Applying Influ ence Down and S ideways 57
Managers also generate influence-enhancing trust when they
share information that affects their subordinates. The practice of
‘‘open book management’’ (OBM) is one example of information
sharing that improves performance. OBM provides employees with
all relevant financial and performance information about their com-
pany or unit. Evidence shows that employees feel more involved
with their jobs and make better day-to-day decisions if they are reg-
ularly updated on company revenues, cash flow, expenses, and
profitability. Information sharing of this type also enhances trust.
Let’s face it, people who are kept in the dark are justifiably suspi-
cious and distrustful. If management says, ‘‘Today we’re announc-
ing a company-wide campaign to reduce expenses, and we expect
everyone to pitch in,’’ employees are as likely to dig in their heels
as to cooperate. Conversely, if all employees can see that profitabil-
ity is being squeezed by flagging revenues and increasing costs, the
necessity of expense reduction will be apparent, and those same
employees will find numerous ways to cut costs. As a manager, you
can get the benefits of OBM by sharing the three or four critical
performance measures that are under the control of your unit and
its people.
One company we know has been very effective using this ap-
proach. The company attacks its important problems and opportu-
nities through cross-functional teams of five to seven employees.
Each team has what it calls ‘‘critical performance indicators’’ (CPIs),
and each team focuses on a fairly narrow, measurable goal deemed
important to the company. One team, for example, is working to
enhance the experience of people who use the company’s website.
That team’s CPIs include page feed times, the number of minutes
that people stay on the website, and the number of people who
return to the website each week. Team CPIs are compiled and
posted via e-mail every afternoon. Everyone knows how things are
American Management Association
www.amanet.org
58 Increase Your Influence at Work
going, what progress is being made, and what problems are surfac-
ing. That kind of openness generates trust between employees and
their managers.
As a manager, you have plenty of nonconfidential information
that can be shared with subordinates. Here are just a few examples:
? Monthly unit/dollar sales.
? Updates on company-wide initiatives, such as installing an
enterprise software system.
? Variances from budgeted sales or expenses; these give
employees at-a-glance indications of what’s going well and
poorly, and where interventions should be made.
Information sharing on matters such as these opens the door to
productive dialogue and idea exchanges, both of which engender
trust between subordinates and their managers—the kind of trust
that makes influence possible.
Persuasion
Beyond developing trust, managers must also learn the fine art of
persuasion. Persuasion, as we’ve defined it, is communication that
alters the beliefs, attitudes, or actions of others. As noted in Chap-
ter 3, persuasive communication has less to do with being a slick
talker than with understanding people’s needs and interests, and
then applying language and logical arguments that address them
in positive ways. Now, let’s consider how you can use persuasive
communication to influence the people who report to you.
Let’s begin with needs and interests. Do you understand the
needs and interests of your subordinates? At one level, human
needs in the workplace are pretty universal. Back in the 1950s,
American Management Association
www.amanet.org
Applying Influ ence Down and S ideways 59
Abraham Maslow, a pioneer in the field of industrial psychology,
theorize d a hierarch y of human need s, as shown i n Figure 4- 3.
Maslow be lie ved that low er-lev el needs ha d to be satis fied b efo re
people would concern themselves with higher-level needs. For ex-
ample, a person who hasn’t satisfied his need for safety (i.e., job
security and a reliable income) is unlikely to be concerned with his
need for esteem (self-respect, confidence, etc.). Likewise, a person
who has satisfied certain needs will stop fretting about those and
begin to reach higher on the needs ladder. Thus, the subordinate
whose physiological, safety, and affiliation needs have been met
will start to address his need for esteem.
In a nutshell, Maslow’s theory is that people’s needs are never
fully satisfied until they reach the top of the ladder: self-actualiza-
tion. Self-actualization is the feeling people have when they are in
control of their lives, and when they sense that they are exploiting
their full potential.
Take a moment to think about the people who report directly
FIGURE 4-3. MASLOW’S HIERARCHY
OF HUMAN NEEDS.
Physiological
Safety
Affiliation
Esteem
Self-Actualization
Food, water, shelter, income
Economic security, safe conditions
Friendship, being part of the group
Self-worth, self-respect, recognition
In control of one’s life; exploiting one’s potential
American Management Association
www.amanet.org
60 Increase Your Influence at Work
to you. How high has each climbed on the hierarchy of needs? If
you can figure that out, you’ll have an idea of each subordinate’s
next unsatisfied need. That unsatisfied need is what the person is
concerned about—what makes him or her feel anxious, uncomfort-
able, or unmotivated. For example:
Helen, a newly hired clerical worker, is struggling toward the
‘‘affiliation’’ level. After six months on the job, she still feels like
an outsider and would like to fit in and be an accepted member
of the work group.
Greg’s prowess as a salesperson is widely praised within the
company. He is firmly perched on the ‘‘esteem’’ level but is
feeling dissatisfied with his lack of control over his life at work.
After ten years of selling the same products to the same cus-
tomers, he’s bored and feeling unfulfilled. He’d like to develop
other skills and take on a larger role in the company.
In these examples, Helen and Greg have identifiable unmet
needs. Their boss could use an understanding of those needs to
craft persuasive communications and to motivate these individuals.
If you were Greg’s boss, for instance, and wanted a customer re-
search project done, you might target Greg for the assignment and
tantalize him with the prospect of doing something that is new to
him and that he could control, and that represents an expanded
role for him within the company. By channeling your persuasive
communication through what Greg wants, you would increase your
influence with him and stand a better chance of getting what you
want. He would very likely take on your project without objection.
And because Greg would view you as someone who recognizes his
American Management Association
www.amanet.org
Applying Influ ence Down and S ideways 61
needs, your influence with him would extend into the future: ‘‘Yes,
my boss understands and addresses my interests at work. I can trust
her.’’
The Velvet-Gloved Fist
We stated earlier that you should avoid exercising your organiza-
tional power whenever other tools of influence are available. In an
age of employee empowerment, you should reach for the power
lever only when you absolutely must. However, your power can be
used in the background to persuade and influence the behavior of
others.
President Theodore Roosevelt popularized the adage, ‘‘Speak
softly and carry a big stick.’’ The U.S. Marine Corps advertises itself
as ‘‘No greater friend, no worse enemy.’’ In each case, someone
with real power has made this clear: ‘‘There are large benefits to
playing ball with me; the costs of not playing ball are even greater.’’
We call this the velvet-gloved fist tactic of persuasion and influence.
As a manager you have, within limits, the power to hire and
fire, to promote or demote, to determine who receives increased
compensation and who doesn’t, to decide who receives the plum
assignment and who will work the graveyard shift, and so forth. A
deft manager knows how to subtly exercise those powers in ways
that let people get the message and respond. For example:
Although nothing was said by the department manager, people
notice that Bill and Betty—enthusiastic supporters of their
boss’s new pet project—were chosen to attend this year’s
trade show in Hawaii. In January, no less. Meanwhile, Bob and
Beatrice, who haven’t gotten on board the project, have been
American Management Association
www.amanet.org
..................Content has been hidden....................
You can't read the all page of ebook, please click here login for view all page.