Navigating Workplace Power Dynamics, with Deborah H. Gruenfeld

If/Then: Research findings to help us navigate complex issues in business, leadership, and society

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:

• "We Don't Like Domineering Bosses. So Why Do We Put Up With Them?"
• Class Takeaways: Managing Successful Groups and Teams
• Diverse Teams Produce Better Decisions

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