System Imago: A New Perspective on Leadership and Power

Abstract

This article explores the idea of how an individual’s sociocultural intersectional identities influence the amount of power and influence they can wield in their position as a leader in groups. Based on her experiences of facilitating international process groups, the author introduces the new concept of system imago and compares and contrasts it to the concept of group imago. The notion of system imago invites the reader to look at how systems self-organize and the different unconscious roles individuals end up taking in perpetuating systems that only promote people with certain intersectional identities. This article emphasizes how social conditioning and unconscious biases can continue to perpetuate cycles of systemic oppression and render leaders from an underprivileged background in a powerless position despite their positional power in systems. The article concludes with reflective questions to invite readers to look at how they might work as allies to support leaders from nonprivileged backgrounds and bring about social change.