One of the foundations of Approachable Leadership is the idea of “power distance” (
click here to read how power distance destroyed Nokia). Power distance describes how different people react to people in power. Some are intimidated and defer to people in power, while others don’t seem too concerned.
We believe that shrinking this gap is essential to maintaining organizations that thrive, innovate, and develop employees.
Harvard professor,
Tsedal Neeley, studies a very similar phenomenon called social distance. In a
great HBR article she describes the problem of social distance in the workplace, Neeley explains why social distance, or “the degree of emotional connection among team members,” can create huge disruptions to the flow of healthy work environments. Neeley recommends ways to shrink social distance between different cultures (
Hofstede’s power distance research focused on the same problem) in global companies. I believe her recommendations can be applied to any company, big or small, remote or not.
Neeley lays out 5 sources of social disruption with the acronym SPLIT:
- Structure
- Process
- Language
- Identity
- Technology
Structure and the Perception of PowerNeeley says, “to correct perceived power imbalances between different groups, a leader needs to get three key messages across:”
- Who we are. Despite differences in individual members of the team, it’s important that they all understand that the team is one entity. “The leader should encourage sensitivity to differences but look for ways to bridge them and build unity.”
- What we do. As all the individual members make up one whole, they all share one purpose. Leaders must remind the team of this and “direct their energy toward business-unit or corporate goals.”
- I am there for you. People need to feel that they have a connection with their leader, that they can rely on him or her.
Process and the Importance of Empathy...
