Transformative Power
By Libby AndersonIn this time of crisis and uncertainty, we are witnessing how power can destroy and how power can be used to positively transform lives. While authoritarianism and violence are on the rise, there is also a growing movement of people organizing and resisting, offering a radically different vision for the future. Understanding, shifting, and building power are crucial for creating change.
At its core, power is the ability to control something; this could be control of decisions, resources, processes, or access. Power itself is neither inherently good nor bad; it is the way that it is wielded and for what purpose that truly matters. Power can be categorized as economic, political, social, and cultural. The most controlling form of power is power over, while transformational forms are expressed as power with, power to, and power within. By using these analytical categories, individuals can gain a better understanding of how systems of inequity operate in their own lives and can envision alternative strategies and visions of power through which they can then better challenge injustice.
Power over is pervasive and can be found in all aspects of life. It exists in the private sphere of home and family as well as in the public sphere of our communities, institutions, and government. It also exists within us on a personal level. Whether we know it or not, we all have experienced power over, shaped by systems such as patriarchy and capitalism. This is the form of power most commonly associated with domination and control. Power over is built on the idea that power is finite, that there is only so much to go around. Those who have power maintain it by exerting control over those who do not, and it perpetuates inequities instead of addressing them.
However, this does not mean that we are completely powerless. Transformative power offers a different perspective on what is possible. It is built through collective knowledge, shared vision, and collective strength. It assumes that power is infinite, and the more it is shared, the more it grows. When power is shared, space is created to center the voices of those most impacted by inequities, and begins to shift the imbalance that cause those inequities in the first place.
There are positive ways of expressing power that create more equitable relationships and structures and ultimately transform power over. Power within is a sense of value and personal or collective empowerment. Power to is the unique potential of every person to speak, take action, and shape their life and world. Power with is the collective strength that comes with finding common ground and community with others. Power for is our sense of purpose and our relationship to the why and how of our work for change.
It is necessary to shift our understanding of power. Transformative power makes deep change possible. When power is understood as infinite, those who hold it can share it without fear of losing it, and those who have often felt powerless can feel empowered to exercise the power they already have. This shift allows us to move beyond vague ideas of sharing power and toward specific choices about how to use the power we hold. This includes identifying where power exists within the nonprofit sector, challenging unequal power dynamics, and making conscious decisions about who to grow power with and what to use power for.
During a recent Point b(e) Strategies staff meeting, we took some time to explore how power shows up in our work. As consultants, we acknowledge that our clients give us real power – we help guide decisions about organizational structure, we influence the development of strategic priorities, and we ask questions to affect how priorities are operationalized. This power is significant and requires constant attention and vigilance to ensure it is used effectively. The team explored and discussed examples of the ways we resist and challenge coercive power over by building and mobilizing transformative power. For example:
Our facilitators build power within by centering marginalized voices and ensuring people’s experiences are valued and heard.
We support leadership development and foster joyful connection through Gather & Galvanize, our event that helps organizational leaders tap into their hopes and dreams and discover their power to and power with.
Our evaluation team cultivates power with by engaging those most impacted as co-creators in evaluation design, data interpretation, and learning. This collective sense-making builds shared understanding, accountability, and alignment among participants, staff, and partners, transforming evaluation into a collaborative process.
Our team advances power for by creating processes that help groups clarify shared purpose, align around equity-centered priorities, and make collective decisions that guide action toward long-term systemic change.
This is not a simple or linear process, but over time, we can collectively build power to make change happen. It requires intentionality in how we use our influence, whose voices we center, and who we choose to grow power with. When power is seen as something that expands when it is shared, our role changes.
As we work alongside others, we can discover our power within and our power to act, not in insolation, but in relationship. We shift from controlling outcomes to creating space for collective action, agency, and purpose. This shift is not abstract but rather shows up in everyday choices about how we design processes, make decisions, and define success.
Further reading: Concepts for Revisioning Power for Justice, Equality and Peace. https://justassociates.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/mch3_2011_final_0.pdf
