Hiring diverse teams and then hoping for the best is not enough. How can companies best tap the talent of their diverse workforce? How can leaders adjust their leadership style to do so?
The answer to effective communication in today's diverse workforce lies in "flexing"--the art of switching between leadership styles to more effectively communicate with and lead people who are different from you.
As the workforce rapidly grows more multicultural, younger and more female, businesses are feeling the effects of "the power gap"--the growing distance between front-line managers from different backgrounds.
The social distance that separates individuals from those in positions of authority, whether in a formal or more informal structure, defiined by gender, age or cultural differences. Closing or managing the gap: The ability to effectively read the power gap between yourself and respond in the most appropriate manner to reduce the social distance.
Adapting how one communicates, relates and responds to others in a manner that takes into account an understanding of status differences is referred to as FLEXING. It is not fundamentally changing who you are, but about understanding the gap that exists and flexing across the gap to achieve the results that you seek.
In "FLEX: The New Playbook for Managing Across Differences," authors Jane Hyun and Audrey S. Lee explore the next level of diversity and inclusion to uncover how women, multicultural employees and younger generations can get the right management they need to rise through the ranks and offer their employer the best they've got.
Source: Jane Hyun: Flex: The New Playbook for Managing Across Differences