压力下的同理心领导

The “bear minimum” fosters goodleadership principles in tough times AUTHORS Petter KileforsRick EagarYuma ItoFrancesco Marsella There is strong evidence that empathetic, yet tough,leadership achieves better long-term results thanstrict authoritarianism. Adhering to these principlesis not so hard when things are going smoothly, butit’s much more challenging when there’s constantdisruption, uncertainty, and stress. Building on ourthought-provoking and widely praised “Managementby Bear, Not Fear!” report, this Viewpoint explainshow leaders can maintain an empathetic leadershipstyle in times of high stress. With kind acknowledgmentof contribution from: Alborz Danielsson, MD Lotta Gustafsson, MD, PhD F U N A N D E N J O Y M E N T,W H E N N AT U R A L A N DN O T F O R C E D , A R E G O O DF O R T H E W O R K P L A C E PR AC TICINGTOUGH EMPATHY In late 2024, Arthur D. Little (ADL) published thereport “Management by Bear, Not Fear!,” whichprovided a set of evidence-based principles fora leadership style that embraces ambidexterityacross toughness and empathy. We made apurposeful departure from convention by invokingthe qualities of, among others, Paddington Bearand Teddy Roosevelt to illustrate the model. Thereport was widely read and highly praised byclients and business journalists alike — after all,there should be room for humor even in the stuffyworld of management theory. Leaders with these attributes can be humanwithout being overly permissive, firm withoutbeing intimidating, and decisive withoutbeing authoritarian. In our report, we providedcompelling evidence that an empatheticworkplace environment — where individualsfeel empowered and valued, and whereinnovation is fueled by mutual learning acrossdiverse perspectives — ultimately outperformsautocratic organizations driven by power and fear.And we said that fun and enjoyment, when naturaland not forced, are good for the workplace. The report explored four essential qualitiesfor effective leadership, each involving beingambidextrous across complementary attributes: 1.Assertive kindness— employing “toughempathy” (i.e., listening, understanding,andthen deciding what to do based on whatpeople need, not necessarily what they want) WHAT HAPPENSUNDER STRES S So far, so good. But some of our executive clients,although they love the model, pointed out howhard it is to keep to these principles all thetime, especially during periods of turmoil andhigh stress. Today, these conditions occur morefrequently than ever. We live in a more fracturedworld with converging crises around resources,climate, society, and geopolitics. Eventsand their impacts are rapidly amplified andsometimes distorted through ubiquitous digitalconnectivity. Floods of information and noisesaturate communication channels. Exponentiallydeveloping technology is upending assumptionsabout how businesses can, and should, operate.Periods of turmoil are becoming the rule ratherthan the exception. 2.Decisive fairness— establishing anenvironment of fairness, justice, and ethicalbehavior that extends to society and the worldat large, complemented by core values andclear criteria to apply them in practice andensure rapid decision-making 3.Brave adaptability— developing adaptabilityto enable resilience in the face of disruptions,complemented by bravery (meaning mentaland moral strength) to adhere to core valuesand purpose 4.Competitive inclusivity— making everyone,regardless of their differences, feel theyare valued and belong, but at the sametime promoting a competitive meritocracy,withclear criteria for success and failure foremployees F E A R N A R R O W SAT T E N T I O N , S U P P R E S S E SI N I T I AT I V E , A N DD I S C O U R A G E SR E S P O N S I B I L I T Y Avonova, a leading Nordic occupational healthconsultancy, has collected extensive data on howstress affects employees. Alborz Danielsson, MD,Senior Adviser at Avonova, board member of theSwedish Association of Occupational Health &Safety, and former Chair of the Swedish Associationof Occupational & Environmental Medicine withinthe Swedish Medical Association, states: Behavioral research confirms the difficulty ofmaintaining empathetic leadership in a high-stressenvironment. For example, a 2023studyby JonasP. Nitschke and Jennifer A. Bartz showed thatacute stress interferes with affective empathyand emotional contagion — meaning peopleunder stress may be less responsive to others’emotional states. Other studies have shownthathigh stress levelsalter cognitive processes(especially information processing, risk evaluation,and problem identification) andreduceemotionalself-regulation, patience, and perspective-taking.Fear, a common emotion for leaders in difficulttimes, narrows attention, suppresses initiative,anddiscourages responsibility — precisely whenaction is most needed. “Chronic stress, both work-related and private,can quietly erode focus, energy, and engagement.Financial strain, sleep disruption, healthconcerns, and relati