Do you speak up, or keep your head down?
‘Power Distance’ – a relatively new term, but one perhaps in some people’s subconscious; to have the term explained can make you aware of a situation that previously, as an employee, you may have been blind to.
In 1990, Robert J. House at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania defined ‘Power Distance’ as “the degree to which members of an organisation or society expect and agree that power should be shared unequally”. A high ‘power distance’ is where only a few people have the authority to make decisions, and senior figures are often viewed as unchallengeable, even when circumstances suggest they need calling out.
‘Power Distance’ has been heavily researched both within business but also across countries. For example, Austria and the Scandinavian region are examples of a ‘power distance’ experience is typically low, whilst Saudi Arabia is an example of a country where the ‘power distance’ is typically high. Historically, the UK and US have been judged nearer the Scandinavian experience, albeit this is now measured as moving in the opposite direction.
Whilst reflecting on ones’ own career path and considering the ‘power distance’ examples you may have witnessed, unsurprisingly it is those of the low variety that I have found to be the most productive to work in or see in operation. Any example where line management can create a co-operative regime of low ‘power distance’, where everybody feels empowered to challenge and provide input, is going to tick a positive box or two. In fact, often it is probably more of an issue if you aren't contributing to the internal debate! What this creates are leaders able to demonstrate their knowledge/experience whilst bringing others along with them.
A significant number of business failures have been driven by high ‘power distance’ within the organisation. Often employees were fully aware of the problems that led to the failure, and either had their concerns dismissed due to their immediate line managers not wanting to challenge the senior management team, or the employees themselves didn’t have the confidence to raise the issue in the first place, hence the all too common employee attitude of “I just come in each day to do my job, and try and keep my head down”. Not all staff are able to adopt this approach to a role, so those that are unwilling to stay silent often leave and transition to a new organisation where they feel their views and input are more valued.
However, it is likely those entities demonstrating high ‘power distance’, and therefore the ones that need to change the most, are completely unaware or unwilling to admit this phenomenon even exists. Where decisions are made at the top using an autocratic leadership style and employees are expected to fall in line and follow orders, these businesses can sometimes on the face of it seem ordered; the truth though is they often fail to cope with many challenges of a material nature when the ideas/strategy emanate from a narrow/single source.
Employees need to believe there is a better way! You can contribute (if you want to) and flourish in many other environments. If you are an organisation that has a high employee attrition rate, but also a high percentage of those who have served for many years have you in fact created a high ‘power distance’ within your organisation? If you need help in assessing your existing company culture and looking for strategies to reverse the current direction, then please get in touch with us at AICOR.