Power as Dynamic Tension and its Implications for Radical Organizational Change

In this article I propose a conceptual model of organizational power based on exploration of the dynamic tensions between manifest/surface versus latent/deep power and between personal versus collective power. I suggest that emancipatory or transformational change can be facilitated through the simultaneous recognition of these tensions. By embracing fundamentally different perspectives of power and understanding the complexity of the dynamics, four paths to change are suggested including restructuring, personal action, deconstruction, and resistance. In the article, I address both the dominant perspectives on power and change as well as largely suppressed and devalued perspectives and present a current example of how the model may be used to understand a change process.