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  • Essay / Influence Tactics - 1896

    Rational persuasion has been shown to be used in all three directions: upward, downward, and sideways. (Yukl, & Falbe, 1990) Rational persuasion is used across the board in organizations because it is relevant in most discussions. Another contingency affecting the use of rational persuasion is the goal of the influence attempt. (Yukl, Guinan, & Sottolano, 1995) Rational persuasion has been shown to be used most often to gain political support, resources, or endorsements. Rational persuasion has been shown to be flexible and adaptable to the vast majority of situations involving influence. However, this is even more relevant when attempting to achieve the desired results stated above. Personality Factors The use of rational persuasion, as an influence tactic, is also affected by the personality style of the influencer. Managers who score high on conscientiousness will be more likely to adopt upward influence tactics that involve rational persuasion. (Cable and Judge, 2003) Rational beliefs are consistent with the practical, careful, careful, and organized disposition characterized by conscientious workers. In addition to the direct effects of personality styles, there is also an interaction between the personality traits of the influencer and those of the leadership. style of the target superior. A person who scores high on extroversion and believes their leader is inspirational will be less likely to use rational persuasion. Extroversion includes characteristics such as assertiveness, sociability, and energy. (Thoms, Moore, & Scott, 1996) Extroverts differ from some conscientious people in that they tend to focus more on people than on tasks. Rational persuasion focuses on the task and reasoning in the middle of the document. Consultation tactics are, for the most part, a positive way to gain target engagement. Some peers or superiors, however, will use this tactic to try to involve someone in a project simply to blame them if they fail. The two most effective influence tactics are rational persuasion and inspirational appeals. Inspirational appeals are most effective when used by a superior to influence a subordinate. This type of tactic is unlikely to result in negative actions from the target. They tend to arouse positive emotions of enthusiasm and loyalty in influencers. Rational persuasion can be used to exert upward, lateral, or downward influence and is a very versatile tactic. It is also unlikely to cause negative reactions. It appeals to the intellectual and rational side of the target, and does not attack them on a personal level..