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By Chris Chittenden

POWER is a strong word and it evokes strong feelings. In terms of relationships between human beings, "having power" is commonly seen as controlling others and being able to get them to do what you want. Traditionally, many people regard power as malignant. It is evil in that it enables some individuals to dominate and subjugate others.

In today’s business world, this definition is no longer valid. It is invalid because businesses today recognise that their staff perform better when they understand that they have the power to take action. Business is looking to "empower their staff". But what does this mean? To understand the empowerment of staff, we must first understand power.

The Ontology of Language defines power as the "the relative capacity of entities to generate action within certain domains". The greater the capacity, the greater the power. This definition of power is much broader than simply having "power over" others. It relates power directly with one’s ability to act effectively.

Still power can take many forms. Let us look at some of them.

Military power is the ability to generate action through the threat of force.

Productive power is the ability to generate action through our ability to exchange requests. By improving our productive capacity, we normally improve our capacity to generate action.

Financial power is the ability to generate action through wealth.

Institutional power is the ability to generate action through our position within society or an organisation.

Personal power is the ability to generate action through other people’s view of you based upon personal integrity, seduction and trust. The word "seduction" is used here in the sense of what you offer to them and what you can do for them.

In organisations, power is mainly of the productive, institutional and personal kind.

It is important to understand the different aspects of our definition of power. Fundamentally, because power is relative, it is an assessment made by an observer. Without an observer, we do not have the phenomenon of power. We assess against another our relative abilities to generate action and determine whether they are more powerful than us. We also assess other people against each other to determine their power. Since power is an assessment, it relates to each individual and their view of their and other’s ability to act. As with all assessments, it is also continually subject to change.

Another important aspect relates to the words "within certain domains". Many people see power in a singular dimension. "I have more power than you!" implies that I am more powerful than you in all facets of life. By viewing power in terms of domains of activity, the relationship between two people is broken down in a way that means that power ebbs and flows between two people depending upon circumstance.

For instance, if I was carpenter and you were an accountant, come tax time, I would bow to you in terms of completing my tax return. I would see you as more powerful in that domain. However, if you needed some wooden shelving built, then I would see myself as more powerful in that domain. This concept is very effective when applied to empowerment.

There are three aspects that are directly related to empowering - authenticity, learning and seduction.

To be authentic, we must see ourselves as being a valid human being. By doing so, we ensure the assessments that we make are our own. Therefore, our assessments of power are our own and we do not become hamstrung in our ability to act through the assessments of others.

Learning is the most obvious strategy that we can employ to increase our power. Since power relates to our ability to act, the greater our knowledge and skills, the greater our capacity for action. Learning also can expand the domains in which we can take action. Simply put, learning increases what is possible for us.

We use the word "seduction" not as a romantic term, but to apply to everyday life. Seduction is about offers. What you offer to those around you. If your offers are seen by others as being of value to them, then your possibilities for action are expanded.

The act of empowering is not really about transferring power as if power was an object that you could pass from one person to another. Empowering is about ensuring that individuals are treated as legitimate, that their assessments and views are valuable. It is about ensuring that they have the skills and knowledge that they require to do what is needed. Finally, it is about helping an individual understand what they have to offer and how to go about making offers in ways that expand what is possible for them.

Within an organisation, effective empowerment also strengthens productive and personal power. This shift in our assessments of power are very useful when it comes to building teams. By not assessing people based on their organisational position but rather for what they offer to the team in terms of their skills and knowledge and their ability to coordinate action with others, we see them in a new light. We see what each individual brings to the team and therefore how that team can work more effectively together.

Through our work, Talking About can help you and your organisation develop an empowered work force. We offer a unique set of distinctions that will help your staff see the world through different eyes. Call us now to see what we can offer you.

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Copyright © 1996 Chris Chittenden