Principles of Leadership International

Edition 7th Edition DuBrin Solutions

Manual
Visit to Download in Full: https://testbankdeal.com/download/principles-of-leadership-i
nternational-edition-7th-edition-dubrin-solutions-manual/
CHAPTER 10
How Leaders Exert Influence

The purpose of this chapter is to familiarize the reader with a wide range of influence tactics that he or
she may need to persuade others. A secondary purpose is to sensitize the reader to the difference among
ethical, ethically neutral, and unethical influence tactics.

CHAPTER OUTLINE AND LECTURE NOTES

Influencing group members to achieve a worthwhile goal is a leader’s quintessential responsibility. To
become an effective leader, a person must be aware of the specific tactics leaders use to influence
others. Although this chapter focuses on influence tactics, other aspects of leadership, such as
projecting charisma and coaching, are also influence processes. Influence is defined here as the ability
to affect the behavior of others in a particular direction. Power is the potential or capacity to influence.
(Power can also be regarded as the ability to influence others.) Influence tactics have grown in
importance because so often a leader or corporate professional has to influence others without having
formal authority over them.
I. A MODEL OF POWER AND INFLUENCE
The model shown in Figure 10–1 illustrates that the end results of a leader’s influence outcomes
are a function of the influence tactics he or she uses. The influence tactics are in turn moderated,
or affected by, the leader’s traits and behaviors and the situation.
The three possible outcomes are commitment, compliance, and resistance. Commitment
represents the highest degree of success; the target of the influence attempt is enthusiastic about
carrying out the request and makes it a full effort. Compliance means that the influence attempt is
partially successful. The target person is apathetic (not overjoyed) and makes only a modest effort
to carry out the request. Resistance is an unsuccessful influence attempt. The target person is
opposed to carrying out the request and finds ways to either not comply or do a poor job.
Traits, including personality and intelligence, impact the effectiveness of influence tactics. The
leader’s behaviors affect influence tactics in a variety of ways. Also, the situation, such as the
organizational culture, can help decide which influence tactic will be effective. For example, in a
high-technology environment, rational persuasion and expertise may be more effective than an
emotional appeal.
II. DESCRIPTION AND EXPLANATION OF INFLUENCE TACTICS

Influence tactics are classified here as those that are essentially ethical and honest, ethically
neutral, or those that are essentially manipulative and devious. Several of the tactics, however,
could be placed into more than one category.
A. Essentially Ethical and Honest Tactics
Used with tact, diplomacy, and good intent, the tactics described in this section can facilitate
getting others to join you in accomplishing a worthwhile objective. These tactics vary in
complexity and the time required for their development.

© 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. This edition is intended for use outside of the U.S. only, with content that may be
different from the U.S. Edition. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
96 Chapter 10: How Leaders Exert Influence
1. Leading by Example and Respect. A simple but effective way of influencing group
members is leading by example, or leading by acting as a positive role model. Being
respected facilitates leading by example.

2. Using Rational Persuasion. To implement this tactic, the leader uses logical arguments
and factual evidence to convince another person that a proposal or request is workable
and likely to result in goal attainment. Rational persuasion is likely to be the most
effective with people who are intelligent and rational. A major moderating variable in
rational persuasion is the credibility of the influence agent. A subtle factor is that
credible people are perceived as having higher power.

3. Apprising the Target. Apprising means that the influence agent explains how carrying
out a request or supporting a proposal will benefit the target personally, including
advancing the target’s career. (Apprising is likely to be the most effective with
ambitious targets.)

4. Making a Personal Appeal. Using this approach, the agent asks the target to
implement a request or support a proposal out of friendship. Or the nature of the favor
might be unspecified as in, “How would you like to do something important for me?”

5. Developing a Reputation as a Subject Matter Expert. Becoming a subject matter expert

(SME) on a topic of importance to the organization is an effective strategy for gaining
influence. Being an SME is a subset of rational persuasion.

6. Exchanging Favors and Bargaining. Offering to exchange favors if another person will
help you achieve a work goal is another standard influence tactic. Give the other
person as much time as feasible to accomplish the task, and also give a menu of
options for different levels of assistance.

7. Legitimating a Request. A legitimate request falls into one’s scope of authority and fits
organizational policy. Making legitimate requests is an effective influence tactic
because most workers are willing to comply with regulations.

