Power, Workplace

Power is the ability or capacity to act. It refers to strength, influence and control. In the workplace power of different sorts is required to perform the services or create the products intended by the business or institution. Industrial power, for example, is a composite of natural resources, energy supplies, good ideas and design, capable management and productive workers. The power of a community or political organization depends on its financial and human resources, ideas, programs, leadership and constituency of workers and supporters.

Our interest in power in the workplace is focused primarily on how policy and direction are set, how plans are made and carried out, how influence is distributed among the people. Employees, including middle managers, are often frustrated by what seems to be their lack of real power. It often seems that responsibilities are not commensurate with authority or power; there is not enough of the latter to fulfill the former.

In this article we are considering power not in general but in the workplace. How can we better understand power and then respond as thoughtful Christians? What are the purposes of this work for which power is sought? What kind of power is to be sought by the people of God? How can Christians relate to power in the workplace as it is configured in our world?

Personal Power

First, our personal power in the workplace is dependent primarily on our competence, skill and fitness for the tasks we are assigned. Our motivation as Christians to competence and excellence is based not on the potential for rewards from our employers but on our desire to please and honor God: “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Col. 3:17 NRSV). This applies even to the work of a slave: “Whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord and not for your masters, since you know that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you serve the Lord Christ” (Col. 3:23-24). To be persecuted, or disempowered, in the workplace because of our failure to perform well is not praiseworthy. On occasion, despite our good performance, we may suffer unfairly. Ordinarily, however, we will be rewarded not only by God but by our employers if we carry out our tasks with godly excellence.

Second, power in the workplace is often dependent on our relational skills. It is a matter of whom you know and how you treat others. The tempting and cynical approach is to use and manipulate others for selfish purposes, but Christians reject this as the power of darkness. As the children of light, Christians model their relationships on those of their Lord. Thus we reach out in concern to the low as well as the great, to those who need us as well as those we need. Christ teaches us to relate to others always as unique persons made in God’s image and likeness. We care for others as God cares for us. Our basic stance is that of servants of God, freely and graciously giving knowledge, assistance and care. Our competitiveness is directed against the true enemies of human well-being—poverty, loneliness, pain and meaninglessness—not against our fellow beings. Such relational servanthood will on occasion be misunderstood, demeaned or exploited by others. In the worst case we may need to seek other employment or simply commit our cause to God. However, such servanthood will more often result in the appreciation and approval of our colleagues. The servant of all may become the leader with moral and personal power if not with institutionally recognized position (Luke 22:24-27).

Third, power in the workplace depends on our communication. The cynical approach might include a quest for power through deception and falsehood. Résumés and reports might be falsified; flattery or intimidation might be communicated in a quest for advantage. But for Christians power through communication is based on “speaking the truth in love” (Ephes. 4:15; compare Ephes. 4:25, 29). God’s truthful word created the world; the Word of God became flesh and lived among us (John 1). The truth of Jesus Christ sets us free. These themes govern our workplace communications, be they internal to the company or external representations of our products and services. Though there may be short-term power payoffs through deception or gossip, over the longer haul the truth will win out. One who habitually communicates the truth in love acquires long-term personal power in the workplace.

Finally, power in the workplace, as elsewhere, is partly a function of our character. Our specific actions are always important, but our character is our ongoing constellation of traits, attributes, dispositions, habits and capacities. Our character is “who we are,” not just “what we do” in this or that circumstance. Our reputation may not do justice to our real character at times, but over the long haul a Christian character that is shaped by faith, hope and love, by the Beatitudes, will experience and display the power of God as we are progressively being reformed toward the image of Jesus Christ.

Structural Power

Power is never merely a personal issue. It is also a function of corporate structures and processes and of role definition and distribution (see System). People of great skill, relational and communicational excellence, and admirable character are sometimes disempowered by forces and structures larger than themselves. To the extent we are able, we need to understand and improve this corporate and structural context. Our reform efforts may be motivated by a desire to be better able to flourish in our own work. But we also must be mindful of others in our workplace who suffer from such injustice. Christians with managerial and administrative roles will be motivated to justice and fairness knowing that they, in turn, are accountable to a Master in heaven, who is invariably just, fair, liberating and loving (Ephes. 5:1).

In order to have empowered people in the workplace, employees must be given authority commensurate with their responsibility. Employees need to be assisted in the acquisition and improvement of their personal skills and placed in work roles that allow their expression. The opportunity for helpful, meaningful relationships among employees must be maintained. Communication, both speaking and listening, needs to be free and should be encouraged. The development of the whole person, that is, character and relationships, needs to be valued.

Christians, following their Lord, will exhibit special care for those with little power and weak voice, personally or culturally. Cultural habits and prejudices based on race, gender, age and other such nonwork distinctions have too often meant that some voices were unheard, some abilities untapped, some deserving promotions overlooked. Christians must not allow their practices and attitudes to be shaped by such worldly patterns (Romans 12:1-2). Our goal is to see and recognize all our colleagues with the eyes of Christ, honor each of them in the dignity bestowed by their Creator and empower them with the strength of God.

In addition to those cultural habits and prejudices that make up a large part of the organizational culture of the workplace, the official structures defining the workplace, that is, the systems and policies, should be the focus of Christian scrutiny. An empowering corporate culture will demonstrate fairness in hiring, promotion, compensation, discipline and dismissal processes (see Firing). If hiring, compensation, communication, decision-making and other policies are preserving a disempowering organizational structure, then these policies may need to be examined and reformed.

The Power of God and the Powers of the World

In the workplace, where many of us spend most of our lives, we desire that we and others be set free and empowered to flourish to the best of our God-given abilities. We find, however, that the powerful weight of tradition and habit, of money and production demands, of policies, laws and regulations often severely constrain our possibilities. Struggling against more than a particular organization or oppressive boss, we often experience the spiritual dominance of what the Bible calls “principalities and powers.” We find ourselves in a spiritual battle, not just a personal or organizational conflict. Many of us have come home from work, even from presumably Christian workplaces, bowed down, discouraged, powerless and feeling defeated.

While the “microresponses” suggested above are important, it is essential to recall and accept the “macroperspective” on our situation. If our struggle is ultimately a spiritual battle, albeit with identifiable human elements, then our point of departure must be spiritual. Here we reconnect with the gospel of Jesus, which, while appearing weak, is truly the “power of God” (Romans 1:16; 1 Cor. 2:5). As individuals we believe that despite our weakness, we “can do all things through him [Christ] who strengthens” us (Phil. 4:13 NRSV). Moreover, we are not alone but are part of the church, which received the promise “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” (Acts 1:8 NRSV).

For Christians, then, power in the workplace is not just a function of personal excellence, relational skill, communication ability and solid character. Nor is gaining power simply the result of structural reforms and improved corporate character. It is fundamentally dependent on our drawing on the powerful strength of God, his Spirit and his people. We draw on these sources as we worship, as we pray, as we share our common life and struggle together on behalf of the kingdom of God.

» See also: Organization

» See also: Organizational Culture and Change

» See also: Power

» See also: Principalities and Powers

» See also: Structures

» See also: System

References and Resources

H. Berkhof, Christ and the Powers, trans. J. H. Yoder (Scottdale, Penn.: Herald, 1962); W. Diehl, Thank God It’s Monday (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1976); H. Schleir, Principalities and Powers in the New Testament (New York: Herder & Herder, 1964); W. Wink, Naming the Powers: The Language of Power in the New Testament (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1984); W. Wink, Unmasking the Powers: The Invisible Forces That Determine Human Existence (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1986).

—David W. Gill