The capacity to influence outcomes, control resources, and shape systems through formal authority, social capital, knowledge access, and structural positioning within a network or organization.
Power refers to the ability of individuals, groups, or systems to exert influence and effect change. It operates through multiple dimensions including decision-making authority, resource control, knowledge production, and norm-setting. Power can be understood as both a capacity that agents possess and a relational dynamic that structures interactions between different actors within social and organizational systems.
In complex systems, power manifests through multiple forms: visible power (formal rules and structures), hidden power (setting agendas and controlling narratives), and invisible power (shaping cultural norms and beliefs). Understanding these different expressions of power is essential for creating more equitable organizations and governance systems that can address deep-rooted imbalances.
Uses of “Power”
The concept of power is applied across various domains within the SuperBenefit knowledge base, with distinct but interconnected meanings in organizational design, decentralized technologies, and social transformation contexts.
Power in Organizational Design
In organizational contexts, power refers to the formal and informal mechanisms that determine who can make decisions, allocate resources, and implement changes. Traditional organizational structures often concentrate power through hierarchical management systems, while decentralized approaches seek to distribute power more broadly through participatory governance mechanisms, transparent decision protocols, and shared ownership models.
Power in Web3 and DAOs
In decentralized autonomous organizations and web3 systems, power operates through novel mechanisms including token voting, delegation, reputation systems, and protocol governance. These systems aim to create more distributed power structures by replacing traditional authority with consensus-based decision-making and automated enforcement through smart contracts and transparent protocols.
Despite these innovations, web3 systems still face challenges in addressing power imbalances stemming from wealth concentration, technical knowledge barriers, and governance capture by specialized interests. Addressing these challenges requires intentional design that considers both the technical implementation of decentralization and the social dynamics that influence participation.
Power in the Reimagining Power Project
The Reimagining Power Project specifically examines how power operates within philanthropic and social impact contexts, with a focus on transforming traditional power dynamics that have historically concentrated decision-making among funders rather than communities affected by those decisions.
In this context, power is viewed as a systemic property that needs fundamental restructuring rather than incremental reform. The project explores how web3 technologies and decentralized governance can enable:
- Structural redistribution of power through transparent resource allocation and community-directed funding
- More equitable knowledge production and valuation systems that honor diverse perspectives
- Reconfigured decision-making processes that center the voices of historically marginalized communities
- New ownership models and economic systems that create more balanced stakeholder relationships
Unlike approaches that view power primarily as individual agency within existing systems, the Reimagining Power project focuses on transforming the underlying structures and mechanisms that create and maintain systemic power imbalances across global social, economic, and governance systems.