an online book by David Gurteen
Power is the ability to control or influence others, events, or circumstances to achieve desired outcomes or goals, often through authority, resources, or persuasion.
In political science, power is the ability to influence or direct the actions, beliefs, or conduct of actors. Power does not exclusively refer to the threat or use of force (coercion) by one actor against another, but may also be exerted through diffuse means (such as institutions).
Power may also take structural forms, as it orders actors in relation to one another (such as distinguishing between a master and an enslaved person, a householder and their relatives, an employer and their employees, a parent and a child, a political representative and their voters, etc.), and discursive forms, as categories and language may lend legitimacy to some behaviors and groups over others.
The term authority is often used for power that is perceived as legitimate or socially approved by the social structure.
Scholars have distinguished between soft power and hard power.
Credit: Wikipedia - power_(social_and_political)Imagine that it is 1920 and you have somehow been granted absolute power to predict the future. You happen to visit the mayor of Rotterdam and, during that time, you describe in vivid detail what is going to happen to his town over the next 25 years. Thus, in an otherwise perfectly normal working day, … Continue reading Saving Rotterdam From Destruction Arie de Geus (1999)
Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren’t. Credit: Margaret Thatcher Comment: I’ve long liked this quote by Margaret Thatcher: “Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren’t.” I believe it also holds true for leaders and … Continue reading Being Powerful Is Like Being a Lady Margaret Thatcher
Gurteen Knowledge Blog September 6, 2023, 08:33Too often, we see ourselves as passive recipients of the world rather than active shapers. We view problems as created by others and wait for leaders or institutions to solve them. This traps us in a vicious cycle of reaction and entitlement. We need to reclaim a sense of personal … Continue reading Beyond Blame and Entitlement Taking responsibility for the world we create
Someone once told me that the power in all relationships lies with whoever cares less, and he was right. But power isn’t happiness, and I think that maybe happiness comes from caring more about people rather than less … Credit: Connor Mead in the film Ghosts of Girlfriends Past Source: Ghosts of Girlfriends PastPosts where … Continue reading The Power in All Relationships Lies with Whoever Cares Less Connor Mead in the film Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009)
Knowledge is not power. The ability to influence people, especially those in authority, is power. Credit: David Gurteen Source: Knowledge is not power | Conversational LeadershipPosts where this quotation is embedded A Knowledge Café at Viva What are the future possibilities for the Kuwaiti Mobile Telecoms Industry? Actor-network Theory (ANT) Actor-Network Theory Artificial Intelligence ** The ability of … Continue reading Knowledge Is Not Power David Gurteen
I think “knowledge management” is a bullshit issue. Let me tell you why. I can give you perfect information, I can give you perfect knowledge and it won’t change your behavior one iota. People choose not to change their behavior because the culture and the imperatives of the organization make it too difficult to act … Continue reading Knowledge Management Is a Bullshit Issue Michael Schrage
Gurteen Knowledge Blog February 18, 2021, 10:38I recently posted this quotation on LinkedIn where Michael Schrage states that Knowledge Management is a bullshit issue. It has had a mixed response. Some people agree; others disagree. Take a look here and add your own thoughts. Knowledge Letter: Issue: 248 (Subscribe)Tags: knowledge (64) | knowledge management (51) | … Continue reading Knowledge Alone Is Not Power or Is It? Seems not everyone agrees
The traditional assumption that “knowledge is power” and is used for personal gain is being subsumed by the notion that knowledge is an expression of the shared responsibilities for the collective well-being of humanity and the planet as a whole. Credit: Jeremy Rifkin The Empathic Civilization: The Race to Global Consciousness in a World in … Continue reading Knowledge Is an Expression of Shared Responsibilities Jeremy Rifkin
Gurteen Knowledge Blog July 2, 2021, 16:16I have written in my blook that knowledge alone is not power. But I rather like this definition of knowledge by Jeremy Rifkin in his book The Empathic Civilization. Knowledge Letter: Issue: 253 (Subscribe)Tags: humanity (21) | Jeremy Rifkin (3) | knowledge (64) | power (19) | responsibility (49)RSS: Blog … Continue reading Knowledge Is Not Power Knowledge is an expression of the shared responsibilities for the collective well-being of humanity
In its broadest sense, politics is the actions or activities of a person or group to influence or control decisions and the outcomes of those decisions within a specific group context, e.g., a country, community, or organization. These actions or activities include gaining power or helping others achieve power and consequently influencing or controlling the … Continue reading What Is Politics? The actions or activities of a person or group to influence decision-making
Knowledge alone is not power. Self-motivation, taking responsibility, and the ability to act on knowledge and to influence and work with people, especially those in authority, is power. Credit: David Gurteen Posts where this quotation is embedded A Knowledge Café at Viva What are the future possibilities for the Kuwaiti Mobile Telecoms Industry? Actor-network Theory (ANT) Actor-Network … Continue reading Knowledge Alone Is Not Power David Gurteen
Introduction The objective is simple: “Better decision-making.” The only issue is that there are so many different views over what we mean by “better.” At the core of all decision-making is the need to balance Power with Responsibility, as the vehicle for resolving the “better” question. This article explores why that is so difficult? It … Continue reading The Issues at the Core of Ethical Decision-making and Leadership Bruce Lloyd (2009)
It is a misuse of our power to take responsibility for solving problems that belong to others. Credit: Peter Block Posts where this quotation is embedded A Knowledge Café at Viva What are the future possibilities for the Kuwaiti Mobile Telecoms Industry? Actor-network Theory (ANT) Actor-Network Theory Artificial Intelligence ** The ability of machines to perform tasks usually … Continue reading Misuse of Our Power Peter Block
The Power of Curiosity ** Measures, Targets, Rewards and Punishments Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter I want to look at three related concepts, power, influence, and leadership, and explore their meaning in the context of Conversational Leadership. What is power? There are many definitions of power, but I am interested in the power … Continue reading Influential Power ** You can never not influence
What Is Communityship? We All Have the Freedom to Choose If We Choose To Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter Many see politics in its Machiavellian, manipulative sense, backstabbing and spreading false rumors, but politics need not be dirty. It is through politics that we get things done. Politics is life. The concept of … Continue reading Politics Is Life We can’t escape it
Don’t Do Knowledge Management ** The Four Levels of Knowledge Management Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter Is knowledge power, or is it potential power? And if knowledge is not power, what is power? A little history The phrase “knowledge is power” is a popular translation of the Latin aphorism “scientia potentia est” (or “scientia … Continue reading Knowledge Is Not Power Our ability to influence people is power
Knowledge Café Principle: Conversation Is Sovereign Knowledge Café Principle: Create a Safe Space Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter Principle: Everyone has an equal voice. In a Knowledge Café, all participants are treated equally. No one is given more conversational power than anyone else, and no one’s power is diminished. In a Knowledge Café, … Continue reading Knowledge Café Principle: Everyone Has an Equal Voice Everyone is an equal participant
What Is a Knowledge Worker? Introduction: Knowledge Management Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter Knowledge Management tends to focus on the management of information in the belief that if we have more information, better quality information, and more accessible information, we will do our jobs better. This belief is just not true. We need … Continue reading We Know So Much but Understand So Little It is through conversation we make sense of the world
