Let’s talk about power!

Given the current sociopolitical developments, it’s impossible to ignore the topic of power or influence.

Donald Trump has won the election and will have significant influence on global affairs for the next four years. In Germany, the governing coalition of three parties has just collapsed, and it seems that Olaf Scholz no longer had sufficient following. The 29th UN Climate Conference concluded without significant breakthroughs on climate protection or funding measures for extreme weather conditions in particularly affected regions. Here, it appears that the scientific and expert community lacked sufficient influence or authority.

Let’s dissect the topic of power and influence a bit further:

Power is the strongest form of influence and is often accompanied by negative consequences for those on whom power is exerted but who refuse to comply. The most striking example for me is Alexei Navalny. As an opposition figure in Russia, he was pursued by Vladimir Putin's power apparatus. Navalny was pressured to abandon his resistance against the Putin regime.

This example demonstrates, very clearly but also very painfully, that we always have a choice as to whether we grant someone power over us and our actions. Alexei Navalny refused to give Vladimir Putin power over his actions and paid with his life.

Not all consequences are as drastic as in this political example from a dictatorial regime Transferring this to the corporate context could mean that someone pays for refusing to exercise power by losing their job. This is how I imagine the process in the Volkswagen emissions scandal played out: engineers were likely urged (perhaps under time or budget pressure) to manipulate engines so that emissions would appear to comply with legal requirements. They had the choice to comply or refuse. In the latter case, the consequences for their careers would almost certainly have been negative.

It is clear that both society and the corporate world require the function of influence to enable us to act effectively together. Without influence, chaos would likely prevail.

In addition to power, there are two other (weaker) forms of influence that do not involve negative consequences for the individuals being influenced—namely leadership and authority.

Leadership generates followership through personal approval. In the corporate context, we often speak of leaders or individuals with a special charisma. These leaders are often able to clearly articulate their visions, make quick decisions, and communicate them effectively. Employees find it easy to follow such individuals.

In the political sphere, the concept of leadership or followership can be observed quite clearly in the U.S. presidential election. The majority of Americans have just reaffirmed their support for Donald Trump through their votes. Similarly, the election results for the AfD in Germany demonstrate significant followership among citizens, as shown in state elections in Thuringia, Saxony, and Brandenburg. This followership is based on the free will of the voters, who faced no risks to their lives or health if they had chosen differently. This is what distinguishes leadership from power.

The weakest form of influence is authority. It arises from proven or attributed expertise. The phenomenon of influence through significant expertise - authority - is very common in organizations. Subject matter experts often wield considerable influence within their teams or departments, even without holding hierarchical titles. This principle is the foundation for self-organized teams, which lack a hierarchically installed decision-making body. In such teams, decisions are influenced by experts depending on the topic at hand.

In the sociopolitical sphere, the concept of authority leads us to the frequently debated question of how much influence individual scientists, scientific academies, or research institutes should have on political issues. This debate became particularly prominent during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Christian Drosten was regarded as the leading authority on virology. Similarly, in discussions about the climate crisis, there is ongoing controversy about whether - and for how long - expert voices from the scientific community can continue to be ignored before they are more strongly incorporated into legislative frameworks for economic practices.

In a nutshell:
The purpose of power and influence lies in reducing complexity for those who grant influence to others. Our world is so complex that none of us can know or decide everything on our own. Therefore, we tend to follow people whom we perceive as competent or who provide us with a sense of security that they know the way forward. This is why there will always be forms of influence and power in social systems.

Power is one of three manifestations of influence (according to Niklas Luhmann):

  1. The weakest form of influence is authority, which stems from expertise.
  2. The intermediate form of influence is leadership, which generates followership through personal approval.
  3. The strongest form of influence is power. Non-compliance results in negative consequences.


All three manifestations of influence always require two poles: the one who exerts influence and the one who allows themselves to be influenced. The decision to grant someone authority, to offer followership, or to yield to power always lies with the individuals being influenced. In other words, the choice is yours!

This text first appeared in my newsletter "It's innovation Wednesday". It is published once a month. For subscription click here


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Andrea SchmittInnovationstrainerinAm Mittelpfad 24aD 65520 Bad Camberg+49 64 34-905 997+49 175 5196446
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