8. Making an Inspirational Appeal, Being Charming, and Emotional Display. To inspire

others a leader must obviously make inspirational appeals. Such an appeal is reinforced
by an emotional display. The influence agent will be more effective when he or she
displays personal magnetism, refers to a captivating, inspiring personality with charm
and charismatic-like qualities. For an emotional appeal to be effective, the influence
agent must understand the values, motives, and goals of the influence target.

9. Consultation with Others. Consultation with others before making a decision is both a
leadership style and an influence technique. The influence target becomes more
motivated to follow the agent’s request because the target is involved in the decision-
making process.

© 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. This edition is intended for use outside of the U.S. only, with content that may be
different from the U.S. Edition. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
 Chapter 10 : How Leaders Exert Influence 97
10. Forming Coalitions. A coalition is a specific arrangement of parties working together
to combine their power. Coalition formation works as an influence tactic because
“there is power in numbers.” The more people you get on your side, the better. The
more powerful the leader is, the less the need for coalition formation.

11 . Being a Team Player. Influencing others by being a good team player is an important
strategy for getting work accomplished. A leader might be a team player by doing such
things as pitching in during peak workloads. Being a team player is a more effective
influence tactic in an organizational culture that emphasizes collaboration than one in
which being tough-minded and decisive is more in vogue.

12. Practicing Hands-on Leadership. A hands-on leader is one who gets directly involved
in the details and processes of operations. The hands-on approach influences
subordinates to follow the beliefs, procedures, and processes of the leader.

B. Influence Tactics Essentially Neutral with Respect to Ethics and Honesty

If the tactics in this section are implemented with good intent they tend to be positive, but if
implemented with the intent of duping another person, they tend to be negative.

1. Ingratiation. Getting somebody to like you can be considered a mildly manipulative

influence tactic—particularly if you do not like the other person. Ingratiation includes
such basic human relations techniques as asking for something in a polite way.

2. Joking and Kidding. Good-natured kidding by the leader is especially effective when a
straightforward statement might be interpreted as harsh criticism.

3. Upward Appeal. In upward appeal, the leader exerts influence on a team member by
getting a person with more formal authority to carry out the influence act.

4. Co-opting Antagonists. Co-opting is also used to resolve conflict. To co-opt is to win

over opponents by making them part of your team or giving them a stake in the system.
For example, invite an antagonist to be part of your advisory team.

C. Essentially Dishonest and Unethical Tactics

The tactics described in this section are less than forthright and ethical, yet they vary in
intensity with respect to dishonesty. The first two tactics would be considered unethical and
devious by most people; second two might be within the bounds of acceptable ethics.
1. Deliberate Machiavellianism. Machiavellians are people in the workplace who
ruthlessly manipulate others. They regularly practice deception, bluff, and other
manipulative tactics.

2. Gentle Manipulation of People and Situations. By making untrue statements or faking

certain behaviors, gentle manipulators get another person to comply. A widely used
manipulative approach is the bandwagon technique. A manager informs her vice

© 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. This edition is intended for use outside of the U.S. only, with content that may be
different from the U.S. Edition. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
98 Chapter 10: How Leaders Exert Influence
president that she wants an enlarged budget for attendance at a quality seminar because
“all the other companies are doing it.”

3. Undue Pressure. When rewards become bribes for compliance, and threats of pun-
ishment become severe, the target person is subjected to undue pressure or coercion.

4. Debasement. A subtle manipulative tactic is debasement, demeaning or insulting

oneself to control the behavior of another person.

It is important to recognize that the most severe unethical influence tactics can bring
about human suffering. Particularly harmful is when the influence tactic involves
bullying, intimidation, and cruelty.

III. LEADERSHIP INFLUENCE FOR ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE

Top-level leaders exert many of their influence attempts in the direction of bringing about
changes through the entire organization, often by attempting to overhaul the organization culture.
Before plunging ahead with attempts at massive cultural change, the leader needs to study the old
culture and understand why it contributed to the prosperity and growth of the organization.
Tactics for bringing about change yet assuring that a healthy culture is maintained include the
following.
1. Serve as a role model for the desired attitudes and behaviors.
2. Impose a new approach through executive edict.
3. Establish a reward system that reinforces the culture, such as giving huge suggestion
awards to promote an innovative culture.
4. Select candidates for positions at all levels whose values mesh with the values of the
desired culture.
4. Sponsor training and development programs that support the desired cultural values.

A leader who exhibited all of these behaviors would qualify as a transformational leader because
of all the positive changes.

