New Power

Henry Timms and Jeremy Heimans begin with an image. One kind of power works like currency: a few people accumulate it, hold on to it, and defend it. Another works like a current of water: it comes from many people's participation, spreads quickly, and delivers results only when channeled rather than hoarded. They call the first old power and the second new power.

Old power belongs to governments, large corporations, traditional political parties, and institutions with clear hierarchies. Those at the top decide, and those below obey or ask permission. It is closed, cumbersome, and focused on stability. New power, by contrast, is open, participatory, and driven by peers, which gives it speed but also makes it unstable.

The book argues that understanding this difference is the key to making sense of today's world, from political campaigns to technology companies. Many of today's conflicts, the authors contend, are less about left versus right than about those who want to keep power closed and those who want to harness open power.

The central comparison deserves a closer look. Currency is something you own, keep in a safe, and defend tooth and nail once you've earned it. People with a lot of power in this sense invest in protecting it, and the organization functions to preserve the position of those in charge.

A current is something that flows. You cannot store it, only direct it. A movement that mobilizes thousands of people through their phones does not own those people. It simply gets their energy flowing in one direction for a while. A new power leader does not command but invites, and must keep giving people reasons to stay.

This logic has changed the role of leaders. A boss once relied on a title and control over information. Now, in many fields, the leader is whoever can attract and sustain engagement, and legitimacy comes from participation. That applies to a YouTuber, a political candidate, or an app founder.

The authors describe not just models but values. Old power institutions tend to value formal hierarchy, professional control of information, representation through intermediaries, and long-term loyalty. They expect the public to consume what is delivered and trust the experts.

New power initiatives prefer informal, networked ways of organizing, radical transparency, a do-it-yourself culture, and short-term, conditional relationships. People participate as long as they feel it is worthwhile and leave when they no longer do. This fragile loyalty requires leaders to renew the reason to stay every day.

It's important to note that these values overlap in real life. A traditional bank may adopt collaborative methods, and a modern app may be run in a very closed way by a handful of executives. The book offers this distinction as a lens, not a rigid label.