The influence of an individual or group over others which could elicit a change in behavior or social orientations as an effect of such influence is commonly characterized as power. This includes the aspects of behavioral, political, social, economic, and psychological influences, among others, which can be seen in different interaction levels, namely individual to individual, individual to group, and group to individual influences.Foucault (1980:198) as quoted by Cheater (1999: 3), defined power as “…a more-or-less organized, hierarchical, coordinated cluster of relations’…” This could be shown through social structures of organizations, groups or agencies. To further understand power relations and structure in groups, it is important to look at some factors that comprises this influence, as Cartwright (1959) explicated in his “Studies in Social Power”. Strodtbeck’s (1951) experiments regarding influences and roles, roles assumed by members in a group or organization have an effect on its power to influence other individuals.
This study led to other observations by other thinkers and studies that include roles and responsibility, wherein “…the whole organizational structure acquires power over the member and consequently certain other people have power over him, the specific persons depending upon his position in the organization (Cartwright, 1959: 5). ” Additionally, “Communication is the mechanism by which interpersonal influence is exerted. Without communication there would be no group norms, group goals, or organized group action (Ibid, 1959: 5). With these, the idea of power and influence can be seen as significant aspects of any organizational structure. This paper thus, aims to study a specific organization in terms of its structure, with emphasis on the “inside” and “outside” forces that control this entity, which includes hierarchy, control, resources, and members among others.
Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA) is an internationally recognized non-governmental, non-profit organization that aims to improve the women and girls’ lives in developing countries.This includes increasing educational opportunities to women around the world, ensuring the access to lifesaving reproductive health information and services, and strengthening the ability of women to become leaders in their own communities and nations. Additionally, its mission includes “the empowering and mobilizing of women to achieve equality being an essential means to building stronger families, communities, and societies. They also envision a world in which women and girls are able to fulfill their dreams free from the constraints of poverty and inequality and their full worth is realized and valued.
Women control more resources and contribute meaningfully in decision making at all levels. ” The structure of this non-governmental, non-profit international organization is characterized by the presence of hierarchy from the top to bottom – President and CEO (Carol Peasley), Board of Directors which includes the Chair, Chair Emeritus, Secretary, Treasurer and the President and CEO herself, together with 11 Board Members. This power structure shows the distribution of authority form the President to the lower levels of organization.Other staff includes the branches of Executive Office (Communications and Development), Finance and Administration (Finance, Human Resources, Administration and Technology, Operation and Compliance), Programs (Field Operations Team, Technical Team, Leadership and Capacity Building, USAID/Help Policy Initiative Project, Monitoring and Evaluation), and Information Inquiry departments.
These positions require deep understanding on the mission of the group and consideration on the advocacy on the situation of women and children around the world.People sitting in these positions are those who have been working for about 25 years in the field of international relations and gender studies. This legitimates their authority and influence as manifested by their roles and responsibilities given to them. Funding sources usually come from sub-grants, technical assistance to local partners and donations.
Since they push their advocacies on international issues such as gender and equality among others, different international agencies also help them in attaining their goals through financial supports.Such as in the case of CEDPA’s Health Policy Initiative program, the USAID and the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS relief together with other groups such as the Constella Futures and its associates, helped them achieve the program’s goals in improving health-related policy formulation, planning, and financing; strengthening government leadership and civil society participation in policy advocacy; encouraging multi-sectoral coordination of health policies; and fostering evidence-based decision making at the country level with emphasis on the policy dialogue and implementations.We can see that there is a significant influence exerted by outside forces which affects the structure of the organization and actions of the group as a whole. With the roles, responsibilities and communication process around the group, the power structure is determined in such a way that the mission of the organization can be achieved through cooperation and other interventions connected with other groups, organizations or agencies.