IV. RELATIVE EFFECTIVENESS AND SEQUENCING OF INFLUENCE TACTICS

Influence tactics have been studied here separately, but they must also be understood in relation to
one another.
A. Relative Effectiveness of Influence Tactics

Yukl and Tracey studied the relative effectiveness of influence tactics. Included in the
survey were 120 managers, 526 subordinates, 543 peers, and 128 superiors, all of whom also
rated the managers’ use of influence tactics. Respondents were asked which of nine
influence tactics were used by the manager, and how many tactics resulted in complete
commitment. Respondents also rated the managers’ effectiveness.
The most effective tactics were rational persuasion, inspirational appeal, and consultation.
The least effective were pressure, coalition, and appealing to legitimate authority.

© 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. This edition is intended for use outside of the U.S. only, with content that may be
different from the U.S. Edition. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
 Chapter 10 : How Leaders Exert Influence 99
Inspirational appeal, ingratiation, and pressure were used primarily in a downward direction.
Personal appeal, exchange, and legitimating were used primarily in a lateral direction. The
authors caution that any tactic can trigger target resistance if it is not appropriate for the
situation or is applied unskillfully.
A study by Wells and Kipnis indicated that both managers and employees used strong
influence tactics when they distrusted the other party—either a manager or a subordinate.
The strong influence tactics studied were appeals to higher authority, assertiveness,
coalition, and sanctions.
Another study showed that when group members perceived a poor relationship with their
leader, the leader’s use of inspirational appeal and exchange resulted in less of helping of
coworkers by members. However, the leader’s consultation tactics were positively
associated with group members helping coworkers. When group members perceived their
relationship with the leader as positive, exchange tactics by the leaders positively related to
helping behavior.
B. The Sequencing of Influence Tactics

In general, begin with the most positive, or least abrasive, tactic. Use stronger tactics only as
needed. A sensible approach is to begin with low-cost, low-risk tactics. If the outcome is
important enough, the influence agent can then shift to higher cost and higher risk influence
tactics.
The direction of influence tactics is also important. In general, the more position power an
individual exerts over another, the less the need for being cautious in exerting influence
tactics.
C. Implicit Leadership Theories and Leadership Influence

People are more likely to be influenced by leaders who match their expectation of what a
leader should be. Implicit leadership theories are personal assumptions about the traits and
abilities that characterize an ideal organizational leader. The assumptions are stored in
memory and activated when group members interact with a leader.
Prototypes are positive characterizations of a leader, whereas antiprototypes are traits and
behaviors people do not want to see in a leader. Prototypes include sensitivity, intelligence,
dedication, charisma, strength, and attractiveness. Antiprototypes include tyranny and
masculinity.

V. GUIDELINES FOR ACTION AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT

A study showed that managers tend to use tough follow-up tactics when subordinate’s refusal of a
request is related to work expected in his or her role, and when the subordinate was perceived as
malingering. Poor leader-member exchanges are also associated with tougher tactics. Managers
withdrew their request when the request was seen as outside the subordinate’s role, or the request
was ambiguous. The guideline here is that tougher influence tactics are more suitable when a
request is within a subordinate’s role, and tougher tactics may be needed if the leader-member
relationship is poor.

© 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. This edition is intended for use outside of the U.S. only, with content that may be
different from the U.S. Edition. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
100 Chapter 10: How Leaders Exert Influence
COMMENTS ON EXPERIENTIAL EXERCISES

Leadership Self-Assessment Quiz 10-1: Survey of Influence Tactics

Here is an opportunity for students to think through how frequently they use certain influence tactics.
An intended byproduct of completing this questionnaire is to remind the reader of the existence of
certain influence tactics that might be added to their repertoire. In this way, skill development is
possible.

Leadership Self-Assessment Quiz 10-2: Measure of Ingratiating

Behavior in Organizational Settings (MIBOS)

This listing of ingratiating behaviors can also be classified as political tactics. As such, the instrument
might be regarded as twenty-four suggestions for forming a positive relationship with the boss. Many
people at various stages of their career can benefit from heightened awareness of the importance of
pleasing the boss.

Leadership Skill-Building Exercise 10-1: Ethical Influence Tactics

Role playing a situation in which the two parties are attempting to take an opposite ethical stance
will require advanced interpersonal skills. Students must remember that the company
representative wants to dissuade the Air Force procurement officer from being unethical, yet
simultaneously he or she does not want or antagonize this valuable partner.

