Using Tactics to Influence Outcomes

There are nine common influence tactics you can use to affect and change others' behaviors. Research suggests that some tactics are more effective than others. This activity is important because as a manager not only should you understand and be able to use a range of influence tactics but you also should understand which tactics are most likely to work in a given situation.

The goal of this activity is to challenge your knowledge of the lessons youve learned about the relative effectiveness of influence tactics.

Read the short scenarios of someone either following or violating lessons about the relative effectiveness of influence tactics. Then, select the lesson that the scenario best depicts being followed or violated.

1. Lorenzo wants his boss to give him a good performance review, so every single time he sees her, he pays her a compliment about her clothing, appearance, or something else superficial.

(Click to select) Rely on the core Be authentic Consult rather than legitimate Ingratiation is not a good long-term strategy Be subtle Learn to influence

2. Nami agrees with every single thing her boss says in every single meeting.

(Click to select) Rely on the core Be authentic Consult rather than legitimate Ingratiation is not a good long-term strategy Be subtle Learn to influence

3. Ryan knows that he can get the raise he wants if he puts pressure on his supervisors. But this doesnt feel natural to Ryan, so he decides to take an approach that is truer to who he is.

(Click to select) Rely on the core Be authentic Consult rather than legitimate Ingratiation is not a good long-term strategy Be subtle Learn to influence

4. Tia knows that introducing a new software platform at her company is going to be a source of stress for her employees who are accustomed to doing things in the old platform. Therefore, Tia elicits feedback from each employee on what they would like to see in a new platform that the current platform doesnt offer.

(Click to select) Rely on the core Be authentic Consult rather than legitimate Ingratiation is not a good long-term strategy Be subtle Learn to influence

5. Veronica wants her employees to volunteer at the companys annual charity fundraiser, so she shows them some corporate footage of the people who have been helped by the fundraiser in the past.

(Click to select) Rely on the core Be authentic Consult rather than legitimate Ingratiation is not a good long-term strategy Be subtle Learn to influence

6. Danielle feels strongly that the best way to get her boss to notice her hard work is to keep producing and doing a great job, rather than to be a kiss-up.

(Click to select) Rely on the core Be authentic Consult rather than legitimate Ingratiation is not a good long-term strategy Be subtle Learn to influence

7. Marques wants to be a great manager and knows this involves learning to influence people effectively. He signs up for a course on power and social influence in business to hone his skills.

(Click to select) Rely on the core Be authentic Consult rather than legitimate Ingratiation is not a good long-term strategy Be subtle Learn to influence

8. Abir is never comfortable getting coworkers to agree with him by reminding them of how good of a friend hes been to them. But he decides to use this tactic anyway because he knows its more effective than some of the other tactics.

(Click to select) Rely on the core Be authentic Consult rather than legitimate Ingratiation is not a good long-term strategy Be subtle Learn to influence

9. Eric is skilled at getting people on his side by making understated comments indicating that he shares their opinions on work-related matters.

(Click to select) Rely on the core Be authentic Consult rather than legitimate Ingratiation is not a good long-term strategy Be subtle Learn to influence

10. Wasim wants to get everyone in his team on board with his suggestion, so he starts making promises to each team member about how hell help them out the next time they have an idea they want the group to embrace.

(Click to select) Rely on the core Be authentic Consult rather than legitimate Ingratiation is not a good long-term strategy Be subtle Learn to influence

11. Chloe doesnt try new tactics for influencing her peers or supervisors because she knows that if she isnt good at a tactic now, theres no way to get better at it.

(Click to select) Rely on the core Be authentic Consult rather than legitimate Ingratiation is not a good long-term strategy Be subtle Learn to influence

12. Shins subordinates dont like participating in team meetings. Shin reminds them that he is their boss, and if they dont show up, he has the authority to punish them.

(Click to select) Rely on the core Be authentic Consult rather than legitimate Ingratiation is not a good long-term strategy Be subtle Learn to influence