Influence Tactics Research Articles

Can You Hear Me Now? The Communication Challenge

Undergraduate students, particularly those with limited experience in business, struggle to appreciate the complexity of organizational communication dynamics. Communication complexities such as role conflict, position power, and individual perception—and their influence on effective communication—are particularly challenging for this population. This article describes a classroom exercise based on the children’s game “Telephone” that connects organizational communication with considerations of role conflict, power and influence tactics, and individual perceptions as they influence engagement with communication involving a new initiative. During the full class reflection and debrief, students identify the connections between their role in the activity and how individual organizational elements and experiences may inform effective communication. Designed for an undergraduate organizational behavior course, the exercise is adaptable to other management topics or levels where communication is a consideration.

Follower‐rated leadership styles, leader behaviours, and leaders' thinking styles: A test of the cognitive experiential leadership model

ObjectiveThe Cognitive Experiential Leadership Model (CELM) predicts that leaders' thinking styles will be related to transformational leadership and effective leadership behaviours, especially influencing tactics and conflict handling styles. However, most of the existing evidence for this model comes from studies that have used self‐report methods where self‐presentational biases may influence the studies' results. Moreover, there is incomplete evidence for the proposed connections in this model between thinking styles, leadership styles, and leadership behaviour.MethodUsing anonymous other‐report surveys, in Study 1, followers (N = 192) rated how their leaders think and lead, and in Study 2 followers (N = 129) rated how their leaders think, influence, and handle conflict.ResultsAs the CELM predicts, leaders' tendency to think rationally and experientially (especially imaginatively) was related to their transformational leadership (Study 1), and their use of effective influencing tactics and conflict management styles (Study 2).ConclusionTogether these studies provide new evidence for the CELM that is not explained by social desirability biases, and suggest a role for follower ratings of leaders' thinking styles in leadership development.

Järjestöjen vaikuttamistaktiikat internet-aikana: latentti luokka-analyysi

Associations’ tactics of influence in the age of the internet: a latent class analysisThis article examines the use of different influence tactics, including both traditional (e.g., committee membership) and new internet-based tactics (e.g. social media) by interest groups (associations) in Finland. With interest group theory as our theoretical framework, we use data collected in an online survey to explore how different tactics of influence are conjointly utilised. First, a latent class analysis shows that some organizations use almost all tactics more actively than others, including internet-based tactics. Second, we study how a group’s resources and type affect which ‘influencer type’ (active or more or less passive) they belong to. There seems to be no bias related to group type: for example business groups are not more often the most active ones compared to public citizen groups when resources are controlled.

The Power Sources and Influences of Secondary School Principals in Eastern Ethiopia

This study aimed to critically examine the power sources and influences of school principals in secondary schools of Eastern Ethiopia. A descriptive survey research design was employed to carry out the study. The participants of the study were 145 teachers, 78 principals, and 41 supervisors who were selected by using stratified and random sampling techniques. The researcher adopted descriptive and inferential statistics to make sound interpretations of data. The results revealed that school principals were mostly used expert, legitimate, and reward sources of power. Likewise, school principals have predominantly exercised a positional basis of power rather than personal power. There was a significant statistical difference in power sources of school principals regarding positions, gender, and service years. The findings also showed that school principals dominantly practiced proactive influencing tactics. Moreover, findings indicated that subordinates carried out school principals' compliance to obtain a prize or avoid punishment by applied reactive influence tactics. The study further discovered that subordinates were inclined to resist school principals' influence. This study suggests secondary principals should rethink how power is managed and deployed to make sound influence over subordinates to assure quality education. Hence, the results of the study may serve as a springboard to improve secondary school leadership and equip novice teachers to bring them a principalship position. Plus, this study may provide a clear picture for policymakers, scholars, and government officials to support and retain principals for long-term school improvement, and it may also a theoretical benefit for future research on the area of study.

