If/Then

Navigating Workplace Power Dynamics, with Deborah H. Gruenfeld

Jan 24, 2024

Deborah H. Gruenfeld, a professor of organizational behavior, discusses the primal forces that drive our behavior and the formation of hierarchies. She emphasizes the need to understand these animal forces to modify existing power structures. The podcast explores strategies for overcoming power imbalances in the workplace and highlights the influence of power on self-regulation and behavior.

27:00

Episode guests

Deborah H. Gruenfeld

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Understanding the animal forces that drive our behavior is crucial to changing power structures.

Individuals have a natural inclination to seek familiarity and similarity when creating social groups, but organizations should strive to maximize diversity for enhanced cooperation and benefit.

Deep dives

Power Structures and Animal Forces

Understanding the animal forces that drive our behavior is crucial to changing power structures. In both dogs and humans, power struggles and emotional states play a significant role. In dog training, interpreting dog behavior as negotiation rather than just play is essential. Similarly, humans use body language as a means of communication to express emotions and request personal space. Accepting and acknowledging the existence of power differences is the first step towards navigating power dynamics. Organizations tend to form hierarchies instinctively, and individuals are driven by the need to belong and contribute to the group. While efforts to flatten hierarchies are made, the desire for belonging and the ability to coordinate within a structure remain fundamental.

Introduction

2min

Power Dynamics in Dogs and Humans

10min

Strategies for Overcoming Power Imbalance

6min

Advertisement Break

2min

Power Dynamics in the Workplace

8min

If we want to change power structures, then we need to understand the animal forces that drive our behavior.

As Stanford Graduate School of Business professor of organizational behavior Deborah H. Gruenfeld observes, wherever there are humans, there are hierarchies. “People have a tendency to form hierarchies almost instantly in all kinds of organizational settings, whether the task requires it or not,” she says.

Gruenfeld says our actions are still very much steered by primal drives. She unpacks this in the inaugural episode of If/Then: Business, Leadership, Society.

“One of the ways in which we're like animals is that we need to organize ourselves in order to survive,” says Gruenfeld, who studies group dynamics and decision-making. “It’s a very basic instinct to create structures in groups that help members coordinate so they don't have to fight with one another.”

Gruenfeld’s insights open a discussion about how we can modify existing hierarchies to create relationships, organizations, and the society we want.

As this episode of If/Then explores, if we want to change power structures, then we need to understand the animal forces that drive our behavior.

If/Then is a podcast from Stanford Graduate School of Business that examines research findings that can help us navigate the complex issues we face in business, leadership, and society. Each episode features an interview with a Stanford GSB faculty member.

More Resources:

Acting with Power: Why We Are More Powerful Than We Believe, by Deborah H. Gruenfeld

Deborah H. Gruenfeld on Stanford GSB's podcast, Think Fast, Talk Smart, “How to Communicate Power”

Deborah H. Gruenfeld on Stanford GSB's podcast, Grit & Growth, "The Psychology of Power and Influence"

Insights featuring research by Deborah H. Gruenfeld:

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If/Then

Navigating Workplace Power Dynamics, with Deborah H. Gruenfeld

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Power Structures and Animal Forces

Hierarchies and Human Behavior

Power, Diversity, and Similarity

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts