It's Not What You Say, But How (Fast) You Say It: Interpersonal Power and Adaptability at Work

ABSTRACT Adaptability is frequently discussed in terms of adjusting to changing environments or situations; however, the capacity to adapt one's social interaction behavior, known as behavioral adaptability (BA), in response to different partners may be equally critical for success in social, organizational, and leadership contexts. In two online experiments (aggregated N = 662), participants were randomly assigned to low‐, equal‐, or high‐power conditions and interacted with targets who spoke either quickly or slowly. We measured speech tempo (articulation rate) convergence as a proxy for BA. Mixed‐effects modeling revealed no main effect of power on BA. However, a significant interaction was found, indicating that low‐power participants adapted more toward fast‐speaking targets compared to those in equal or high‐power positions. A post‐hoc study showed that fast speech signals higher status and rank, potentially explaining the selective adaptability of individuals with low power. Our findings show the role of power dynamics, rank, and nonverbal cues in social interactions, advancing research on interpersonal communication behavior in hierarchical settings.