What do we mean by “Power”?

Power is “the ability or capacity to have authority or influence over decisions and outcomes.” These decisions and outcomes can be personal (control over your own agency), cultural and structural, workplace, or movement. (- The Meaningful Engagement Handbook)

Self-determination means people deserve the authority to make their own decisions. People can seek *power over* others, in which they seek to be able to make decisions for others, or they can build *power with* others, in which they seek to ensure that the collective’s ability to self-advocate is increased. Collective power doesn’t mean more people in the collective have individual power (power over); it means the systemic power imbalances are shifted to a more collective model (power with).

Sometimes, it’s important to think about “institutional power.” Institutional power means you are part of the group that the institutions (government, financial, housing, education, criminal legal) were created by and for. The systems are more likely to address the needs of people with institutional power.

Resource: Power Analysis Workbook

Recommended citation: “Power.” Movement Glossary. Collective Threads Initiative, 2026. https://www.collectivethreads.org (date accessed).