116. The Problem with Hierarchical Workplaces with Prina Shah

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Hello and welcome to this episode of Ways to Change the Workplace with myself Prina Shah. I love what I do. I'm a global leadership coach, a consultant, a trainer, a keynote speaker, a podcaster. I help you to develop your leaders, your teams, and I help you to optimize your organizational cultures. I'm here to help you find ways to change your workplace. Why? Because we spend more time in our waking day at work than we do with our loved ones. It has to be a good place to be. So in this podcast, you can expect a mix of interviews with amazing thought leaders and then some solo episodes from myself as well. Strap yourselves in. Hello, hello, and welcome to this solo episode of the Ways to Change the Workplace podcast with myself, your host, Priena Shah. And I'm really looking forward to getting into this episode with you. I don't know what to call it at this stage. I've got two titles. Title number one is The Problem with Hierarchical Workplaces. And title number two is Workplace Revolution: Rethinking Organizational Structures. So as I talk, let's see what comes and I will title it accordingly. Essentially, what I'm doing is raising the many issues that we have with hierarchical structures within the workplace. So let's get into it. The key features of a hierarchical workplace include a chain of command. There is a clear and formalized line of authority indicating who reports to whom. That's your org chart, let's say. Key features of a hierarchical workplace also include decision making. Decision-making authority typically rests with the higher ranking people in the organization, with the more important decisions flowing down through the hierarchy. So if I'm thinking about governments, let's think about your delegations of authority in terms of who can sign off what, you know, when it comes to finances, for example, the higher the cost, the higher the level of the hierarchy who can actually approve that said cost. So decision making in relation to key features of a hierarchical workplace. Another key feature of a hierarchical workplace is roles and responsibilities. Each position in the hierarchy has specific roles, responsibilities, and a defined scope of authority. Another key feature of hierarchical workplaces is the communication flow. Communication often follows a top-down approach with information passing through various levels of the hierarchy and often missing the most important people, the people on the ground. So I shan't even get on my high horse about all of this just yet, just yet. But let's go into the next key feature of a hierarchical workplace: accountability. Employees are accountable to their immediate supervisors, and superiors are accountable to those above them in a hierarchy. It's a chain reaction, as Diana Ross would sing about, let's say. So from a sociological perspective, the features of a hierarchical workplace can have various effects on individuals, on relationships, and the overall dynamics within the organization. So here's an exploration of how these features enable or disable certain aspects of wonderful things within a workplace. So enabling aspects of a hierarchical workplace, I want to talk to first off. A hierarchical workplace offers you, it provides us order and structure. Hierarchies provide a clear order and structure to the organization, which can contribute to stability, predictability, all of the good stuff that we need. This can be beneficial for maintaining organizational goals and facilitating coordination essentially. Another enabling aspect of a hierarchical organization, ideally, is efficient decision making. So a well-defined hierarchy. Let's rephrase that or restate that. A well-defined hierarchy can lead, can lead to more efficient decision-making processes as there is a clear chain of command. And this can be crucial in situations requiring quick and decisive actions. You might be sitting there scratching your head thinking that ain't the case in my workplace. Hold on, I'll get to that. I'll get to that. But in a utopian world, efficient decision making is an enabling aspect of a good hierarchical workplace. Another enabling aspect of a good hierarchical workplace is accountability. Hierarchies establish a system of accountability where individuals are responsible for their designated roles. This accountability can foster a sense of responsibility and commitment amongst employees. I see you rolling your eyes. I hear you saying, Prina, that ain't the case in my workplace. But hold your horses. I'm talking about the utopian vision still, okay? Ideally, a good hierarchical workplace enables accountability because we know what shit we have to get done, and we get it done, ideally. Okay. Another good enabling aspect of a hierarchical organization is specialization. Hierarchy often allows for specialization with individuals focusing on specific roles and responsibilities. This specialization can lead to expertise in particular areas, contributing to organizational effectiveness. So let's say when I was working in corporate back in the day, I was working in a hierarchy and we had a huge HR team, and I specialized in organizational development. I specialized in growing the organization's culture positively. I specialized in developing the people to ensure that we as an organization were ready and fit for the future. So that is something that a hierarchical organization can enable because otherwise, let's look at the flip side. The disabling aspects of a hierarchical organization. Let's get into it. Let's open the can of worms. Communication barriers is the first thing I want to talk to. Hierarchical structures can create communication barriers, especially when information must pass through multiple levels of authority. This really can result in distorted or delayed communication, hindering the flow of communication, and often just hitting the mark altogether. You've experienced it, I've experienced it, we've all experienced it. Another disabling aspect of a hierarchical organization is limited innovation. And here I'm talking about the fact that strict hierarchies may stifle creativity and innovation. So lower-ranking employees might feel hesitant to share their ideas or suggestions, feeling they won't be well received by those in higher positions, or people might just simply