Social Distance Can Really Disrupt Your Work

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 distanceIn 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:

  1. Structure
  2. Process
  3. Language
  4. Identity
  5. Technology

Structure and the Perception of Power

Neeley says, “to correct perceived power imbalances between different groups, a leader needs to get three key messages across:”

  1. 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.”
  2. 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.”
  3. 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

“It almost goes without saying that empathy helps reduce social distance. If colleagues can talk informally around a watercooler—whether about work or about personal matters—they are more likely to develop an empathy that helps them interact productively in more-formal contexts.”

The job of a leader here is to create “deliberate moments” that include:

Feedback on routine interactions. People often send the wrong signals without even realizing they’re doing it. These issues need to be brought to light in order to develop  “reflected knowledge,” or “awareness of how others see us.” The more you are able to create a space where employees feel comfortable giving feedback to you or each other, the more this “reflected knowledge” will develop on its own in team members.

Unstructured time. Create and allow time for personal (non-work) interactions and communication. “Unstructured communication like this is positive, because it allows for the organic unfolding of processes that must occur in all business dealings—sharing knowledge, coordinating and monitoring interactions, and building relationships.”

Time to disagree. “Leaders should encourage disagreement both about the team’s tasks and about the process by which the tasks get done.” Neeley suggests framing these conversations as brainstorming sessions or meetings specifically to evaluate agenda items in order to “take the heat out of the debate.”

We here at Approachable Leadership are big believers in the importance of empathy for healthy relationships in life and at work. (Click here to learn more about how to be more empathetic using our Empathy Tool from our upcoming Approachability Playbook.)

Language and the Fluency Gap

“Good communication among coworkers drive effective knowledge sharing, decision making, coordination, and, ultimately, performance results.”

There are many causes for communication gaps among coworkers, but no matter the cause, the effects are the same. No “knowledge sharing” leads to poor “decision making,” lack of “coordination,” and reduced “performance results.” Neeley recommends mitigating these effects by focusing on the three rules when communicating as a group.

  1. Dial down dominance. Don’t let the strong people, or the ones with power complexes monopolize the meeting.
  2. Dial up engagement. Make a point to actively seek out contribution from all members of the team.
  3. Balance participation for inclusion. “Monitor participants and strive to balance their speaking and listening.”

Identity and the Mismatch of Perceptions

“Teams work most smoothly when members ‘get’ where their colleagues are coming from. However, deciphering someone’s identity and finding ways to relate is far from simple.”

How do you do it? You ask questions. And you encourage team members to ask questions.

“In this model, everyone is a teacher and a learner, which enables people to step out of their traditional roles. Team members take on more responsibility for the development of the team as a whole. Leaders learn to see themselves as unfinished and are thus more likely to adjust their style to reflect the team’s needs. They instruct but they also facilitate, helping team members to parse their observations and understand one another’s true identities.”

Check out our Approachability Window tool for more guidance on breaking down barriers and increasing communication and understanding.

Technology and the Connection Challenge

As we all know, “technologies can both reduce and increase social distance.” Emails can get misinterpreted. Video conferences, on the other hand, can allow people to see body language cues and better understand the emotions and feelings behind the words.

She suggests three questions you should always ask yourself when determining which kind of technology to use.

  1. Should communication be instant? 
  2. Do I need to reinforce the message?
  3. Am I leading by example?

The most important here is number three.

“A leader who wants to encourage people to videoconference should communicate this way herself. If she wants employees to pick up the phone and speak to one another, she had better be a frequent user of the phone. And if she wants team members to respond quickly to e-mails, she needs to set the example.”

And this applies to more than just how you communicate through technology. Are you prompt at meetings? Do you follow through on your commitments? Do you invite feedback?

“To manage social distance effectively and maximize the talents and engagement of team members, leaders must stay attentive to all five of the SPLIT dimensions. Decisions about structure create opportunities for good process, which can mitigate difficulties caused by language differences and identity issues. If leaders act on all these fronts, while marshaling technology to improve communication among geographically dispersed colleagues, social distance is sure to shrink, not expand”

I really enjoyed this article. After all, it is a terrific run-down of many of the key things we teach in Approachable Leadership. However, it left me a little overwhelmed.Each of the SPLIT dimensions has several points to consider. This is a whole lot for a leader to think about. There is no doubt that doing any of these things will improve your leadership. But trying to remember it all might give you a headache 🙂

That’s why I suggest if you want to shrink social distance you start with one thing: Be more approachable. Do that and you will be well on your way to improving in all five of the SPLIT dimensions. And you’ll save some money on aspirin!

What do you think about the SPLIT dimensions? In your experience, is social distance a real problem in the workplace? What things do you do to shrink social distance? Let us know in the comments.

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