THE MINORITY OF PEOPLE WHO OCCUPY THE TOP LEADERSHIP LEVEL IN COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES WERE DISCUSSED IN THIS PAPER. VARIOUS CONCEPTS OF THE COMMUNITY POWER STRUCTURE WERE REVIEWED, AND SOME RESEARCH FINDINGS WERE REPORTED ON A COMPARATIVE STUDY CONDUCTED IN THE POWER STRUCTURES OF THREE COMMUNITIES. FOUR ACTIVITY AREAS WERE STUDIED FOR EACH COMMUNITY--ECONOMIC AFFAIRS, GOVERNMENT, PUBLIC EDUCATION, AND PUBLIC RECREATION. DESCRIPTIONS OF THE POWER STRUCTURES OF EACH COMMUNITY WERE PRESENTED. (RS)