The organizational bases of community power; a subsequent test of selected hypotheses

The organizational bases of community power were examined in this study of Nemo, a community of 14,000. The research was based on a concept of community power developed by Perrucci and Pllisuk. They theorize that no individual can possess all of the attributes necessary for achieving his goals in the community solely through personal characteristics or position. Additional power bases are important. These are found in organizations. Persons who are associated with more than one organization in executive positions are in a position to act as a connector between the organizations. They are therefore in a position to benefit from the power base of each organization and therefore will exercise greater power in community decision-making. The present study re-examined the hypotheses tested by Perrucci and Pllisuk and closely followed their methodology. In addition, the general community activity of the leadership population In voluntary organizations was measured as a test of the hypothesis that reputed leaders and interorganizational leaders would be more active in governmental and/or civic organizations, those having a great effect on non-members, than would other leaders. It was assumed that reputed and interorganizational leaders would show a greater commitment to the community through their voluntary community activities than would other leaders