Invisible Influence and Power
This course has examined the role of non-profit organizations and policy outside government. However, it is important to note that this concept does not mean policy without government.
Last week, one of the fundamental themes discussed was the understanding of “power” and “influence”, and how a stakeholder utilizes them in reaching their objectives. This could include an organization stakeholder (like a business, government department or interest group) or an individual stakeholder like the CEO of the company, the Chair of a board or even a single news reporter.
In outlining these notions, an advocate needs to understand the nature and dynamics of stakeholders that yield the power and influence in respect to their own objective. Will certain organizations or individuals be supportive of your cause, or will they feverously rally against it? And how much influence or power do they have in affecting your cause?
This idea of knowing where others fall with reference to your cause may sound simple. However, in execution, mapping the stakeholders involved in affecting your initiative can get quite complex.
In designing our own power map in class, it became apparent that the field can be grossly complicated, with players coming from various fields of policy, business and NGO work (see figure below). Knowing this, the field of advocacy and non-profit work does not possess the conventional boundaries of a policy framework seen in governments. This can arguably make it a messier place.
We can tie this complexity to the types of power that a stakeholder may possess. Firstly, there is formal and informal power. Think of formal power as the power a legislature has to implement a policy. In contrast, informal power is the “who” and the “what” that influences the policy decision of the formal power. With formal power, we can know who yields power over a decision (i.e. interprovincial/international energy projects require approval by the National Energy Board) so the answer is more objective. However, with informal power, we may run into more questions and less clarity. How much does the media play a role in influencing the politician to present crowd-pleasing policies that could be written about well in the newspaper? Additionally, how much informal power does a large campaign donor yield after their winning candidate enters office? We head into much murkier waters when we discuss informal power and influence.
But wait, there’s more! There are also three dimensions of power (visible, hidden and invisible). Visible power is observable decision-making, such as formal rules, structures, authorities and procedures. Hidden power is the power involved in setting the political agenda, with certain key players and institutions being high up the food chain, maintaining influence as to who and what makes it to the decision-making table.
However, the most diabolical of the three dimensions is invisible power, which “shapes the psychological and ideological boundaries or participation”[1]. They are the heuristics that contribute to how we see ourselves in the world and in society; what is “normal, acceptable and safe”[1]. It’s a process of socialization; a policy idea may be kept off the decision table with hidden power, but invisible power may keep it out of the minds of stakeholders, including the ones who are directly affected by the idea. This invisibility can perpetuate inequality as well as one’s own exclusion from important discussions. The notion of invisible power makes me wonder about what may be currently off the policy agenda, simply by way of how we are directed to view certain topics, their stigma or the peoples affected. As a society, our discussions may be limited by the presence of invisible power.
What starts as a simple exercise of seeing who has power in a decision and who doesn’t can lead to more complex and ambiguous societal and psychological questions of what people are thinking, how they are thinking, and how that influences and guides views of certain ideas. This holistic examination regarding power and influence can make your head spin! Yet this is the landscape than an advocate or an organization may have to navigate in order to achieve its objective. Safe travels.
[1] Unsicker, Jeff. 2013. “Politics: Formal and Nonformal Power,” in Confronting Power: The Practice of Policy Advocacy, pp. 127–141. Sterling, Va.: Kumarian Press.
