What are common power structures in communities?

Infectious optimism is your superpower. Smile and say hello to everyone, and you will build a powerful community. Ask people, "What's been the best thing in your day?" Say, thank you very often.

The ephicacy of law enforcement, and systemic rott that bedevils this institution comes to mind all at once. The need to have effective legislation to checkmate the excesses of these law enforcement instructions can't be overemphasised.

When formal power is wielded responsibly, it can provide stability, accountability and legitimacy. Leaders can set positive examples, enforce rules fairly, and promote a healthy organizational culture. However, when formal power is misused, it can be a catalyst for destructive leadership. Leaders in authoritative roles may employ sanctions, rewards, or coercion to maintain control, leading to toxic environments and detrimental impacts on followers. My dissertation research is a mixed method study looking at this as a group process comprised of certain leaders, followers and environments co-creating destructive leadership. I want to help identify, prevent, and mitigate this within various power structures in organizations and communities.

I believe that a smile can go along way. When people make eye contact with one another, it is important to always have a smile on your face. I try to make it a habit to say thank you , too any Veteran I pass by, as well as saying " Thank You For Your Service". Being a Veteran, I do like the feeling, when people take notice, that I'm a veteran. I will always say "God Bless" at the end of any encounter. Just a few things I do to try too up lift my community.

In community settings, formal power is often associated with the community organizer or community manager running the community on behalf of a business or group. While this power is formal in the sense that the community manager has access to tools, rewards, and systems not accessible by the community member, the real power of this person is that they represent the community needs to the business managing the community. Additionally, they feel the weight of balancing business success with community success, which can often be a difficult balance to find and maintain.

Informal power in communities can play a significant role in driving DEI, CSR and ESG initiatives. Trusted leaders and influencers can amplify underrepresented voices, champion sustainability, and promote ethical governance. This influence, however, can be a double-edged sword, as it can be used positively for the greater good or can be wielded unethically. Recognizing and harnessing informal power is key to building more just, sustainable, and inclusive communities and it is essential that this power aligns with ethical principles and a commitment to positive change. By being mindful of both its potential for good and misuse, we can work together to ensure individuals and communities thrive.

The legal system, Church, Political view, local Schools, Service organizations like Kiwanis, in bad neighborhoods Gangs, Employers, the Managerial class, Influencers by wealth.

Leaders, cultivate informal power through relationships - listen, unite, lift up communities. Experts, build pull through applied wisdom - solve real problems. Influencers, wield reputations responsibly - persuade with integrity. Citizens, organize, connect, mobilize for change. Movements grow through activated informal power.

Being a local elected official, it was important to build bonds with local groups within ones community. That was that best way in my opinion, to have the information that the community needed to know. As it was right from the horses mouth, as they would say. There is a need to interreact, sometime on a one on one basis, Even if the one is a group. I always felt that you can be more positive and feel more free talking them that way. I always tried to build Trust, and Solidarity, between myself and my Community.

In online community settings informal power is something often gained by top contributors. While they aren't associated with the business that manages the community, and they aren't employed by the community, their contributions and personal brand are valuable enough that they're just as influential (or more influential) as a community manager. They can often sway the community's opinion and influence the overall sentiment in the community. It's important to keep them close to your community plans, and to keep an open line of communication and feedback with them.

Cultural power is an underrated and under utilized space. Bringing together communities of people who have something in common allows them to thrive in a psychologically safe space. For example, bringing together Black professionals allows them to feel more comfortable in a community because the members understand cultural references, empathize with personal experiences and recognize systemic barriers. It’s also empowering and encouraging to be in a space where you and your peers have a key part of your identity in common while navigating the space. I am lucky to see this happen everyday in our Black@INBOUND community.

I look at history as being very important when you are talking about Cultural Power. I always wanted to be at any religious groups events. That is how you build on knowledge, not only of that religious group, but as that part of your community as well. We held Community Night Outs, so that our community had the ability to learn, by sharing about all the different cultures within our community. We always had city representatives, Fire Dept., Police Dept., Public works Dept., as well as the city Manager and myself as Mayor. We were able to have a lot of information about our community, exchange by handouts and commination.

This is a comprehensive and detailed experience you shared regarding common power structure at community level. As a humanitarian worker and community mobilizer, I would like to add that there is another aspect of power structure in community depends on region to region. In our region local religious leaders are one of the most important power structure existed. As it is somehow related with cultural power but sometimes it is totally different from it. We can negotiate with culture but cannot with religion, due to believe that this is a temporary life and our religion will give us prosperity in after life. It makes us to avoid everything and just to obey the religious leaders, though mostly local and illiterate people are misguided

In regards to community spaces, structural power can often come from the relationship between community managers and community members. Successful communities integrate and elevate community members' voices to ensure that the structure built is supporting the members. While structures are important to keep order and maintain systems, in community the power structure should sway towards benefitting the majority of the community whenever possible.