ÇALIŞANLARIN PSİKOLOJİK GÜVENLİK ALGISI VE POLİTİK TAKTİK DAVRANIŞLARI ARASINDAKİ İLİŞKİLER

The purpose of this study is to determine how the psychological safety perceptions of the employees, about the organizational environment, affect the political tactical behaviors. The quantitative method was preferred in the research and the data were obtained using the survey technique. Analyzes were carried out on the data obtained from 820 participants in total. According to the results of the research, the participants do not perceive themselves very safe in the organization they work in and prefer primarily rationality influence tactics and upward influence tactics to achieve their goals. A moderate and low-level negative relationship was found between the perception of psychological safety and political tactical behavior in general and its sub-dimensions. It is determined that the perception of psychological safety affects the upward influence tactics at the highest level, has a relative impact on the exchange tactics, and has an effect on the tactics of rational persuasion, albeit at a level that can be considered as absent. In addition, it was observed that the employees' political tactical behavior and psychological safety perception differed according to demographic characteristics.

Adapting sales influence tactics in the information intensive era

Purpose This paper aims to explore the usage of selling influence tactics across prospective customers with differing information-related needs. Design/methodology/approach The research study uses an exploratory critical incident technique (CIT) methodology to identify and examine salesperson influence tactics. Findings This study identifies and explores the use of salesperson influence tactics across three information-based conditions often encountered by salespeople (i.e. information seeking customers, informed customers with information inaccuracies and informed customers making sub-optimal decisions). Regardless of condition, salespeople readily used non-coercive information exchange tactics. Whereas, recommendations and ingratiation tactics were applied by more effective salespeople when interacting with informed customers with information deficiencies. Furthermore, salespeople report executing less effectively with prospects with inaccurate preexisting information and with prospects making flawed or sub-optimal decisions. Research limitations/implications Findings illustrate the need for a renewed focus on salesperson influence tactics, the conditions under which they are effective, and how salespeople adapt their influence tactics to various situations. The exploratory nature of this study limits the generalizability of findings. Practical implications A framework of adaptive selling strategies is proposed to help tackle new challenges faced by B2B salespeople in today’s information intensive market. When interacting with more informed customers, pre-existing information is often inaccurate and incomplete. Thus, salespeople must assess and address these flaws and gaps and can adapt their influence strategies to do so effectively. Originality/value Industrial buyers today have virtually unlimited avenues to conduct extensive research and gain supplier information without the aid of interactions with salespeople. Thus, salespeople often enter sales interactions when their prospects have significantly more information than ever before. By examining salesperson influence techniques in selling situations that vary based on prospective customer preexisting knowledge, this research provides guidance on how selling may need to change in a more information intensive era.

Disability and influence in job interviews

PurposeThis purpose of this paper is to explore to efficacy of influence tactics at the outset of a job interview. Across three empirical studies, five influence tactics were manipulated during a simulated job interview to explore first impressions for candidates with or without a visible disability.Design/methodology/approachParticipants viewed videos of candidates (either in a wheelchair or not) responding to the opening question in a job interview by using one of five influence tactics (i.e. revealing a strong alternative, setting a numerical anchor, demonstrating approachability through imperfections, presenting hard skills that described job-related competencies or presenting soft skills including connecting well with and leading others). Perceptions of trustworthiness, fit for the current job and perceived appropriate salary amount were rated.FindingsResults show that, in general, tactics that might have beneficial effects when used at later moments, including the use of a strong alternate, anchor or imperfection display, may instead harm first impressions of anyone. When discussing specific skills, hard skills helped in both cases. However, the presentation of soft skills helped only the non-disabled job candidate. Trustworthiness acted as a mediator for most of these relationships in both populations.Originality/valueResults provide insight into how the use of these tactics very early in an interaction unfolds. Further, parsing the use of influence tactics into their effects on specific populations (such as people with disabilities) allows us to better understand the conditions under which they may help or hurt perceptions of employability.

