Understanding Power Structures: How to Navigate and Transform Toxic Political Systems

Based on the IFB research by Yvette Bethel

The Hidden Hierarchy: Understanding and Shifting Power in Unbalanced Political Systems

In every organization, institution, family, or community, politics is not just inevitable—it’s ever present. Power dynamics exist wherever people come together to make decisions, allocate resources, or set direction. Yet, political systems, when left unchecked or misunderstood, can become toxic—breeding mistrust, manipulation, and disengagement. To shift these dynamics, we first need to understand how political systems are structured, and how they function within the deeper layers of organizational culture.

Author, thought leader, and systems thinker Yvette Bethel has provided a valuable lens for understanding power within political systems. Her research identifies a power hierarchy that helps decode how power is held, distributed, and used—whether consciously or unconsciously. This four-tiered model includes the Power Elite, the Inner Sanctum of Power Brokers, the Aspirants, and the Peripheral Actors. When applied to organizational life, this framework reveals not only where power lies, but how it moves—and how it can become either toxic or transformative.

Unpacking the Political Power (Control) Structure

At the top of this hierarchy sits the Power Elite—those with direct decision-making authority and formal or informal control over the direction of the organization. These individuals, often senior leaders, founders, or executives, hold centralized influence and define the priorities and values of the system. Their choices shape not just strategy, but culture itself.

Surrounding the elite is the Inner Sanctum—a trusted group of power brokers who operate as extensions of the elite's will. They often hold advisory roles or manage critical relationships and communication. In healthy environments, this group plays a vital role in translating strategy into action and keeping leadership connected to reality. In toxic systems, however, they can become gatekeepers—manipulating access, filtering information, and protecting the elite from inconvenient truths. This insularity can lead to blind spots and distorted perceptions at the top.

Next are the Political Aspirants—those seeking influence and upward mobility. These individuals are often highly driven and politically aware. Their energy can be a source of innovation and leadership potential, but in toxic systems, they are often drawn into performative politics. Without guidance, their ambition can be exploited by those above them, reducing them to pawns in internal power plays.

Finally, we come to the Peripheral Actors—those who appear to exist outside the central political game but can still hold considerable influence, often quietly or selectively. These individuals may reject overt, toxic political involvement due to disillusionment, a distaste for power dynamics, or previous negative experiences. Others may consciously position themselves on the margins to preserve autonomy or stay focused on technical or cultural contributions. While they may seem detached, Peripheral Actors often wield significant informal power. They may influence decision-making behind the scenes, shape group norms, or act as moral counterweights to visible, out-of-balance power plays. In some cases, they may unconsciously or deliberately use their influence in ways that help—or harm—the wider organizational ecosystem.

How Toxic Political Systems Emerge

Toxicity emerges when this hierarchy becomes distorted or self-serving. The power elite may become insulated, surrounded by loyalists who suppress dissent and reinforce bias or cover up. The inner sanctum may act as enforcers or manipulators rather than facilitators of truth and trust. Aspirants, caught in the political undertow, compete instead of collaborate, adapting their behavior to survive rather than supporting each other.

Peripheral Actors, when unacknowledged or alienated, may disengage entirely—or worse, exercise passive-aggressive influence that disrupts without accountability. Sometimes, their power is used constructively—challenging groupthink, protecting values, or stabilizing chaos. But in toxic environments, even this power can become demoralised, cynical or corrosive, reinforcing silos, undermining trust, or sabotaging initiatives quietly from the sidelines.

In such environments, fear replaces transparency, loyalty is rewarded over competence, and informal power becomes more potent than formal structure. Under these circumstances, decision-making slows down or becomes reactive while trust erodes. Ultimately, the culture becomes more about who you know than what you do or stand for.

Politics Doesn’t Have to Be Toxic

It’s important to remember: politics itself is not the problem. In fact, healthy political systems are crucial to making complex decisions, managing competing interests, and aligning diverse stakeholders. The issue is how politics unfolds within your culture.

The first step toward transformation is awareness—acknowledging the political dynamics at play and openly discussing them. Pretending politics doesn’t exist only deepens its toxicity. By using the IFB Power framework as a guide, leaders can begin to name the roles in play and examine whether they are supporting the organization's goals or undermining them.

The Inner Sanctum, for example, can be reframed not as a protective wall around leadership, but as a bridge—facilitating communication, distributing decision-making, and helping surface diverse perspectives. Aspirants, with proper mentoring and developmental pathways, can become ethical and capable future leaders rather than manipulators of perception. And Peripheral Actors can be seen not as obstacles to engagement, but as potential stabilizers, cultural influencers, and truth-tellers—if their power is acknowledged and invited into the system.

Transforming Politics from Dysfunction to Trust

The IFB Power Hierarchy gives us a powerful map of organizational politics—but it’s only useful if we act on what it reveals. When power is understood, named, and responsibly stewarded, politics can become a force for innovation, trust, and forward momentum. But when ignored, it becomes a silent toxin that corrodes culture from within.

A critical catalyst for rebalancing power is trust. Without it, attempts to shift political dynamics often backfire or remain superficial. Trust allows for vulnerability, transparency, and constructive challenge—core ingredients in any culture that seeks to move from fear-based politics to collaborative influence. Yet trust doesn’t emerge through words alone; it must be built through consistent behavior, emotional integrity, and relational accountability.

Organizations that wish to disperse overly consolidated power must focus on cultivating personal and collective integrity. This starts with emotional mastery—leaders and influencers who can manage their reactions, hold space for complexity, and model psychological safety. Without this, people retreat into self-protection or manipulation. Alongside this, cultivating a “We Disposition”—a mindset rooted in connection, shared purpose, and mutual success—helps shift the culture away from competitive mental models. When people see themselves as co-stewards of the system rather than competitors within it, political energy can be redirected toward shared outcomes.

Trust, emotional maturity, and connection create the conditions where Peripheral Actors are more likely to tap into power when they engage, aspirants are developed rather than exploited, and power brokers become bridges rather than barriers. Over time, this disperses the concentration of influence and opens the system to more inclusive, healthy political interactions.

Re-engaging Peripheral Actors

Many organizations overlook the subtle influence of Peripheral Actors. These individuals often carry deep expertise, cultural credibility, or institutional memory. They may be highly principled, burned out by previous political experiences, or simply uninterested in overt forms of influence. Rather than pressuring them to play the political game, organizations should seek to understand and integrate their perspectives. With the right conditions—such as psychological safety, trust in leadership, and open dialogue—Peripheral Actors can re-engage constructively and help balance out more transactional forms of power.

By creating safe pathways for contribution that don’t demand conformity to the dominant political style, leaders can unlock some of the most grounded and values-driven voices in the system.

Transforming Politics from Dysfunction to Purpose

Yvette Bethel’s power hierarchy gives us a powerful map of organizational politics—but it’s only useful if we act on what it reveals. When power is understood, named, and responsibly stewarded, politics can become a force for innovation, trust, and forward momentum. But when ignored, it becomes a silent toxin that corrodes culture from within.

Healthy politics is not about avoiding power—but about engaging with it consciously, ethically, and with the intention to serve something greater than oneself.

This article explores a partially hidden power hierarchy found in command and control political systems: the Power Elite, Inner Sanctum, Aspirants, and Peripheral Actors. Toxic dynamics arise when these roles are distorted or ignored. Peripheral Actors—those who appear politically detached but can still hold quiet influence—can be critical in rebalancing power. By understanding these roles and intentionally engaging them, organizations can transform toxic political behavioural patterns from dysfunction into a system of healthy influence, collaboration, and ethical leadership.

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