My Aunt Rosabelle had exceptional structural power. She could stand in the middle of a structure and when she sang people were afraid to leave that room. When she made cupcakes it was something special!

One way to analyze informal power is by noting who is talking with whom. There are several ways to do this. Observation: Make notes of who is participating in conversations by starting or replying to posts. Survey or interviews: Ask members with whom do they talk. Go beyond this question by asking how often they talk with them, how deep their interaction is. Deep data analysis: Draw a graph of the informal power. You can use tools like TogetherCrew that incorporate social network analysis to make this task easy. Use the graph to identify emerging leaders and mentors, and members at risk of not being heard.

One thing I find very helpful from these definitions and analysis of power structures is the ability to identify whom to engage and what questions to ask when it comes to community engagement work. In an article I read a few months back, culture significantly influences power but in our globalized society how can one create a balance between culture and power.

Analysing power structures is quite essential. This gives you an idea on who to engage in a particular/peculiar situation. You can't put a political figure where a cultural person is needed. Knowing the strengths of a person and getting the desired effect in a peculiar environment calls for thorough, in depth power analysis.

Thank you for sharing your experience and insights! It sounds like you have a diverse and valuable background in community work. Keep up the great work!I worked as a social worker, as community moderator, have worked with diffrent communities, promoted community participation and state citizen engagement and a designer of many programs for community development. Many aspects are interested and useful. Very much agree a community worker shall enslits all important power structures, stakeholders, connectors and equally focuses on dividers. Sometimes dividers became supporters and supports as dividers. All are important for project interventions and sustainability. I leanered some more interesting and useful things from the topic. Thanks

When you're engaging with a community, it's important to understand the different needs and concerns of each group within your community. Then, as a community leader, you should do your best to advocate for what is best for your community and your business. Those two things may not always be in harmony, at which point in time the key becomes to effectively - and honestly - communicate to all parties involved. The only way to effectively engage with power structures is to fully understand the dynamics behind your community members, any businesses involved, as well as any competitors in your field.

It's important to be aware of unseen or perceived power structures among community members. For example, I've seen cases where newer members believed that legacy members were cliquey or being shown favoritism from our team, which can discourage those newer members from speaking up, sharing their expertise, or further investing in the community. Regular check-ins and active listening will help you identify these areas of discontent, and then the onus is on you to create ways to elevate the quieter voices and ensure everyone gets the chance to shine.

Approach power thoughtfully. Assess interests - where do they align or differ? Collaborate to tap shared goals. Negotiate carefully with mixed motives. Confront unethically exercised power by exposing abuses. Withdraw from or build alternatives to destructive power. Adapt strategies - leverage, compromise, demand change, reject oppression - matching context and objectives. Power must serve human dignity. Cultivate both grassroots pull and elite push for change. Blend formal and informal authority. Throughout, keep communities at the center and represent and protect their interests. Uplift excluded voices.

I think engagemnt of power structures is indispensable for effective project implementation and sustainability. The best is to work with community not for community. That needs to engagement them right from the design phase to implementation and wundeup so they own it.

Community is at the heart of positive change. Coming together around shared hopes and helps. Lifting each other up. Listening, learning, leading together. This makes change. Strong communities hold leaders accountable. They bring people solutions. And push institutions to be fair.

You always have a voice! Use it. Someone is listening! Everyone has the power to create a platform. It’s how you use it that matters!

Power structures exist within every part of society. We can't ignore power dynamics, or pretend they aren't important. Leaders should spend their time understanding the nuances of the relationships, getting to know the individuals involved, and understanding the operating model of all parties involved. Your job as a leader in this space is to guide the community forward in a way that promotes growth, engagement, and learning.

I have noticed informal power structures in CALD communities in -religious leaders - local ethnic grocery merchants who pass on local Knowledge and gossip - valued teachers from Infants or Primary schools - older people (migrants) who have been in the community long time - estate agents -refuge managers or people who help community members in crisis - migration agents

Selecting people for board positions is selective and empowering. As the lead of the organization choosing effective disciplined champions in their selective careers and knowledge, wisdom is most important. They are and should be more engaged in promoting guiding and taking the organization to heights of relevance and effective humanitarian effort. They are in tune to your vision. Steering the Foundation to new heights is exciting as you do not know how innovative it can be! Board members are the cog that turn the wheels of the initiative!