Managing Social Distance in "Flat" Companies
Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones
Description:
Social distance is seen as a measure of intimacy between groups and individuals. The degree of intimacy directly affects the degree of influence that one individual may have over another. Skillful management of social distance is becoming more important for leaders as hierarchies are becoming flatter. Leaders now need distance to establish perspective, to see the big things that may shape the future of the organization, and closeness, to know what is really going on inside their business; and they cannot rely on hierarchy to supply the former. This movement between closeness and distance is like a dance, with leaders basing their movement and timing on refined situation sensing skills. It is just one of the adjustments they must constantly make and remake at the core of the leadership relationship.
Social distance is seen as a measure of intimacy between groups and individuals. The degree of intimacy directly affects the degree of influence that one individual may have over another. Skillful management of social distance is becoming more important for leaders as hierarchies are becoming flatter. Leaders now need distance to establish perspective, to see the big things that may shape the future of the organization, and closeness, to know what is really going on inside their business; and they cannot rely on hierarchy to supply the former. This movement between closeness and distance is like a dance, with leaders basing their movement and timing on refined situation sensing skills. It is just one of the adjustments they must constantly make and remake at the core of the leadership relationship.
Resource Access:
Available to the General Public
Available to the General Public
Copyright / Creative Commons Status:
Public domain content
Public domain content
Document Source and Bibliographical Information:
Harvard Business School Working Knowledge, Feb 6, 2006
Harvard Business School Working Knowledge, Feb 6, 2006
