Sir, ma'am, ji: how invisible hierarchies impact growth
In the workplace, addressing someone as 'sir' or 'madam' is a mark of respect. It honors the individual's seniority in age and/or their status and position within the hierarchy of the organization. At its root is a commendable philosophy of valuing life experience and wisdom. But in practice, these terms, and honorifics in general, can have undesirable effects on your organization's culture, and consequently, how your business functions and how employees interact. In this blog, let's explore what these effects are, and what can be done to remedy them.
From 'Ji' to 'Sir'
In India, we are accustomed to using honorifics or adding them to people's names to indicate respect. It is a custom that suffixes 'ji' or 'anna' to elders' names. India is not alone in this. Most cultures have a tradition of using honorifics. In fact, in comparison to some other cultures, Indian honorific systems are rather tame. Here is a (not comprehensive) look at the Japanese way of adding honorifics.
San: A general honorific similar to "Mr." or "Ms."
Sama: Like "san" but used for someone of higher status or to show great respect.
Senpai: Used for someone who is a senior in a school, workplace, or similar context, showing respect for their experience.
Sensei: Used for teachers, doctors, and other professionals, conveying respect for their expertise and role.
Colonization has also influenced the way cultures use honorifics. This is why the practice of using words like 'uncle' and 'aunty' for elders is common across India and many Southeast Asian countries that share a history with the British Empire. The usage of honorifics like 'sir' and 'madam' are also a result of this link. In many cases, regional customs of showing respect are tangled up in customs with British roots.
The impact in the workplace
Why is it desirable to do away with honorifics? To start with, they distance junior and senior professionals. They create a sense of inequality and an imbalanced power dynamic. Younger professionals often tend to be intimidated by senior professionals and leaders within the organization but the honorifics of 'sir' and 'madam' cement this attitude by embedding it in the common lexicon. While respect is good and an effective motivator that drives people to meet their deadlines or targets, feelings of intimidation offer the organization no benefits.
Formal honorifcs act as a psychological barrier whereas their absence promotes a more egalitarian atmosphere. Calling senior employees and leaders by their names reinforces the idea that despite any differences in hierarchy, they are people just like anyone else. It encourages an atmosphere of collaboration rather than an attitude of submission. It puts the organization before the hierarchy, which the latter is meant to serve but sometimes fails to. Such an environment encourages people to speak more freely, share ideas, and voice opinions.
On the other hand, honorifics reinforce rigid hierarchies which can be paralyzing and prevent employees from voicing their ideas or calling attention to any problems that have gone unnoticed by others. It is a perpetual reminder to employees of the gulf between them and can give rise to resentment and other undesirable sentiments. It encourages some employees to be self-effacing. This attitude prevents employees from being proactive and reaching out for more responsibilities outside their KRAs.
Honorifics can promote an ageist bias in the workplace. While it silences younger and lower-ranking employees, it can also allow older and high-ranking employees to rest on their laurels or to be complacent. They hide from accountability behind a shield of respect and reverence.
In bygone centuries, honorifics made more sense. They helped communities preserve their social order, and value the experience and wisdom of older members. However, in the current era of never-ending disruption, where the gap between each successive wave of transformation is shrinking, can businesses afford to create a gulf between the young and the old, and between leaders and employees? No. On the contrary, organizations must strive harder than ever before to make room for new ideas, perspectives, and schools of thought. When disruption comes, you're either on the right or wrong side of it.
Obstacles to a more equal workplace
Cultural fault-lines:
In a country like ours, we are divided along numerous demographic lines. Individuals who have less exposure to Western media and schools of thought are more likely to gravitate toward the inherent Indian instinct to use honorifics. To many, addressing someone by name feels too brazen and forward. They are culturally conditioned to use markers of respect when addressing their seniors. It will be a challenge to make them unlearn these tendencies.
Inertia:
There is always inherent resistance to new ideas within an organization, even more so when it relates to changing deeply embedded aspects of organizational culture. It is tricky when the change needed pertains to people from a wide range of backgrounds, as what works for one group may not work for another. Moreover, when the new rule is not connected to any tangible output, flouting it may appear harmless and individuals will be tempted to carry on as they always have.
Beneficiaries of bias:
Employees who prefer a more formal and rigid work environment and reap the rewards of its imbalanced power dynamic are likely to want the status quo to remain.
Measures to adopt
Clear communication:
Achieving a change like this needs clear communication from the organization to all employees. But it must be executed in a way that is meaningful and impresses upon the people that it is a matter of importance. How? Communication like this is best received when it comes directly from the leadership. Given the nature of the issue, it is easy to dismiss it when it is from any other source. Moreover, it should not just amount to a memo. For it to be received positively, the philosophy and thinking behind it must be outlined clearly, as well as how the organization could benefit from such a change in the long run.
Change-agents:
Identifying certain individuals or people in certain roles to lead the way can be beneficial. They can be tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that the initiative doesn't die. By addressing their seniors with names rather than honorifics, they can be the example for other employees to follow.
Honoring change
It has been fashionable for decades or perhaps centuries to borrow ideas from the West and implement them in other societies with no thought of the consequences. Ideas should not be imported wholesale from other cultures without evaluating them thoroughly first. Doing so often does more harm than good despite all the best intentions. However, the idea of removing honorifics in work environments is an idea from the Anglosphere that is worth emulating. We must provide the caveat that the practice of saying 'sir' etc is not 100% absent from US and British work culture. However, it is one that is far less common than in Indian and other Asian cultures, and especially from a business lens, these cultures benefit as a result.
In India, the startup ecosystem has internalized the practice of addressing each other by name. True, it is heavily influenced by the culture of Silicon Valley that it seeks to emulate. But what is also true is that in scenarios of hyper-growth, where people have to be building and scaling things rapidly, there is no time for deference.
In the midst of entrepreneurial firefighting, an issue such as the usage of honorifics at the workplace might seem meaningless or even trivial. But good culture helps organizations endure and flourish where others fail to. Playing the long game in business is not just about increasing margins and doing things that yield short-term gains but also identifying ways to align your company with the right philosophies and convictions. It is about planting the right thoughts and habits. The results of these efforts may not be immediately visible. But given the right care, a seed today can become a mighty banyan tree in the future.
