Managing power and conflict
Power. A word that bothers many, mostly because of how it is experienced in default reality – concentrated, vertical, and non-negotiable power. Time to shift it to a practice that involves more of us. Sharing power. A leadership style that values collaboration and consent-based models of decision-making.
As a foundation, we are aware of the position of power and privilege we hold in the redistribution maze. This is why we believe the work of radical philanthropy comes hand in hand with accountability and the commitment to build, with successes and failures, the new culture & system we wish to see in society. The newly founded Activist Council & Funders Circle reflect our efforts towards shifting power structures, with the intention to evolve to a more diverse, heterogenous organisation that moves away from traditional philanthropy to include the vision of those who relentlessly fight for systems change, as well as those who retain power and that are willing to engage in the transformational journey of redistribution.
We understand that managing & shifting power relationships is an ever-evolving pursuit. With the new structures already in place, our intentions are set to cultivate power as collective empowerment, to change processes to being participatory-led, and to pair redistribution with inclusivity.
As we go by however, we stay vigilant to what hinders in this journey. In particular when the old uncle of power, conflict, joins the conversation. When family meets, power and conflict are the table’s trouble makers. We’ve set processes to address them, especially responding to questions of harassment and oppression.