The Effects- of Positive Affect and Gender on the Influence Tactics - Job Performance Relationship

Abstract

Influence tactics are goal-oriented behaviors that individuals use to obtain desired outcomes. Thus, it is important that managers understand subordinates' use of influence tactics and the effects of these tactics on organizational outcomes. In this paper, we argue that positive affect (PA) will moderate the relationship between upward influence tactics and job performance ratings, and that the form of the relationship will differ for males and females. Data were gathered from 287 university administrators to test these questions. Results indicated that PA moderated the relationship between influence tactics and job performance ratings for the entire sample, such that those possessing higher levels of PA were the recipients of higher performance ratings when all influence tactics (i.e., a "Shotgun" approach) were employed and when "hard" influence tactics were employed. Moreover, findings indicated that the use of these approaches was associated with greater performance ratings for females with high PA, but not for males. Implications of these findings, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.