EFFECT OF INFLUENCE TACTICS ON WORKERS’ PERFORMANCE IN DANGOTE CEMENT PLC, OBAJANA- KOGI STATE

Influence is a primary social mechanism through which a leader enacts his or her leadership using various tactics to influence others. This study is an attempt to investigate the effect of influence tactics on worker’s performance in Dangote Cement Plc, Obajana- Kogi State. Specifically, it was designed to examine the effect of appeal to higher authority; ingratiation; impression management; and persuasion tactics (as the dependent variables) on workers performance. A descriptive-survey research design was adopted, while purposive sampling technique was employed to arrive at a sample size of fifty-eight (58) from the research population of 151 senior staff, frontline managers and management personnel of the organization. Out of the fifty-eight questionnaires administered to the staff, only forty-eight were returned. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine the relationship between the two variables using the regression coefficients (Beta values). Results showed that ingratiation has a negative and insignificant effect on performance; impression management have positive and insignificant effect on workers performance; but appeal to higher authority and persuasion tactics had positive effect on workers performance in Dangote Cement Plc, Obajana- Kogi State. The study recommended that management of the firm should adopt the use of persuasion and appeal to higher authority considering their positive effect on workers performance; the use of ingratiation as an influence tactics should be minimized; and impression management should be encouraged.

Meaningful gamification for psychological empowerment: exploring user affective experience mirroring in a psychological self-help system

PurposeInspired by the dynamic changes in our daily lives enabled via quantified-self technologies and the urgent need for more studies on the human-computer interaction design mechanisms adopted by these applications, this study explores the value of user affective experience mirroring and examines the empowerment effect of meaningful gamification in a psychological self-help system (PSS) that aids people in work stress relief.Design/methodology/approachBased on an analysis of the existing systems and theories in relevant fields, we conducted mixed-method research, involving semi-structured interviews, experience sampling experiments and user bio data triangulations, to identify the benefits of user affective experience mirroring and examine the impact of visual impact metaphor–based (VIM) meaningful gamification on PSS users.FindingsFor a gamified PSS, users generally perceive VIM as arousing more feelings of enjoyment, empathy, trust and usefulness, empowering them to gain more mastery and control over their emotional well-beings, especially with relieving their occupational stress and upbringing their level of perceived happiness. Overtime, VIM-based meaningful gamification further boosts such value of a PSS.Research limitations/implicationsWeaving together meaningful gamification and psychological empowerment theories, the results emphasized that successful empowerment of user through gamification in PSSs relies heavily on whether a deeper and meaningful affective connection can be established with the users, in short, “meaningful gamification for psychological empowerment”. Such an understanding, as demonstrated in our research framework, also sheds light on the design theories for persuasive technology and human influence tactics during human computer interactions.Practical implicationsThe results of the study demonstrate to practitioners how to make the best use of gamification strategies to deeply relate to and resonate with users. Even without complicated game-play design, meaningful gamification mechanisms, such as VIM facilitate the empowerment of users while gaining their appreciation, establishing a deeper connection with them and eventually generating persuasive effects on intended future behavioural outcomes.Social implicationsThe effective management of work-related stress with handy tools such as a VIM-based PSS can be beneficial for many organizations and, to a large extent, the society.Originality/valueThis study proposed and empirically demonstrated the empowerment effect of meaningful gamification for PSS users. In this cross-disciplinary study, theories from different research domains were synthesized to develop a more thorough and multi-faceted understanding of the optimal design strategies for emerging information systems like this VIM-based PSS.

From Flattery to Threats – The Effects of Student Influence Tactics on Faculty Well-Being

Professors are all too familiar with the various ways students attempt to influence them in order to obtain favorable academic outcomes. After numerous conversations and first-hand evidence exploring faculty members experiences of stress in academia, we have found that some faculty members experience a higher quantity and/or more aggressive student influence tactics than others. We have found that a potential reason for this is based on the social distance and similarity (or lack of similarity) in the professor-student dyad. Our essay outlines why these influence tactics often adversely affect faculty well-being, moderators to this relationship, and protective strategies against the negative effects of such influence tactics.