think, Well, who the fuck am I to think this or suggest that because it's not my position, it's not my role, it's not my responsibility within the hierarchy that there is. Okay. Another disabling aspect of a hierarchical organization is employee empowerment. Disempowerment, really, is what I'm talking to. Hierarchies can lead to a lack of empowerment among lower ranking or generally other employees as well. Decisions and authority are concentrated often at the top, potentially leaving employees feeling disengaged, undervalued, or just like why should I bother? This then leads to my next talk, a talking point about disabling aspects of a hierarchical organization, which is strained relationships. Power imbalances are huge in a hierarchy. So power imbalances within hierarchies can strain relationships between leaders and subordinates. This can lead to issues like a lack of trust, dissatisfaction, and difficulties and collaboration. And you can expand upon this even more so. So strained relationships is one disabling aspect of a hierarchical organization. Another disabling aspect of a hierarchical organization is resistance to change. Hierarchies might restrict change as established structures often resist disruption. We've always done it this way. You've heard that line, yeah? This can make it challenging for organizations to adapt to evolving environments or implement innovative practices. So I've given you enabling aspects of a good hierarchical organization and the disabling aspects of a hierarchical organization that I reckon most of us can probably relate to. So sociologically, I really want to get into my sociology brain for this episode. The impact of a hierarchy at work is interconnected with issues of power, of authority, and of social relations. While hierarchies offer stability and order, they may also pose challenges to fostering a dynamic and inclusive organizational culture. So, sociological perspectives, let's say, would encourage the examination of how these structures influence social interactions, your workplace norms, and the overall well-being of individuals within the workplace. So, you cannot change your hierarchy altogether, especially for the larger organizations, I know. Those tend to change less. So, what can you do to address the issue of hierarchy that hinders your people? I've got some practical and ideally, I hope, novel approaches that while not entirely out there might give you some new innovative ideas to combat the disabling effects of a hierarchical workplace. So let's go, let's go. I've got some ideas. Here's a thought. Number one, reverse performance reviews. Implement a system where employees provide feedback on their supervisors through a reverse performance review. This two-way evaluation fosters open communication and really helps identify ideas and areas for improvement at all levels. Another idea to combat hierarchical meh in an organization is cross-departmental collaboration days, dedicating specific days or time periods for teams from different departments to collaborate on projects. This really encourages cross-functional understanding and breaks down silos. I remember when I was working in HR, my god, I got involved with lots of technical projects and all sorts of things, and that was really to break down the hierarchy and to break down silos within the workplace. So, in terms of cross-departmental collaboration, I'd like you to think about what would work for you in relation to really addressing the hierarchical issues that you have, which are specific quirks to your organizational culture. Okay? Another idea to combat hierarchical issues in a workplace is leadership shadowing programs. Introduce a program where employees at different levels have the opportunity to shadow leaders in various roles. This hands-on experience helps to bridge the gap between hierarchical levels so people can really walk in the shoes of the manager, for example, or vice versa. Flip it, reverse it, do what you want. But really, it's opening our eyes to the other and not creating that divisive organizational culture. Another idea to combat the hierarchical organizational issues we all face, um, an open door idea box. It's a place of physical or digital idea box where employees can anonymously submit suggestions or innovative ideas. This provides a platform for everyone to contribute without fear of judgment. Now, I've done this myself, I was supporting a brand new HR director enter their role. They were quite scary and they knew that their professional reputation wasn't the best in that they were perceived with a deep fear, uh, and they wanted to work on that. So, what this HR director did was inform everybody that they're brand new and they want to hear everything from everybody anonymously, and they had an ideas box at the end of the HR um section where no one could really see who was putting in what, and there were a lot of things that were put in. So, I think a bit of a caveat here: if you do have an open door idea box, you're gonna get grumbles, and you're gonna have to listen to that as well. So, naysayers within the organization have so many valid points to say. Please listen to that information. Obviously, take it with a pinch of salt if it is, you know, people bitching about whatever. Adults need to act like adults, that's the other thing. If you do have an idea box or that kind of thing, then it has to come with some caveats and some you know agreed rules of understanding. Another idea for you to address the issue of hierarchical organizations is flexible leadership rotations. Allow leaders to rotate through different departments or teams periodically. This promotes a deeper understanding of various functions and fosters a sense of shared responsibility. My mentor Alan is a police commander, he's high up in the ranks in the Western Australian police force, and he told me that every two to four years he might get a phone call to say, Alan, you've been placed elsewhere on blah blah team now. So I have seen Alan receive this phone call a few times. He used to be the head of the police leadership academy, uh, which is when he was my mentor. He was then moved to be the commander of Western Australia's regional policing during the pandemic, crazy times. He nailed it, he was amazing. And most recently, he has been placed in a position where he oversees the strategic elements of the Western Australian police. So he just