While trying to achieve a shallow Authority Gradient appears to be the ideal state for everyday team working, there are some cultural factors and other aspects which can increase the gradient.

For example, the cultural values of yourself or your colleagues may mean that team members don’t want to speak up because they are afraid of challenging elders or people in authority. Some team members may be concerned that they will cause the leader to lose face if a colleague suggests there might be a problem with what they are doing. Team members could feel that they don’t have the confidence and skills to raise concerns constructively and effectively without damaging relationships or reputations.

All these sensitivities underline the importance of proactively and explicitly developing a shallow Authority Gradient and a pool of goodwill with colleagues.