Too Naïve to be Fair: Third-Party Perceptions of Ingratiation Recipients

Flattery is one of the oldest and most commonly used social influence tactics. Existing research characterizes flattery as beneficial for both flatterers, who receive favorable treatment as a result of ingratiation, and recipients, who experience increases in positive affect and self-esteem. However, we suggest that flattery possesses unforeseen costs when observed by others. Across four studies (N=1,137), including a field experiment at an academic conference, we find that observers who witness managers granting favors in response to flattery perceive the managers as unaware and naïve. As a result of their perceived naivete, managers who reward flattery with favors are seen as less competent, fair, and worse overall. Observing favors granted in response to flattery also breeds cynicism from observers about the broader organizations that the managers represent. Finally, we explore the unique role that flattery plays in exacerbating the negative consequences of favor-granting, as well as the differential reputational costs experienced by low and high-power flattery targets. The discussion considers theoretical and practical implications for managers who are frequent targets of flattery and must weigh the costs and benefits of how to respond to ingratiation.

КОМУНІКАТИВНІ ТАКТИКИ ТА СТРАТЕГІЇ В ПОЛІТИЧНОМУ ДИСКУРСІ

У статті розглянуто комунікативні недоліки в політичному дискурсі, що виникають у безпосередніх комунікативних діях, які викликані дисбалансом політичної ситуації в суспільстві. Щоб уникнути комунікативних недоліків у політичному дискурсі, політики намагаються застосовувати відповідні стратегічно передбачувані комунікативні тактики. Проведено аналіз того, про що вони говорять, думають, у чому вони переконані та що ставлять за мету донести до відома суспільства, в чому переконати, користуючись сугестивними комунікаціями. Наведено перелік успішних комунікативних тактик у політичному дискурсі.

리조트 MICE 영업사원의 판매설득전술이 관계품질과 장기적 관계지향성에 미치는 영향

Resort MICE is labour-intensive industry, and its competitiveness and differentiation are determined by salespersons managing events. It is important for resort MICE salespersons who provide specialized services through direct face-to-face contact with customers at service contacts to use effective sellers' influence tactics to event managers. In order to explore the close relationship and influence of the nature of the B2B study. our study sample was drawn from a list of 300 event managers who were successful in running events for 50~200 people during the past two years. To ensure reliability and validity of the survey, we proceeded face-to-face and explained the purpose of the study in detail, and conducted an empirical study by administering questionnaire. Our findings show that information provision, emotional touch and stimulation of customers' favor had significantly positive effects on the trust, while recommendation and promises had negative effects. Information provision and emotional touch had positive effects on satisfaction, while recommendation and promises had negative effects. As tactics which most effectively enhance the relational satisfaction, in the correlation between resort MICE salespersons and event managers, information provision is the most effective sellers' influence tactics for resort MICE salespersons.

Adolescents’ use of influence tactics with parents in family travel decision making: A cross-societal comparison in Eastern Europe

ABSTRACTWe aim to present a cross-societal comparison of the influence tactics that adolescents use with their parents in family travel decisions by investigating 762 usable responses of senior high school students across four Eastern Europe societies (Lithuania, Poland, Russia, and Slovakia). Through multi-group confirmatory factor analysis (MG-CFA), adolescent influence behavior emerges in a refined and validated model of four subscales reflecting bargaining, persuasion, emotional, and request strategies. These subscales indicate the measurement invariance of adolescent influence behavior across societies. Our findings show significant between-society differences for all four dimensions of adolescents’ influence tactics with their parents. Furthermore, respondents from all four societies have similar priorities of choosing their influence tactics, as reported in recent studies on family purchase decisions. We also found that respondents from the non-post-Soviet cluster (NPSC) are more likely to apply various influence tactics than their counterparts from the post-Soviet cluster (PSC). We conclude with a discussion of these differences and why they may have occurred.