doesn't know when he's gonna receive that phone call. So flexible leadership rotations are an amazing way to go. And think about it, leadership skills are transferable, so why the hell not move your leaders around, rotate them? Okay, that's another idea. Another idea to address the issue of hierarchical organizations is peer recognition platforms. Establish a platform where employees can publicly recognize and appreciate each other, their peers, for outstanding contributions. This encourages a culture of acknowledgement beyond the traditional hierarchical channels. Because I know all too well, when a hierarchy is created, it also creates this nasty power dynamic, and people respond to it in kind. We are creating monsters. So when we create a hierarchy, we also create competition, and with competition comes power, and therefore comes the story of my manager takes credit for all of my work. I bet you it is due to the fact that you work in a hierarchy and your manager feels that they need to take credit for your work to prove their worth or whatever bullshit's in their head. That's what the hierarchy is really creating. So by offering peer recognition platforms, we really get to see who's who on the ground from the ground perspective. It's novel, it's refreshing, and it's so engaging for employees. Another idea to combat the issues of a hierarchical organization are project ownership teams. Now, what does that mean? Create project teams where ownership is distributed amongst members for from different hierarchical levels. This ensures that decision making is collaborative and incorporates diverse perspectives. I have an amazing example for you, one of the best examples that I have experienced in my own career. When I was working in corporate, I was nearly the head of HR at that time. So I was the HR pleb. Let's just call it that. I was the lackey, the two IC. I didn't mind that, it was all good. But we were managing a merger, and my manager was very specialized in the industrial relations aspects of human resources, and I was damn well specialized in organizational culture change and really tapping into the hearts and minds of people. So whilst the legal aspects of IR were really important, the cultural aspects were really important as well. And a project team to manage this merger was created. And our project manager, who was amazing, he actually picked up on the fact that he needed to break the hierarchy because there were specialists across the organization at different levels. So, yes, my manager from a HR perspective was on the project team to work on industrial relations matters, and I was assigned at that lower level, even though I didn't fit into you know the hierarchy and the levels of all of those people who were sat at the board table in the merger conversations. I was given the project task of managing or overseeing the organizational culture. So if you look at your organization in that respect, in terms of specialisms and who's who and what people are good at, you can really start to look at people from a non-hierarchical perspective and bring the right people into the right kind of environments. And I'm leading now to inclusive decision-making workshops. That's another idea I have for you to address hierarchical issues. So conduct workshops focused on inclusive decision making. Train employees at all levels on techniques to ensure that diverse voices are heard during discussions and the decision processes. And that's exactly what we did on this project team. So while I was, you know, not the head of HR, I still had a voice because I was granted that voice. So how are you going to grant people the voice? Remember, we work in the hierarchy, therefore, we need permission, often granted to us as well. Unfortunately, that's how it is. Another idea: job rotation programs for employees at all levels to rotate through different roles within the organization. This not only provides learning opportunities, but it also breaks down the rigid job hierarchies that we have within the workplace. And then last but not least, I have a really cool idea. And I've done this myself when I worked in corporate knowledge cafes, is what I'll call this. So host regular knowledge sharing sessions or cafes where employees can share insights, experiences, and expertise with their colleagues. This informal setting encourages open dialogue and learning across levels. So this organization that I was working internally in back in my corporate days had an issue with hierarchy. My god, did it? And silos. So what I did as a result was uh there were lots of specialist teams. So let's talk about risk, analytics, us in HR. You know, there were two streams of HR, OD and IR. Uh, there were the project teams, and I won't let uh loose on the rest of the team names because it was out the organization that I'm talking about. But what I did was I held just before lunchtime, not during lunchtime, please don't kill people's lunch breaks. That's horrible. Don't do that. Just before lunchtime, 11 to 12 o'clock, we would have specialist teams come and present for 45 minutes on what they do, on how they do it, and how they can support you, the employee. And then there'd be a QA session at the end. And oh my god, that was so damn good. It really brought people together and it really truly broke silos down as well as hierarchies. So I it's an easy win for you. Do it if you haven't seriously try it. So these practical and novel approaches aim to introduce positive changes without completely overturning established norms. I know you've still got to work to your rules, but by incorporating these ideas that I've provided to you, organizations can create a more inclusive and collaborative workplace that leverages the strengths of employees at all hierarchical levels. That is it from me today, and I will see you in the next episode. Please do me a favor if this spoke to you, share the love and share this episode with at least two other people. And if you've got any questions, as always, drop me a message. If you've got feedback, I'd love to hear feedback. Let me know. Drop me a message, LinkedIn, Instagram, connect with me. Over now, and until the next time, be well and deal with the hierarchy. It needs to be dealt with. Sign up to my newsletter, which is detailed in the show notes if you stand against crappy cultures, lousy leaders, and toxic teams. And I'll see you in the next episode.