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Too often power is not only mishandled, it is misunderstood. The powerless believe the myths generated by the powerful: that their lack of power is due to their own deficiencies, that the powerful have achieved success because they work harder, or are smarter. The powerful also believe their own creation narratives, imagining that because they have power now, they will always have it, or because they have power, they are deserving of it.
Much of the literature on power tends to perpetuate these misconceptions, as books either focus on specific arenas of power, be that economic, military or political, or on the power of personality and how an individual can influence others, examining power solely through the lens of psychology. Indeed, understanding the power of the individual is important, but it does not describe what power actually is and how it works.
Using original case studies and historical and current day examples, The Truth About Power will provide a definitive answer to an essential question: what is power? Whether we are talking about economics, gender, sexuality, or statehood, the laws of power are immutable, and this book will help anyone, especially those not born with wealth, privilege, or a strong personality, to understand them. With this book, readers will finally be able to understand that whoever they are, they have power.
About the author
Julie Battilana is the Joseph C. Wilson Professor of Business Administration in the Organisational Behaviour unit at Harvard Business School and the Alan L. Gleitsman Professor of Social Innovation at Harvard Kennedy School of Government, where she is also the founder and faculty chair of the Social Innovation and Change Initiative. She's also a cofounder of the Democratising Work global initiative. She has been featured in media such as NPR, Businessweek, Harvard Business Review, The Guardian, Forbes, The Boston Globe and she's a regular contributor to Le Monde. A native of France, Battilana lives in Belmont, Massachusetts.Tiziana Casciaro is a Professor of Organisational Behaviour at the Rotman School of Management and the Marcel Desautels Chair in Integrative Thinking at the University of Toronto. Her research has been featured in the Economist, Financial Times, The Washington Post, HuffPost, Harvard Business Review, USA TODAY, Forbes, CNN, MSNBC, ABC, Fortune, and Time. Her awards include the Outstanding Publication in Organisational Behaviour Award of the Academy of Management, and Thinkers50 Radar list of the 30 management thinkers in the world most likely to shape the future of how organisations are managed and led. Originally from Italy, Casciaro lives in Toronto, Canada.
Summary
Concentrated, accessible and life-changing, Power, for All is the definitive guide to understanding and navigating power in our relationships, organisations and society.
Foreword
Concentrated, accessible and life-changing, Power, for All is the definitive guide to understanding and navigating power in our relationships, organisations and society.
Additional text
In an age when authoritarians are on the rise and freedoms are imperiled, Julie Battilana and Tiziana Casciaro offer a fresh, more hopeful view of how power can be shared by all citizens. Their conclusions, rooted in research and world-wide reporting, show that power can be dirty but in honorable hands, can also be an enormous force for good. This book will be invaluable to anyone asking how to acquire power, how to keep it and how to exercise it for moral purposes
