The true differentiator of a company is the human talent it has. However, many times we see how in companies there is a fear and a lack of communication between the different hierarchical levels that prevent workers from giving their opinions, contributing their suggestions and being able, effectively, to make their knowledge available to the company.
In the 1960s, a Dutch anthropologist, Geert Hofstede, studied various cultural dimensions that determine typical behavior in different countries. One such dimension is what is known as the distance to power index, which measures respect for hierarchy and relationship with authority in a given culture. Subsequently, Malcolm Gladwell, a journalist for newspapers such as The Washington Post and The New Yorker, touched on the relationship between this index and the occurrence of air accidents due to causes related to communication failures, finding that in countries where this index is higher is more likely to suffer accidents.
When problems occur on the plane, communication between the crew and the air traffic controllers is essential. However, on many occasions this important aspect fails out of fear, for example, of the co-pilot of contradicting the pilot or the crew to effectively inform the controllers of their situation.
In Latin American countries, in general the distance to power index is very high. Chile, with 63, Peru with 64, Ecuador with 78 and Colombia with 67 are among the countries in which this index has the highest value. This is reflected in the business world. It is common for our companies to be characterized by having high organizational charts, a high difference in salaries between managers and other employees, centralized decision-making, and teamwork failures due to lack of communication, among other shortcomings. These characteristics hinder business performance, at the same time they wear down the work environment by preventing employees from feeling free to express their opinions, disagreements, proposals, etc.In order for employees to truly add value to companies and become the differentiator that they expect them to be, they must have the spaces and an environment conducive to expressing themselves, without being limited by policies that promote hierarchy and division between the management team and other employees.
Therefore, if Colombian and Latin American companies really want to encourage their employees to contribute ideas, expose their points of view, contradict the opinions of their superiors when they consider them unfounded, etc., they must focus on breaking down that cultural paradigm that is also impregnated in the company, promoting spaces for interaction and environments of trust and mutual collaboration that leave behind the hierarchical and lacking communication environment that currently prevails. An employee who expresses his point of view, even if he contradicts his boss, is more valuable to the company than one who is submissive, who keeps his opinions and disagreements to himself for fear of authority.