Unique nature of appraisal politics as a work stress: test of stress–strain model from appraisee's perspective

PurposeThis paper delineates the distinctive nature of appraisal politics perceptions (referenced to organizational politics) experienced by appraisees (APAP) as a form of hindrance work stressor that is more episodic than chronic, salient during the PA rating and reward decisions. The study argues and attempts to establish empirically that due to its distinct nature, it causes both short-term episodic strain and long-term chronic strain. Further, the study investigates the distinctive role played by appraisee's hard and soft influence behaviour as a coping mechanism moderating the influence of APAP as a stressor on strain variables in Indian organizational context that ferments politics.Design/methodology/approachThe data was collected using self-reports from 407 employees in Indian organizations using survey method. Multivariate analyses including moderating tests were used for testing the hypotheses.FindingsOnly the episodic components of the APAP-appraiser's rating politics and pay and promotion politics were significantly related to anxiety felt by appraisees during PA – an episodic measure of strain. All three APAP components were significantly related to the chronic strain measure of dissatisfaction. There was modest support for the role of influence tactics (IT) as a coping mechanism attenuating the negative relation of APAP with the dissatisfaction variables as chronic strain measures. Contrary to the hypothesis, softer tactics exacerbated the APAP–PA anxiety relation, indicating the episodic nature of stressor and strain.Originality/valueThe study contributes significantly to enhance the understanding about the nature of Appraisal politics.

An examination of the relationship between hotel employees’ use of upward influence tactics and supervisor rating of employee promotability

This study investigated how employees’ use of upward influence tactics predicted supervisor assessment of employee promotability. Data were collected from a four-star hotel in The Netherlands. One hundred and two employees’ use of upward influence tactics and their promotability were rated by their immediate supervisors. The findings showed that exchange positively and ingratiation negatively predicted promotability. Moreover, hard tactics interacted with rational tactics in predicting promotability. Specifically, assertiveness was positively related to promotability when rationality was high and unrelated to promotability when rationality was low; coalition was positively related to promotability when rationality was high and negatively related to promotability when rationality was low; coalition was positively related to promotability when exchange was high and unrelated to promotability when exchange was low; and upward appeal was negatively related to promotability when rationality was low and unrelated to promotability when rationality was high. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed.

Salesperson influence tactics and the buying agent purchase decision: Mediating role of buying agent trust of the salesperson and moderating role of buying agent regulatory orientation focus

Little is known about antecedents of salesperson influence tactic usage or how and which influence tactics impact buying agent purchase decisions. To aid such understanding, we draw from the relationship selling literature, and both regulatory fit and focus theories, to propose a novel theoretical framework and test hypotheses. The study's findings, derived by applying the critical incidence methodology to a heterogeneous dataset of buying agents (n > 200) representing small and medium enterprises and acting as key informants on salespeople, show that: (i) salesperson influence tactics heterogeneously explain the buying agent's trust of the salesperson, (ii) trust of the salesperson serves as a mechanism through which influence tactics impact the buying agent's purchase decision, (iii) buying agent's regulatory orientation moderates the relationship between salesperson influence tactics and buying agent's trust of the salesperson, and (iv) salesperson regulatory orientation predicts a salesperson's use of particular influence tactics. The article concludes with a discussion of the practical and theoretical implications of the research.

