New Power

1. New power models are reshaping our world, driven by participation and peer coordination

Power, as philosopher Bertrand Russell puts it, is the "ability to produce intended effects."

Shifting power dynamics. The rise of new power models is fundamentally changing how we interact, organize, and create value. These models harness the energy and enthusiasm of crowds, enabling unprecedented levels of participation and peer-to-peer collaboration. Examples include:

• Social movements like #MeToo and Black Lives Matter
• Platform businesses like Airbnb and Uber
• Open-source projects like Wikipedia and Linux

Democratization of creation. New power models are breaking down traditional barriers to entry, allowing individuals to:

• Create and distribute content globally
• Mobilize large groups around shared interests
• Challenge established institutions and norms

This shift is not just technological but cultural, reflecting changing expectations about agency, transparency, and participation in all aspects of life.

2. Old power operates like currency, while new power flows like a current

Old power works like a currency. It is held by few. Once gained, it is jealously guarded, and the powerful have a substantial store of it to spend. It is closed, inaccessible, and leader-driven. It downloads, and it captures.

Contrasting models. Old power and new power operate on fundamentally different principles:

Old Power:

• Centralized and hierarchical
• Controlled by a select few
• Guarded and accumulated

New Power:

• Decentralized and networked
• Open and participatory
• Flows and surges

Implications. This paradigm shift affects all sectors of society:

• Business: From closed innovation to open collaboration
• Politics: From top-down campaigns to grassroots movements
• Media: From professional gatekeepers to user-generated content

Organizations and leaders must adapt to this new reality or risk becoming irrelevant in an increasingly networked world.

3. The participation scale: From consuming to shaping in the new power paradigm

New power behaviors: Sharing, affiliating, funding, producing, and shaping.

Levels of engagement. The participation scale illustrates the spectrum of involvement in new power models:

1. Consuming: Passive engagement
2. Sharing: Spreading ideas and content
3. Affiliating: Joining groups or causes
4. Funding: Contributing resources
5. Producing: Creating content or value
6. Shaping: Influencing the direction of a community or platform

Increasing agency. As individuals move up the scale, they gain more influence and ownership within the system. This progression reflects a fundamental shift in how people engage with institutions and each other.

Key factors driving participation:

• Low barriers to entry
• Clear pathways for increased involvement
• Meaningful feedback loops
• Sense of ownership and agency

Successful new power models create opportunities for participants to move up this scale, fostering deeper engagement and loyalty.

4. ACE framework: Creating ideas designed to spread in a new power world

ACE stands for the three design principles key to making an idea spread in a new power world: Actionable, Connected, Extensible.

Designing for virality. The ACE framework provides a blueprint for creating ideas that resonate and spread in a networked environment:

Actionable:

• Clear call to action
• Easy to participate
• Immediate gratification

Connected:

• Fosters peer-to-peer relationships
• Creates sense of community
• Aligns with shared values

Extensible:

• Adaptable to different contexts
• Encourages remixing and personalization
• Allows for emergent creativity

Examples in action:

• Ice Bucket Challenge: Simple action, social connection, personal variations
• #BlackLivesMatter: Clear message, community building, adaptable to local contexts
• TED Talks: Actionable ideas, global community, TEDx events

By incorporating these elements, ideas become more likely to gain traction and spread organically through networks.

5. The art of blending power: Combining old and new power for maximum impact

Those who master the skills we have laid out in this book will be able to shift between old and new power as situation and strategy demands: to flip from open to closed, to toggle between "movement" and "institution," to know when to control and when to release control.

Strategic flexibility. The most effective organizations and leaders learn to blend old and new power approaches:

Old Power Strengths:

• Stability and consistency
• Efficient execution
• Clear accountability

New Power Strengths:

• Rapid innovation and adaptation
• Mass engagement and participation
• Distributed problem-solving

Case studies in blending:

1. LEGO: Combining traditional product development with crowdsourced ideas
2. NASA: Integrating open innovation challenges with institutional expertise
3. Pope Francis: Balancing papal authority with grassroots engagement

Key to successful blending:

• Understanding the strengths and limitations of each approach
• Identifying when to deploy old or new power tactics
• Creating synergies between traditional structures and networked communities

Organizations that master this art of blending can harness the best of both worlds, becoming more resilient and adaptive in a rapidly changing landscape.

6. New power leadership: Signaling, structuring, and shaping for crowd engagement

The great challenge of the new power community is to weigh the needs of the three different groups, which can easily fall into conflict.

New leadership paradigm. Effective new power leaders must balance the interests of:

1. Platform owners/stewards
2. Super-participants
3. Everyday participants

They do this through three key capabilities:

Signaling:

• Communicating values and intentions
• Inspiring participation and agency
• Leading by example

Structuring:

• Creating frameworks for engagement
• Designing feedback loops
• Establishing clear pathways for increased involvement

Shaping:

• Influencing community norms and culture
• Guiding the overall direction of the movement
• Fostering a sense of shared purpose

Examples of new power leadership:

• Ai-jen Poo (National Domestic Workers Alliance): Empowering marginalized workers
• Beth Comstock (GE): Driving innovation through open collaboration
• Lady Gaga: Cultivating an engaged fan community (Little Monsters)

These leaders succeed by amplifying the voices of their communities while providing meaningful structures for participation and growth.

7. Building a full-stack society: Reimagining institutions for meaningful participation

To close this gap, it will be critical to actually reduce wealth and income inequality and change the material conditions of those who have been left behind. But a subtler challenge is in how we create more meaningful opportunities for people to actively shape their lives and connect with the institutions that shape them.

Addressing alienation. The full-stack society concept aims to combat growing feelings of powerlessness and disconnection by:

• Creating multiple layers of engagement in key institutions
• Fostering a sense of ownership and agency among citizens
• Bridging the gap between traditional power structures and networked communities

Reimagining core institutions:

• Media: De Correspondent's collaborative journalism model
• Government: Audrey Tang's digital democracy initiatives in Taiwan
• Healthcare: Patient-driven research and care networks

Key principles for building a full-stack society:

1. Transparency and open data
2. Participatory decision-making processes
3. Distributed problem-solving and innovation
4. Adaptive governance structures

By redesigning our institutions to embrace new power principles, we can create a more engaged, resilient, and equitable society that harnesses the collective intelligence and creativity of its members.

Last updated: January 25, 2025