Reducing Psychological Distance Through Extended Reality: A Multi-Dimensional Framework for Workplace Empathy Training

Empathy, a multidimensional construct encompassing cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions, is foundational to fostering collaboration, trust, and inclusivity in the workplace. As organizations increasingly recognize the importance of empathy in shaping interpersonal dynamics, questions remain about how empathy can be systematically cultivated, particularly in diverse and dispersed workplace settings. Extended Reality (XR)— encompassing Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR), and Virtual Reality (VR)—offers a novel avenue for addressing these challenges by enabling immersive, interactive, and presence-driven experiences that reduce psychological distance. Drawing on Construal Level Theory (CLT), we examine how XR training elements—character, space, and narrative—interact with XR pillars—presence, immersion, and interactivity—to systematically reduce psychological distance, encompassing spatial, temporal, social, and hypothetical distance. We discuss theoretical and methodological implications and highlight promising avenues for future research to assess, improve, and design impactful and scalable XR-based empathy training experiences.