Influence in Leadership
Exercising Influence in Leadership
Course Title: LDR 160
Instructor: Nana Arthur-Mensah
Tactics of Influence
Questions to Consider:
What are tactics that others can influence you to do something they want?
Do you believe the tactics were effective?
Did you resist the tactics?
What was your emotional response to the tactic?
Influence Tools in Leadership
Primary Consideration for Leaders: It is essential to focus on how to exercise influence ethically rather than merely deciding whether to exercise influence.
Four Sets of Influence Tools Examined:
Compliance gaining
Communication of expectations
Argumentation
Negotiation
Compliance Gaining
Definition: Verbal tactics leaders use to obtain compliance from others.
Types of Compliance Gaining Tactics:
Rational Persuasion: Presenting factual evidence and logical arguments.
Example: A club president uses data to justify switching venues for cost savings.
Apprising: Explaining how complying with a request benefits the individual.
Example: A professor explains how attending office hours can enhance exam performance.
Inspirational Appeals: Generating enthusiasm by connecting to values or ideals.
Example: A volunteer leader highlights an event's association with hunger relief.
Consultation: Seeking input and support from others to foster compliance.
Example: A student leader gathers peer opinions before organizing a fundraiser.
Collaboration: Offering support and resources in exchange for compliance.
Example: A project leader manages research if teammates present the findings.
Ingratiation: Using flattery to generate positive feelings before making a request.
Example: A student compliments a teammate's skills before seeking help.
Personal Appeals: Invoking feelings of loyalty or friendship to solicit cooperation.
Example: A friend requests help based on their longstanding relationship.
Exchange: Offering something valuable in return for compliance.
Example: A student shares notes in exchange for lab assistance.
Coalition Tactics: Involving others to reinforce the request.
Example: Students collaborate to convince a professor to extend deadlines.
Legitimizing Tactics: Asserting authority or right to make requests.
Example: A dorm RA refers to university policy when enforcing rules.
Pressure: Applying persistent demands or threats to ensure compliance.
Example: A team leader repeatedly reminds team members to submit work on time.
Communication of Expectations
Significance: Leaders' expectations significantly influence follower performance and behavior.
Key Concepts:
Pygmalion Effect: A self-fulfilling prophecy stemming from the expectations placed on individuals by leaders, suggesting that followers tend to live up to these expectations.
Golem Effect: Negative expectations can hinder performance.
Effective Communication of Expectations: Good leaders express high expectations to all members of the group or organization to promote optimal performance.
Channels of Communication for Expectations
Four Channels Used by Leaders:
Climate: Establishing a supportive social and emotional atmosphere conducive to growth.
Feedback: Providing regular, positive feedback to reinforce high expectations.
Input: Focusing attention on individual followers to increase engagement.
Output: Allowing high performers more opportunities to contribute and speak.
Strategies for Enhancing Organizational Performance
Goals: Improve follower self-efficacy and confidence by:
Breaking tasks into manageable segments, allowing practice time.
Giving constructive feedback on performance and task execution.
Modeling necessary skills, promoting positive thinking, and demonstrating how to address failure.
Facilitating verbal persuasion that is substantiated by reasons for predicted success.
Argumentation in Leadership
Definition: A verbal strategy for addressing disagreement or controversy, emphasizing ethical persuasion focused on ideas rather than personal attacks.
Purpose: Fosters reasoned dialogue, especially in academic, organizational, or policy-related discussions.
Distinction from Aggression: Ethical argumentation contrasts with verbal aggression, which is characterized by personal attacks rather than constructive discourse.
The Toulmin Model
Developed by Professor Stephen Toulmin, this model aids in forming structured arguments with the following components:
Claim: The central assertion.
Grounds: Evidence supporting the claim.
Warrant: The connective reasoning between grounds and claim.
Backing: Additional evidence supporting the warrant.
Qualifiers: Indications of the strength of the claim.
Rebuttals: Counterarguments considered.
Example of the Toulmin Model (Campus Policy Debate):
Claim: "We should extend library hours during finals week."
Grounds: "Student usage data shows a 40% increase in library visits during finals."
Warrant: "More access leads to better academic performance."
Backing: "Studies show GPA improvements with extended hours."
Qualifier: "Most students would benefit from this change."
Rebuttal: "Some may argue staffing presents a challenge, but volunteer help can suffice."
Argumentation vs. Verbal Aggression
Impact of Verbal Aggression: When leaders shift focus from ideas to personal attacks, it fosters distrust and stifles collaboration.
Examples of Aggressive Tactics include:
Competence attacks (questioning abilities)
Character attacks (criticizing personality)
Insults
Teasing
Ridicule
Maledictions (wishing harm)
Profanity
Appearance attacks
Threats
Nonverbal cues that express hostility (e.g., eye-rolling)
Consequences of Aggression: Unethical aggressive behavior erodes relationships, diminishes psychological safety, and often escalates conflict rather than resolving it.
Negotiation in Leadership
Definition: A process of influencing individuals who disagree, aiming for mutually satisfying settlements.
Key Aspects of Negotiation:
Selection of tactics used during negotiations.
Determining how benefits are allocated among parties.
Assessing the implications of settlements on non-participants.
Essential Negotiation Skills
Separate people from the problem: Address issues without creating personal conflict.
Focus on interests, not positions: Identify underlying needs rather than fixed demands.
Invent options for mutual gain: Collaborate on solutions that benefit all parties involved.
Insist on objective criteria: Rely on fair standards to guide negotiations.
Implications for Leaders
Ethical Leadership Necessity: Leaders must be equipped to resist the influence of low expectations and navigate verbal aggression with competence.
Consequences of Failing to Resist: Neglecting to combat unethical influences can lead to:
Involvement in unethical or illegal actions.
Hiring unsuitable candidates.
Overspending on goods and services.
Supporting unworthy causes.
Taking unwarranted risks.
Resisting Influence Strategies
Reciprocation: The societal norm to repay others, promoting cooperation but also leading to poor decisions if not checked.
Strategy for Resistance: Reject initial favors to resist undue influence inspired by reciprocation.
Commitment and Consistency: Desire to maintain consistency in choices can lead to regrettable decisions.
Once a commitment is made, individuals feel compelled to act consistently.
Social Proof: People often conform to the behavior of others, especially in uncertainty.
Key Insight: Recognize deceptive social proof used in advertising and marketing.
Liking: Increased likelihood of compliance from liked individuals stems from:
Physical appearance.
Similarity.
Compliments.
Shared contact and cooperation.
Association.
Reflection: Assess whether feelings of liking are warranted before complying to requests.
Authority: Compliance often arises from perceived authority rather than substantiated authority.
Advice: Evaluate credentials and their relevance critically.
Scarcity: The appeal of limited availability enhances perceived value of opportunities or resources.
Responses to scarcity are difficult to resist, particularly for newly scarce items.
To Do
Reflection Task: Identify influence triggers employed in commercials across TV, radio, and social media. Evaluate the ethical implications of their strategies.