|
In
this article, we'll look at 11 positive and negative ways of influencing
others. When you understand these, you can use the positive approaches, and
you can avoid the negative ones. You'll also know when someone's using the
negative approaches on you.
About
the 11 Influencers
Leadership scholars Gary Yukl and J. Bruce Tracey studied influence in the
workplace for more than a decade. They identified 11 different techniques, or
"influencers," that people commonly use at work. Yukl highlighted
these in his respected 1981 book, "Leadership in Organizations."
These 11 influencers are as follows, classified into positive and negative
tactics:
Positive Tactics
1.
Rational persuasion
2.
Apprising
3.
Inspirational appeal
4.
Consultation
5.
Exchange
6.
Collaboration
Negative
Tactics
1.
Legitimation
2.
Coalition
3.
Pressure
4.
Ingratiation
5.
Personal appeals
Let's look at each
tactic, and consider how you can apply the positive ones.
Positive
Tactics
We'll start with positive tactics - tactics that won't harm your
relationships when you use them.
1. Rational Persuasion
With rational persuasion, you persuade others with solid facts, clear
explanations, and logical arguments.
For example, imagine that you've just pitched a new product idea to the rest
of the management team. You can see that Pat, a key decision-maker, isn't
sold on your suggestion. So, you use facts and statistics from your research
to explain how this new product will open up a new market for your
organization.
Rational persuasion is most effective when you use it with someone who shares
your objectives.
To use this influence technique, use good information-gathering strategies, and make sure that
your facts, statistics, and theories are accurate, well thought through, and
relevant.
Also, brainstorm possible objections ahead of time, so that
you have the information you need to address them, if they arise.
2. Apprising
With apprising, you explain how your request, idea, or proposal will benefit
the other person. However, the person doesn't benefit directly from the
project itself - the benefits come as a result of that person's involvement
or support.
For instance, imagine that one of your team members, Susan, is reluctant to
join a risky new project. However, you really need her expertise for the
project to succeed, and you know that she wants to get a promotion. You
explain that, if the team succeeds, all of you will get to make a
presentation to the executive board. This would spotlight her contribution,
and could lead to a promotion down the road.
|
Tip
1:
Use tools such as McClelland's Human Motivation Theory and
the Influence Model to understand
what motivates the people you want to influence.
Tip 2:
This technique is especially useful with people who care more about their
own needs than they do about their team or organization.
|
3. Inspirational Appeal
You use this tactic when you appeal to another person's emotions, values, hopes, and ideals. Inspirational appeal helps you
forge a strong emotional tie between the person and the project. This can be
a powerful motivator.
For instance, let's say that your organization has just moved its head office
into a new community, and you've decided to sponsor an environmental clean-up
day. To gain buy-in from your team members, who will be the chief volunteers,
you explain how their efforts will beautify the environment for everyone in
the community, and how they'll make things safer and healthier for local
children and wildlife. For many of your people, this will provide a powerful
inspiration.
To use this approach, learn what motivates your people, and the values that
they care about most - tools such as McClelland's Human Motivation Theory and Herzberg's Motivators and Hygiene Factors can help with
this. If you're using this tactic to influence team members, think too about
the values you looked for when you
hired them. Then, tailor your requests to appeal to these, and to their
goals, hopes, and dreams.
As part of this, you can use business storytelling to create a
strong emotional tie between your audience and your message.
4. Consultation
When you use this approach, you ask people to help you plan how to achieve
your goal.
For example, imagine that you want to develop a more effective system to
manage your department's sales pipeline. It's a huge project, and you know
that it won't be successful unless you get support from everyone in your
team. So, you ask team members to help you develop a solution.
This influence tactic is especially useful when you're in charge of a change
initiative, and you need help from people to carry out a particular task or
project. (Use tools such as Hartnett have to come up with a solution as
a group.)
This tactic isn't effective when people don't have the resources needed
to achieve the objective, or when what you want them to do clashes with other
important objectives that they have.
5. Exchange
This technique, which is based on reciprocity, involves rewarding others
for their help or involvement with a request. This could be a reward of resources
or information, help and support on another project or task, or something
tangible (such as additional compensation or benefits).
For example, imagine that you have a report due by the end of the day, and
you won't finish it on time without assistance. You ask your colleague,
Gerard, to help you compile the data. There's no real benefit to Gerard if he
assists you - this will even put him behind on his own work. However, you
know that Gerard wants to spend more time with his family, so you offer to
help him finish his next report early, so that he can take an extra day off
later in the month.
This tactic is appropriate when you have a request that offers no obvious
benefits to others, yet will cost them a considerable amount of time, stress,
or inconvenience.
6. Collaboration
With collaboration, you make it easier for the other person to get involved,
or to approve your request.
For example, let's say that you want a client to attend a meeting with your
team, but she's reluctant to participate because she's busy and she has a
long way to travel. So, you arrange for your team to visit her at her office
instead. That way, she only has to take a small amount of time out of her
schedule to join the meeting.
|
Note:
Collaboration might seem similar to the exchange tactic because, with both,
you offer to do something for others.
The key difference is that with exchange, you offer something to others,
while with collaboration; you make it easier for others.
|
Negative
Tactics
When you use negative approaches to influence, you can strain your
relationships, hurt others, and damage your reputation.
It's also important to know about these negative techniques, so that you can
tell when others are using them on you.
7. Legitimation
People use legitimation tactics when they attempt to establish their
authority, or their right to request something from you. They might also try
to prove that their request is consistent with organizational policies,
rules, or practices.
People often use this technique with unreasonable requests, or when they're
unfamiliar with how much authority the person they want to influence has.
This tactic is linked to the idea of legitimate power. Therefore, it may be appropriate to use it
if other more positive forms of influence have failed.
8. Coalition
This is when someone uses other people to influence you, such as your boss,
clients, colleagues, or team members - essentially, they try to "gang
up" with others to push you into doing something.
The influencer might ask others to influence you directly. However, he might
also simply use other people's endorsement or opinions to sway your decision.
9. Pressure
People use pressure tactics when they threaten you or act aggressively. They
might make repeated demands for you to change your mind, even after you say
"no." Or, they may try to take away some of your power, or
discredit you.
Pressure tactics often go along with bullying, and will likely leave you feeling stressed, upset,
resentful, and angry.
10. Ingratiation
With ingratiation, others try to make you feel better about yourself before
they make a request. For example, they might praise you, or do you a favor,
before they ask for your assistance.
This can turn into manipulation when the praise or flattery is insincere, or
when people do favors so that they receive something in return, later down
the line, without being honest about their intentions.
11. Personal Appeals
People make personal appeals when they ask you to do things because of friendship,
loyalty, kindness, or generosity.
This influence tactic can make you feel that someone has manipulated you, or
that they've taken advantage of you.
Key
Points
Leadership scholars Gary Yukl and J. Bruce Tracey identified 11 influence
tactics that people commonly use in the workplace. Yukl outlined these in his
book, "Leadership in Organizations."
The six positive influencers are:
1.
Rational persuasion
2.
Apprising
3.
Inspirational appeal
4.
Consultation
5.
Exchange
6.
Collaboration
The
five negative influencers are:
1.
Legitimation
2.
Coalition
3.
Pressure
4.
Ingratiation
5.
Personal appeals
It's
helpful to understand these tactics, so you can choose the right one to use
when you need to influence others.
It's also useful to understand negative influence tactics, so that you can avoid using them, and so that you can recognize when someone is using them on you.
|