Leadership Skill-Building Exercise 10-2: Identifying Influence Tactics

This straightforward test helps the student review his or her understanding of influence tactics. The test
is more difficult than asking students to define and give an example of the various influence tactics.
Diagnostic skill is needed to answer these questions correctly.

Leadership Skill-Building Exercise 10-3: Applying Influence Tactics

Applying a leadership skill in field situations can be valuable experience. At a minimum, such practice
illustrates the point that a combination of study and practice is important for leadership skill
development.
Leadership Skill-Building Exercise 10-4: My Leadership Portfolio
Executing influence tactics is at the heart of exercising leadership, making it quite valuable for
the student to record an instance of exercising influence. Also, if the student of leadership has
not attempted to exert influence recently, this exercise might serve as a reminder to do so.
Leadership Skill-Building Exercise 10-5: A Leadership Essay
Admittedly the subject of this essay might seem similar to one found in a Sunday newspaper magazine
because it simplifies so much information in approximately one page. However, the essay might serve
as a convenient reminder of some of the major points about being a powerful and influential leader.

© 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. This edition is intended for use outside of the U.S. only, with content that may be
different from the U.S. Edition. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
 Chapter 10 : How Leaders Exert Influence 101
Chapters 10 and 11 of this book could be a useful resource for students in preparing the essay in
question.

COMMENTS ON DISCUSSION QUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES

1. Explain the following analogy: Influence is to leadership, as eggs are to an omelet.

Influence is as much as inseparable from leadership, as eggs are inseparable from an omelet. You
cannot exercise leadership without influencing others, and you cannot have omelets without eggs.
2. Which influence tactic described in this chapter do you think would work the best for you? Why?
A student’s choice of influence tactic will frequently be a function of past experience with the
tactic and his or her personality and skills. For example, knowledgeable people and expert people
are likely to choose the technique of being a subject matter expert.
3. How might a manager use “leading by example” to help develop ethical behavior in his or her
unit?
Leading by example is often an effective vehicle for developing ethical behavior. The leader
behaves as ethically as possible, thereby serving as a model for direct reports. To implement this
technique, the leader would have to be faced with an ethical dilemma, make an ethical decision,
and then find a way to inform the group about the decision. For example, the leader might tell the
group this anecdote: “We had to turn down that large contract to re-build the highway for the town
of __________. The commissioner of highways insisted that we give him a kickback of $50,000
to get the contract. It is disappointing to turn down business that we need, but our company has
ethical and legal standards to follow.”
4. Assume that you work for a large employer, and that the CEO decides that the company needs to
reduce costs by 5 percent. To get this message across, the CEO sends every employee a tweet
explaining the goal. Explain how effective you think this message might be.

A message about reducing costs by five percent is a somber and important message. The CEO is
most likely reducing his or her credibility by using tweets to disseminate the message. The cost-
reduction plan would seem more serious if the CEO used a company-specific communication
vehicle such as e-mail or an intranet. The CEO might also appear to be lacking in good judgment
because the cost-reduction target becomes public information when posted on Twitter.

5. Identify two exchanges of favor you have seen or can envision on the job.
One exchange is to offer future compensatory time off to a worker on the exempt payroll if he or
she will put in extra time on an urgent project now. Another common exchange is to get
somebody to expedite a project for you with a promise of reciprocating in the future. In one
company a service technician helped another worker prepare a spreadsheet in exchange for having
a letter translated from English into Spanish.
6. In what way is being a subject matter expert (SME) a source of power as well as an influence
tactic?

© 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. This edition is intended for use outside of the U.S. only, with content that may be
different from the U.S. Edition. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
102 Chapter 10: How Leaders Exert Influence
Being a subject matter expert helps a person exert power because others come to rely on that
person for his or her expertise. Being a subject matter expert also helps the person exert influence
because others will follow the person’s advice, based on his or her expertise.

7. Why is developing a reputation as a subject matter expert important for a leader is leadership
deals so heavily with interpersonal skills?
Although leadership deals heavily with interpersonal skills, a leader’s technical or business
knowledge is still a major approach to influencing people. For example, when CEOs are
interviewed on shows such as Bloomberg Business News they often talk in depth about their
products or services. A positive example is Reed Hastings, the founder and CEO of Netflix who
speaks in great technical detail about his services during a radio interview.
8. How might a business owner use the bandwagon technique to influence his or her employees to
lead a healthier lifestyle?

