The advent of technology such as social media nowadays has allowed us to achieve our goals on a massive scale. The authors of New Power, Jeremy Heimers and Henry Timms discuss that old power and new power are two sources of creating change in today’s world. Old power is dependent on what you create or control, such as large companies. Meanwhile, new power relies on individuals coming together and collaborating, for example with Facebook or Youtube. New power is about harnessing the energy that is created by a connected crowd, which is an extremely useful commodity in the 21st century.
How can we transition from an old power structure to a new power one within our organizations and clinics?
1. Identify Drivers of Change
The drivers of change are those individuals within an organization that can lead the charge to change from an old power structure to a new one. It can be difficult to identify these individuals but the authors provide a few examples of what to look for. For example, a “Shapeshifter” is an employee with a high degree of company knowledge and recognizes the importance of an organization’s values and culture. A Shapeshifter can utilize their superior understanding of systems to enact greater change than a new individual brought in to disrupt the typical culture and norms. After all, transforming the power structure within an organization is not a process that occurs overnight, it requires careful selection of leaders with the right background.
2. New Power Skills
To be a leader using new power, you must learn a certain set of skills that are specific to the role. One of these skills is called structuring, a process which is used to create greater autonomy and participation. When looking at physiotherapy clinics, directors and clinic owners can have steps in place to listen to foster independence of clinicians while still holding them accountable. Developing a support system for clinicians where they can be productive requires careful planning with input from all levels of management. The ultimate goal should be to empower the clinicians to organize their work, share responsibility and make decisions to boost their productivity as well as promoting the company’s growth.
New Power takes a unique look at how the power dynamic varies between organizations and individuals. A successful business in today’s world must be able to infect individuals with their ideas and then invite them to gain power. This book provides a refreshing view of power dynamics and takes a look at the forces that impact our fundamental thinking and behaviours. We, at PT Business Corner, definitely enjoyed all that New Power has to offer and would like to thank Kelly Leong for her recommendation!