Leapfrogging at work: influencing higher levels in the chain of command

PurposeActs of interpersonal influence are observed throughout organizations, and most typically, in direct supervisor–subordinate relationships. However, researchers have focused less on subordinates bypassing the chain of command and targeting their supervisor's supervisor with influence attempts. We conceptualize a new term, “leapfrogging,” as subordinates' attempts to influence and manage the impressions of their supervisor's supervisor. Here we focus on influencing the target's perception of likability (the focus of ingratiation) and competence (the focus of self-promotion). This study focuses on its personal and situational antecedents.Design/methodology/approachGiven the central role of social exchange and psychological processes within this phenomenon, we build on a social exchange and a social cognition approach. Using a sample of 131 university support personnel service employees, hierarchical regression is used to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe following antecedents of leapfrogging are hypothesized and tested: the subordinate personal characteristics of Machiavellianism, need for achievement, and fear of negative evaluation, and the situational/relational characteristic of leader–member exchange (LMX). Of these potential antecedents, subordinate Machiavellianism and LMX were the strongest predictors, and subordinates' need for achievement and fear of negative evaluation were moderate predictors.Practical implicationsLeapfrogging occurs when actors are frustrated with their current situation and desire change. However, influence tactics aimed at a subordinate's supervisor's supervisor may further strain a low-quality leader–subordinate relationship. As actors become increasingly dissatisfied and leave, this may result in increased organizational costs related to the loss of experienced employees and the hiring and training of new ones.Originality/valueMost upward influence research has largely ignored subordinate influence attempts that go outside of the normal chain of command and target their boss's boss. The present study addresses this gap in the literature by examining leapfrog behaviors. Although acknowledged in a limited manner as a legitimate organizational behavior, this topic has received virtually no empirical attention.

Social influence tactics in e-commerce onboarding: The role of social proof and reciprocity in affecting user registrations

Given the increasing competition to attract new customers, e-commerce providers (i.e., e-tailers) are being urged to optimize their website onboarding journeys. Design mechanisms employing social influence tactics seem to be promising avenues to effectively improve user onboarding experiences. Specifically, two social influence tactics—namely, reciprocity and social proof—are widely used in practice to reliably enhance user registrations. Yet, researchers have only tentatively examined how these combined tactics affect user onboarding behavior. While combining both tactics may hold synergistic potential, it may also be counterproductive, as too much social influence may backfire. We address this research gap by investigating the distinct and joint effects of reciprocity and social proof on user registration behavior. Drawing on two forms of reciprocity (i.e., utility- and monetary-based reciprocity), we conduct an online experiment (N = 249) and a related randomized field experiment (N = 475,495) to compare both reciprocity variants in combination with social proof and investigate their efficacy for actual user onboarding decisions (i.e., user registrations). Our results show that both social influence tactics and both reciprocity variants have positive effects on users' registration behavior if applied individually. However, when both tactics are employed together, the effect of reciprocity is moderated by social proof such that social proof nullifies the effect of monetary-based reciprocity whereas it amplifies the effect of utility-based reciprocity. Our study thereby contributes to a more advanced understanding of the interactive relationship between reciprocity and social proof and their joint effect on user onboarding decisions.

Leaders’ Influence Tactics for Safety: An Exploratory Study in the Maritime Context

A growing body of research has pointed out effective leadership as an important influencing factor for safety performance in various high-risk industrial contexts. However, limited systematic knowledge is available about how leaders can effectively persuade rule compliance, and stimulate actions and participation. Recognizing effective means of influence is of value for safety leadership development and evaluation. This study seeks to empirically investigate leaders’ influence tactics for safety in a maritime context. Qualitative exploration is performed with data being collected through focus group discussions and individual interviews with 41 experienced shipboard leaders from various shipping sectors. Five core influence tactics—coaching, role modeling, pressure, consultation and exchange tactics—appeared to be the shipboard leaders’ effective tactics to influence subordinates’ safety compliance and participation behaviors in ship operations. Safety leadership influences flow from exemplification, expert and personal sources of power, and being pursued through soft and rational influence tactics rather than coercion or constructive inducements. The results indicate that the more relationship-oriented the leaders are, the more effective their safety leadership would be in influencing safety behaviors. The implication of the results for maritime safety leadership research, maritime education and training are discussed.