Power in an organisation isn’t only found in job titles, reporting lines, or approval rights. It also exists in relationships, trust, expertise, information, and quiet influence. Leaders usually know who carries formal authority: who signs off on budgets, approves appointments, and holds executive accountability. What they may not see is the shadow hierarchy beneath the organogram, where informal networks often shape what is accepted, delayed, or ignored.
For South African organisations, this matters deeply because culture is often shaped by daily interactions, language, trust, shared history, and access. When leaders miss these dynamics, they may mistake silence for agreement and compliance for commitment.
Why the organogram only tells half the story
Formal power sits in titles, mandates, reporting lines, and decision rights. Informal power is earned through relationships, credibility, expertise and access to information. Both matter, but they don’t always sit in the same person.
The classic model developed by French and Raven in 1958 remains useful: influence may come from reward, coercion, legitimate authority, expertise, personal credibility, and information. In practice, the most influential person in the room isn’t always the most senior person.
Hidden influence isn’t automatically negative. Organisations rely on people who carry institutional memory, connect teams, and help get things done. The risk emerges when informal pathways become exclusive, go unexamined, or carry more weight than stated values.
Influence isn’t always about position
Imagine a medium-sized manufacturing business in Gauteng. A new operations director joins with clear authority and responsibility for improving systems and efficiency. Within weeks, however, it becomes clear that every significant decision appears to pass through a production supervisor who has worked in the business for nearly 30 years. Employees seek this supervisor’s view before committing to decisions. Managers consult them before introducing change. Officially, the supervisor has limited authority outside their department. Unofficially, they are one of the most influential people in the business.
This is hidden power, and it exists in almost every organisation.
The organisation behind the organisation
Power often grows from relationships rather than rank. It may belong to the person who controls information, the executive assistant who knows how decisions are made, the long-serving employee who understands the company’s history, or the team member whose judgement others trust.
Sometimes people respect someone’s competence. Sometimes they fear being excluded. Sometimes influence exists because “this is how things have always been done”.
These dynamics don’t appear on the organogram, yet they shape how quickly decisions are made, whose ideas gain traction, and whose concerns are quietly ignored.
Hidden power shapes organisational culture
In South African organisations, hidden influence often develops through shared language, educational background, long-standing relationships, professional networks, and cultural familiarity. None of these is inherently problematic; trust naturally grows through shared experiences.
The challenge arises when these networks become invisible pathways through which opportunities, information, and influence flow, or are held back.
Consider a leadership meeting conducted in English. One manager speaks English fluently but thinks in isiXhosa. Another is more comfortable in Afrikaans. By the time they have translated their thoughts and decided how best to contribute, the conversation has moved on.
The louder voices dominate. The quicker responses are rewarded. The quieter contributions are never heard. Silence is then easily mistaken for agreement.
No one may intend to exclude others, yet the outcome can still be exclusionary. Over time, these subtle dynamics shape who participates, who stays silent, and who believes that their contribution matters.
When people stop contributing
One of the greatest risks of hidden power isn’t open conflict. It’s a quiet withdrawal. Employees rarely stop caring overnight. Instead, they make small adjustments.
- They stop challenging weak decisions.
- They keep innovative ideas to themselves.
- They avoid difficult conversations.
- They contribute only what is required.
From a leadership perspective, nothing may appear wrong. Productivity may even remain stable. But beneath the surface, trust begins to erode. Culture is shaped less by annual strategy sessions than by the thousands of everyday interactions.
Seeing what the organogram cannot
Strong leaders understand that authority and influence are not the same. They pay attention to patterns that reveal how power moves through the organisation.
- Who speaks first in meetings?
- Who is interrupted?
- Whose opinions are consistently sought?
- Who is left out of informal conversations?
- Who controls the flow of information?
- Who rarely speaks, yet consistently has valuable insight?
These observations often reveal more about culture than a survey can. HR leaders are well placed to notice them across recruitment, promotion, succession planning, performance conversations, and exits.
Turning hidden influence into organisational strength
Informal power isn’t something to eliminate. The objective is to ensure that influence supports organisational purpose rather than personal control, exclusion, or silence. That requires curiosity, courage, and attention to everyday moments where culture is created.
Power exercised well in a South African organisation is authority held with accountability and used in the service of growth and voice. It’s the leader who notices who hasn’t spoken and creates a genuine opening. It’s the executive who becomes curious about cultural dynamics before they become engagement problems.
If your team is struggling with disengagement, slow decision-making, resistance to change, or quiet withdrawal, the issue may not be only about communication. It may be hidden power.
At 4Seeds Consulting, we help leaders and teams surface these dynamics and turn influence into trust, voice, and healthier performance.
Click here to to get in touch.