The Refractive Thinker® Volume XXVI: Dynamics of Power

Ch 7: The Dynamic Power of Social Influence Leaders: Building Resilience and Resources Capabilities During Uncertain Times

By: Dr. Denean Y. Lear, Dr. Janie Hall

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

The Refractive Thinker® Volume XXVI: Dynamics of Power explores one of the most influential and misunderstood forces in modern society: power. This peer-reviewed doctoral anthology brings together diverse scholars and practitioners to examine how power shapes leadership, organizational culture, ethical decision-making, generational behavior, social influence, and human connection.

Guided by Managing Editor Dr. Cheryl A. Lentz, this 26th edition of the award-winning Refractive Thinker® series refracts academic research through a practical lens—translating complex theory into actionable insight for leaders, educators, business executives, and change makers.

Across nine chapters, this volume explores topics including:

• Contextual and relational leadership
• Transformational leadership and change agency
• Cybersecurity awareness amid global instability
• Generational forces that shape workplaces
• Cultural and gendered dimensions of power
• Ethical leadership, authority, and influence
• Resilience and social impact leadership
• The refractive role of silence in leadership

Designed to make scholarship accessible beyond academia, each chapter bridges doctoral research with practical business and leadership applications. This edition continues the mission of The Refractive Thinker®—bringing scholarly insights out of the ivory tower and into the hands of those who can use them to lead, inspire, and create meaningful change.
Ideal for leadership professionals, consultants, doctoral learners, educators, HR executives, organizational development specialists, and anyone interested in understanding the dynamics that shape modern leadership.

Chapter 7: Summary
In an environment where disruption, volatility, and unpredictability become the norm, social influence organizations and their leaders face continual challenges that test their resilience. Unlike corporations whose corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts primarily elevate brand reputation, these organizations operate with a mission-first ethos. Despite this commitment, post-C*****-19 challenges—such as funding disruptions and the 2025 government shutdown— threatened the fabric of nonprofit infrastructure. Social influence leaders’ responses to instability reveal that the power of social influence lies not in authority, but in visionary, relational, and transformational leadership capacity to reorient followers toward renewed purpose. During periods of instability, followers look toward leaders for solutions and reassurance, requiring refractive thinking that challenges the status quo, tests unconventional strategies, and envisions possibilities beyond present constraints (Lentz, 2025). Vision enables leaders to sense emerging opportunities, influence transforms stakeholders into enabling partners, and perception becomes a visible signal of capacity. This chapter applied a refractive thinking lens to the development of the vision-influence-perception (VIP) model as an emergent framework within the broader social influence leadership theory, emphasizing that leaders function as the microfoundations of resilience—evolving in tandem with the social and organizational landscape to redefine what is possible.