Asian corporates should cut ‘power distance’ to reach top
View(s):Asian firms which rate high on ‘Power Distance’, the distance a person feels or keeps between them and a person in position of power, needs to cut it notably to reach the top, a leadership guru says.
“Asia is high power distance, which means that subordinates maintain a distance from their superiors and have a sense of respect or even awe of them. On the other hand American culture is low power distance, which means that juniors see their superiors as approachable and their superiors’ decisions as negotiable. If we aim to be on top, it’s important to abolish this,” Rajeev Peshawaria, author and leadership guru told the Business Times on the sidelines of a breakfast meeting on ‘Too Many Bosses, Too Few Leaders’ organised by CIMA in Colombo recently.
He added that most Asian countries (with the exception of China) are among the highest in the world in ‘Power Distance’ and societies high on this scale have large gaps between social classes and large differences in authority and rank. “This means that individuals admit and expect that power will be disparate. There exists a complex hierarchy in almost every organisation that places people according to rank. Position is gained with experience, and this is why elders are highly respected,” he explained adding that in contrast to Western cultures that value youth, Asian nations deem youth to be a sign of immaturity.
Insisting this should change Mr. Peshawaria said that this is the Asian century and if Asian firms aspire to be on top and flourish, this power distance has to be abolished. “Asia will continue to manufacture bicycles and be employed at BPOs if we don’t.”
A person acquires their attitudes toward power from their upbringing and they express their opinions, are allowed to contradict their parents and say what they want or don’t want, he said adding that in a culture with higher power distance, a child does not speak as much with authority and is taught obedience. “Disagreement may be taken as a sign of disrespect, and as a child you are expected to take what is given to you. Young people need to speak their mind and employers need to encourage them.”
He said in order to galvanise their talents and energy, as well as the talents and energy of those who work for them, to achieve superior performance no matter what challenges they face, it is important to listen to them. Mr. Peshawaria has spent more than 20 years working alongside top executives at Fortune 500 companies and training them in leadership, including as Global Director of Leadership Development programmes at American Express, as Chief Learning Officer at both Morgan Stanley and Coca-Cola, and as one of the founding members of the renowned Goldman Sachs leadership development programme known as Pine Street.
Introducing the three core principles he has observed are the foundation of the best leadership––that great leaders clearly define their purpose and values; that nobody can motivate another person because everyone comes pre-motivated; and that a leader’s job is not to directly produce results but to create the conditions that will harness the energy of others—he details his unique and proven programme for achieving leadership excellence.