Power Mapping for Change Leaders
The Change Signal with Tiziana Casciaro
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Most change efforts in big organizations falter for a quiet reason: leaders treat change as a plan, when it’s actually a power-and-relationships story. In this episode, Tiziana Casciaro — professor at the Rotman School of Management and co-author of Power, for All — helps make power discussable again. Not as a dirty word, but as energy: the force that moves decisions, resources, and attention.
Tiziana introduces power mapping as a practical discipline. Instead of relying on org charts or formal authority, she explains how to notice who controls what the organization values, how informal influence flows, and why leaders often already know who matters — they just haven’t been paying attention.
The conversation goes deep into the relational labour of change: the listening, curiosity, trust-building, and everyday conversations that most change models ignore. Tiziana challenges the myth of the “open door,” showing why leaders often have to go to people rather than waiting for people to come to them.
Finally, we get precise about resistance. Sometimes resistance signals a lack of skills, resources, or a path to success — and leaders can address it by helping people thrive in the new world. Other times, resistance reflects a deeper power struggle, where progress requires building coalitions and making tough calls. Knowing the difference is what separates stalled change from momentum.
Here are three questions that arise from this Change Signal conversation with Tiziana Casciaro:
• Where does power really sit in your system?
• Why don’t people use your “open door”?
• When is resistance a skill gap—and when is it a coalition fight?
ABOUT TIZIANA:
Tiziana Casciaro is a professor of organizational behaviour at the Rotman School of Management and a leading researcher on power, networks, and leadership. Her work focuses on how influence actually works inside organizations, why informal relationships matter more than formal structures, and how leaders can mobilize people and resources to drive meaningful change.
Music Credits: Rest in the Garden - SackJo22 ft Duckett & The Stubble Field Break (Mana Mixed) - Mana Junkie ft Apoxode
