“The attempt to combine wisdom and power has only rarely been successful and then only for a short while.” –Albert Einstein
Let’s talk about power.
Each of us has power. We have it in our jobs, our communities, our families, and even in our social networks. The reality, though, is that some individuals have a large amount of power as a result of their position in an organization or a group. The extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organizations expect and accept that power is distributed unequally is called Power Distance.
In some cultures, such as Austria, Canada, and New Zealand, Power Distance is small, meaning that the cultural expectation is that issues are resolved and policies are implemented in a more consultative collaborative manner. Significantly less attention is paid to hierarchical positions or titles in societies with small power distances.
Conversely, some societies are very autocratic and have a large power distance. Simply, this means that those individuals in subordinate roles have accepted the fact that others above them in position or stature have a great deal of power over their lives. They typically neither expect or demand that their opinions be heard prior to the making of a decision.
Organizations and Corporations can be classified using the same criteria. For example, the Military is a good example of an organization with a large power distance. A General has significant control over the actions of a Private, and the Private recognizes it. On the other side of the spectrum, a church group might have a smaller power distance with senior members of the church often looking to the overall membership and the approval of key influential individuals outside of the leadership group to accomplish certain initiatives.
Power distance is another part of the organizational culture and one that is not often considered. Individuals who go into a small power distance culture and assume an autocratic, directive style will quickly find themselves struggling to keep above water. They will be viewed as uncooperative and difficult by a relationship-centric group. Similarly, a manager who fails to recognize a large power distance culture, may be perceived as weak and lacking the leadership to be successful.
Gerard Hofstede writes about these types of issues in several of his books Culture’s Consequences and Cultures and Organizations.
Consider your own organization. Is is a small or large power distance culture? What approaches might be successful? What might be counter-productive?
Next time we’ll talk about informal and formal power. In the meantime, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the topic.
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