The business owner might provide evidence of how many large companies have established
wellness centers to help their workers stay healthy, or become healthier. At the same time the
owner might point out that many smaller business firms are sending employees to wellness
centers shared by several companies.
9. Why should a top-level executive worry about respecting the existing organizational culture when
trying to influence an organization to change in a particular direction?

To ignore the organizational culture is to ignore one of the most powerful forces in an
organization because the culture represents the values and practices that guide the day-by-day
behavior of workers. If the culture does not change, most workers are unlikely to change. With
reference to respect, if it appears that the leader does not respect the culture many workers will
become antagonistic toward the new leader which could result in poor cooperation and poor
productivity.

10. Get the opinion of an experienced leader as to the most effective influence tactics. Share your
findings with class members.
One approach to gather information for this question is to present the leader with a list of the
tactics described in this chapter. Another approach is to be less structured, which will probably
result in the mention of various emotional tactics.

PLAUSIBLE RESPONSES TO CASE QUESTIONS

Leadership Case Problem A: Be Fit or Be Out of Favor at CFI
Westgate

This case illustrates how a business leader might attempt to influence workers in personal behavior that
has only a tenuous relationship with job behavior or performance.
1. What influence tactics does David Siegel appear to be using in his attempt to combat employee
smoking and obesity?

© 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. This edition is intended for use outside of the U.S. only, with content that may be
different from the U.S. Edition. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
 Chapter 10 : How Leaders Exert Influence 103
With respect to smoking, Siegel emphasizes undue pressure. Employees who do not quit smoking
will face termination. Siegel is using motivation, or a positive exchange, for obesity. Workers who
attain their goal can win cash prizes or a luxury vacation.

2. What suggestions might you offer Siegel to help him be more successful in his attempts at
influencing employee weight control?

Siegel should emphasize that participation in a weight control program is entirely voluntary, and
that the company wants to be supportive. He should also be specific about the financial rewards
associated with weight loss. Siegel should also emphasize that he wants employees to be healthy,
and that anorexia could be as unhealthy as being grossly overweight.
3. What is your evaluation of the ethics of a CEO attempting to influence employees to avoid
obesity?
Here we get into a gray area. Many students will believe that a CEO is being ethical in
encouraging workers to avoid obesity because obesity has negative health consequences, and
could therefore be costly to the company. For these students, it “smells good” that the CEO is
attempting to influence employees to avoid obesity. Many other students will see influence
attempts to combat obesity as invading the private lives of employees, and as therefore being
unethical.

Associated Role Play

A focal point in this essay is how well the CEO uses influence tactics to move the worker in the
direction of reducing smoking and excessive drinking. The role player will probably want to exert
some influence related to legitimate power. Perhaps the student who plays the role of the
reservation agent will have to avoid committing any political blunders while attempting to defend
his or her personal rights.

Leadership Case Problem B: Maya the Manipulator

This case illustrates two specific ways in which a leader/manager might manipulate subordinates.
This could be helpful in understanding what manipulation can mean in practice because so often
the term manipulation is used without providing a specific example of the behavior.

1. In which specific ways is Maya being a manipulator?

Maya displayed manipulation when she said that Ivan could be eligible for a double bonus if he
closed on a big sale. Could is an effective term for manipulators to use because it implies a
negative or positive consequence without being an actual promise.

2. To what extent do you think Maya’s behavior is justifiable?

Many readers of this case will regard Maya’s manipulative behavior as totally unacceptable
because she is using unethical influence tactics. Yet a few other readers will contend that Maya
is doing what she has to do to accomplish results, and her methods are not illegal. Maya’s hint

© 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. This edition is intended for use outside of the U.S. only, with content that may be
different from the U.S. Edition. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
104 Chapter 10: How Leaders Exert Influence
of a double bonus might have spurred Ivan on to a big sale. Maya taking credit for one of
Courtney’s sales did not harm the performance of her unit.

3. How should Ivan and Courtney have handled the situation?

A bold and aggressive approach for Ivan and Courtney would have been to confront Maya and say
the feel that they are being manipulated. An alternative approach would be to have prepared a
written doducmentation of the manipulation and keep it for future use against Maya should the
manipulation continue. As a last resort, Ivan and Courtney might have to use a boss bypass.

4. What suggestions might you offer Maya for being an effective leader?

The message here is obvious. For May to increase her leadership effectiveness she should
become more honest and less manipulative. Developing the reputation of being a manipulator
can damage a leader’s credibility with subordinates, and most likely block future promotions.

© 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. This edition is intended for use outside of the U.S. only, with content that may be
different from the U.S. Edition. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.