In his book Learning for Action, Peter Checkland gives an example of an organization where people were divided into "KT" and "NKT." The "KT" people "Knew Tom," who was the founder. The "NKT" people "Never Knew Tom" and were relegated to a lesser role. Having known Tom was a commodity of power.
I asked a group of network practitioners the following question: If I were an alien from outer space who didn't know anything about humans, what is the decoder ring you could give me so that I know who has power?
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| If I were an alien, how could I know who has power and who doesn't? |
Right away, everyone listed formal roles. Someone on the steering committee has more power than a member not on the steering committee, for example. As the conversation progressed, people were able to give my imaginary alien the keys to decoding much more subtle ways that power is understood in their networks. Examples of commodities of power included:
- Convening a conversation or meeting
- Other members do the work of your vision
- Having exposure, such as by speaking or presenting
- Control over the budget
- Access to decision-makers
- Being eloquent
- Having a firm commitment to one's values
- Conversely, being in a position to accuse someone of not living up to shared values
- Being tattled to (in other words, the person that someone complains to in order to correct someone else's behavior)
The point of learning about commodities of power is that it helps one frame interventions. If recommendations are going to run counter to prevailing forces, it's best to understand that up front.
What do you think? Leave a comment sharing some of commodities of power at work in your network, or take the research survey that will ask you about this and other factors relevant to collaboration.
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