A day like any other in a common and routine setting;
-Hey, well… come on Raúl, finish that job at once and so we can relax and have a few beers.
-I can't take it anymore, crazy. I am saturated. Don't forget that last night we ended up going around the bar in Surco Viejo.
-I promised that today we would finish the work, I cannot fail.
-OKAY. But then let's save the revelry for tomorrow. Today I need all the available time and all night to be able to finish this.
But yes, tomorrow do not dream of meeting me at the office. I plan to rest and sleep all day. Who are the characters in this dialogue?
Raúl Romero, 35 years old, successful manager of a professional services company. In just 3 years he had gone from programming to the commercial department and from there directly to management. Today he leads a large team of analysts, programmers, designers and salespeople.
He is a dynamic and enterprising individual, he likes weapons, he is a fan of electronic music and video games. Víctor Andrés, 36 years old, web designer and creative genius, is a member of the work team that Raúl manages. He also loves electronic music and video games. Víctor and Raúl are not only co-workers. They also share friends, sprees, vacations, outings and girlfriends.
In recent years, due to various imperatives of cost reduction, customer service, new techniques, technology and market changes, companies have become "flatter", with smaller and more dynamic work groups. In the article Managing Social Distance in Flat Companies (published by Harvard magazine in February 2006), professors Bob Goffee (London Business School) and Gareth Jones (INSEAD) inquire about the novelties and new leadership characteristics in flat companies. and their relationship in this novel kind of organizational structure.
According to these specialists, under the rigid traditional hierarchical orders it was perfectly clear who was the boss and it was easy to establish a social distance between "the one who commanded" and "the one who obeyed." However, as companies flattened out, new leadership challenges began to emerge.
Nowadays, these specialists argue, the proper management of "social distance" becomes an increasingly important and crucial factor in the formation of a leader. Was Raúl wrong in deepening the relationship with Victor? Can a leader be friends with his collaborators?
Goffee and Jones highlight that closeness has two important benefits. First, it enables the leader to get to know his subordinates better, a fundamental requirement for effective leadership. On the other hand, it also allows followers to know their leader.
However, the lack of distance also creates disadvantages. The French general, Charles de Gaulle, argued that a leader should always remain wrapped in a kind of mystical halo. "The shepherd cannot be part of the flock," was his motto. Precisely, according to de Gaulle, the mysterious character of the leader is what arouses the attention and interest of the followers and motivates them to obey. But this mystery is lost with after-offices and shared vacations.
Ultimately, how close should a leader be to his followers?
In flat (flat) companies and small work teams, de Gaulle's model of the untouchable and almost invisible demi-god leader may no longer be efficient. Daily contact necessarily humanizes the figure of the leader. In addition, knowing your subordinates (and that they know you) is a source of trust, as a guarantee of information exchange and synergies.
However, Goffee and Jones warn, certain limits need to be set. The recognition must always persist that the leader is the one who has the global vision and the mission that must be executed by the team. According to these specialists, experience teaches that, in flat companies, effective leadership requires a delicate balance between closeness and distance. Closeness breeds trust. The detachment maintains the mystery and interest.
So once again, we are faced with an inevitable hallmark of the time: permanent change. The technological revolution of the digital economy imposes new structures and new ways of doing things. Flat companies are a fruit of the new winds in the corporate and global world. The German philosopher Hegel taught that each stage of historical development corresponds to a particular subjectivity.
The role of the leader must necessarily transform and adapt to the rhythm of social changes. New forms of effective leadership are the inevitable answer to the challenges of the new economy. In the words of Jacques Lacan, "may he who cannot include the subjectivity of the time in his horizon" resign.
