almost invisible but also very hard to contest and change, thereby prolonging the status quo and the interests that it upholds
• The management of meaning is exactly about effectively challenging what is seen as ‘normal’ and creating a ‘new normal’ (e.g. black lives matter)
• Challenges the view that power is used only in response to resistance or conflict
• Power can be used unobtrusively to prevent conflict and resistance – a safer option
• A manages the meaning of the desired outcome to ensure B feels favourably towards it and, therefore does not oppose it
• Power can be largely invisible because of apparent agreement and cooperation between A&B
• It is still a conscious and deliberate use of power to achieve desired outcomes

Question 8

What are the intentions, resistance, action, power and conflict of the third dimension of opwer?

Answer 8

• Intention: A wants to get B to do smth they would not otherwise do
• Resistance: B’s resistance/opposition is pre-emptively eliminated by A by getting B to desire what A wants also
• Action: A manages meaning making processes to control and manipulate B
• Power use: almost invisible
• Conflict: averted