Power structure

A Power Structure is a social organization (especially those with a hierarchy) in which control of the actions of the group's members is not evenly distributed; in other words, some members of the group have more control (i.e. power) than others.

Examples of power structures include organizations, such as governments, businesses, and churches; a power structure can also include parts of several different organizations. Even in the most egalitarian organizations there will usually be some form of power structure as it is both a natural human tendency and a reasonable solution to the complex problem of making decisions in a group. Indeed, probably any group of two or more people includes a power structure of some kind -- but it is important to note that it is a particular *characteristic* of such groups, and is present in amounts which do not necessarily correlate with the size of the group.

Power structures are not inherently evil or bad. What can be a problem is when the maintenance of the power structure begins to take up more and more of the group's resources, or even becomes the main reason for the group's existence, any original purpose being relegated to the level of being an excuse for the group's activities.

(Notes for later: radio promotion is an example of a power-structure. Radio station owners are given incentive to choose the playlists, rather than allow DJs to pick music solely on merit, because this gives the station greater ability to negotiate with record labels for paybacks.)