2.1 Engaging with Local professional power

Over a lifetime, you have to deal with many local public institutions. Knowing which public institution to contact in your time of need can be challenging, especially if you are unfamiliar with their functions. Institutions like Citizens Advice can help you to navigate this situation and help with developing the best way to approach the relevant local public service. With the experience shared in Activity 1 in mind, you will explore the power of professionals involved in delivering local public services, for example, councils, local NHS Trusts, and the local police.

Professionals play a vital part in the delivery of local public services. Some professionals have specialisms – for example, medical professionals, police officers, and specialist council officials. These professionals may not have political power but wield professional power. Professional power is embedded in professionals’ ability to provide or withhold resources or administer punishments (Goltz, 2003; Keltner et al., 2003; Zhang, 2020). As a leader, you ought to be aware that professionals in your local public institutions can be the most influential people in the delivery of the local public services (Scott, 2008, p. 223). Local public services professionals are well positioned to adjust local public services, especially in economic crises and when the resources become scarce to deliver services (Currie et al., 2012). As a leader, you should know that professionals have influence and access to resources through their roles (Reader, 1966). They may deflect and defer to elected officials. However, they have the technical knowledge the elected officials rely on in their assessments and decision-making processes. The key point here is that as a leader, you should be aware of professional power and, vitally, how to influence professional power.

In addition to influencing professional power through your elected representatives, it is critical to put some thought into other avenues to use when seeking to influence professionals (Sercombe, 1998; Lohmeyer, 2017); you should appreciate the potential power imbalances between you as a service user and people and institutions with professional power. The local public services are mandated to deliver services, meaning that elected representatives have ceded some powers to professionals (Sercombe, 1998).

The mandate may be generational or socially constructed. As a leader and a service user, you may need to be aware of the professionals’ mandate to you and how you can withdraw it if you are unhappy with the services they deliver to you or your community (Sercombe, 2010; Lohmeyer, 2017). As a leader, you and your community may need to engage in empowerment processes to become ‘knowable and governable’ citizens/service users (Dean, 2010; Lohmeyer, 2017). Furthermore, as a leader, you would know that the premise of empowerment is that knowledge is power (Batsleer, 2008; Lohmeyer, 2017).