ABSTRACT
The first human paintings, dating from before humanity began to use writing, show that power and authority, even at that time, are among its fundamental concerns. Power is essentially a matter of organization; it is linked to statute and to the hierarchy. Its legitimacy comes from material sources or from spiritual sources. Authority is linked to roles. It depends little on title, rank, or the statute, since it is primarily linked to the person who is acting in a given environment. Power and authority, as devolved on people, are matters of both political and psychological dimensions. Innovation allows a renewing of institutional working rules, the questioning of personal behaviour, and the use of new techniques in order to ensure the useful, if struggling, complementarity between power and authority. Innovation facilitates the appearance of leaders who will improve turnover, ensure a certain level of protection against the risks to be taken, and also establish the conditions of the training of staff.
