HR380 - Persuasion and Influence: Strategies for Effective Leadership

This assignment focuses on the principles of persuasion and influence within a leadership context. It begins by exploring personal experiences of persuasion, prompting reflection on how individuals are influenced and how this can be applied in a professional setting. The assignment then delves into various influencing tactics, differentiating between those used with close colleagues and those used with individuals less familiar. It also covers the application of selling techniques to persuade others to adopt new concepts. Furthermore, the assignment explores the use of 'influencing currencies' with colleagues, preferred order of using influencing strategies, and barriers to effective influencing. Finally, it includes post-session activities and additional reading materials to reinforce the concepts discussed, providing a comprehensive overview of persuasion and influence in the workplace.

MANAGING & DEVELOPING PEOPLE
Using Persuasion to Influence Others
1. Learning objectives
By the end of this session you should be able to:
 Appreciate that changing attitudes and behaviour is an important part of
using persuasion to influence others.
 Understand how to use influence tactics and strategies to produce
effective outcomes with others.
 Use communicator credibility to help enhance your communications with
first year students.
 To understand the importance of organisational currencies to help achieve
productive outcomes.
 Suggest how these techniques can be used when working with others.
 Be aware of different influencing techniques and relate these to a variety
of different situations.
2. Think of a recent occasion when someone tried to persuade you to change
your attitude to someone or something (effective sales pitch for example)
Describe the incident:
How did the influencer manage to persuade you to change your attitude?
a. The persuader had credibility
b. The persuader was attractive
c. The persuader used two-sides arguments
d. The persuader tried to frighten me
e. There was pressure form others to change my mind

3. When working with others think of how you might use some of the nine
generic influencing tactics.
Working with people you
know well
Working with people you
don’t know well
Rational persuasion
Inspirational
appeals
Consultation
Ingratiation
Personal appeals
Exchange
Coalition tactics
Pressure
Legitimate tactics
(appeal to higher
authority)

4. Persuading others to try or adopt new concepts – selling techniques:
 Relative Advantages – The more benefits someone can see in a new idea the more
easily they will be persuaded
 Compatibility – The more in line with the person’s current thinking the idea is, the easier it
will be to persuade them of its viability.
 Complexity – Simple ideas are usually more favourably received
 Trialability – allowing new ideas to be tried out in small stages, making low commitment
may make adoption easier.
 Observability – High visibility seen as an innovator by others – others follow - the herd
mentality.
Using the above information how might you persuade the first years to attend the
development centre you are running with your colleagues?
5. Which of the following ‘Influencing Currencies’ might you use with
colleagues in your HR380 group to gain their co-operation?
Resources
Information
Advancement
Recognition
Networks / contacts
Personal support
Assistance
Co-operation

6. Preferred order of using of Influencing strategies
(Kipnis et al., cited in Huczynski (2004) pg 181
Influencing up
(to your manager)
Influencing down
(to your subordinate)
Influencing across
(your fellow co-worker)
Reason Reason Friendliness
Coalition Assertiveness –insistence Reason
Friendliness Friendliness Bargaining
Bargaining Coalition Assertiveness-insistence
Assertiveness – insistence Bargaining Higher authority
Higher authority Higher authority Sanctions
(no sanctions) Sanctions Coalition
7. Barriers to effective influencing
 Ineffective influencers were found to match their strategy unthinkingly to
the direction of their influence
 Ineffective influencers underestimated the amount of resources they had
access to that were valued by others.
 Some influencers simply gave up when faced with a refusal while other
rigidly persisted with their strategy despite its not working. Both are
examples of inflexibility.
 People influence others to achieve either organisational or personal goals.
Ineffective influencers automatically match their strategy to one or the
other. This limits their flexibility to customise their strategy to fit the
context.
Adapted from Huczynski (2004) pf 190

6. Post Session Activities
 Try to identify how effective you are at persuading others to your point
of view. What style/s do you tend to use to achieve a successful
outcome?
 When others try to make you change your attitude to something or
someone what tactics do you find tend to influence you the most?
 In a workplace situation try to identify how your Manager uses
persuasion and influence to get tasks completed. How successful is he
or she at doing this? Using the theory how do you think their approach
could be improved?
7. Additional Reading
 Arnold, J. Randall, R. et al. (2010) Work Psychology – Understanding
Behaviour in the Workplace. 5th edition, Essex: FT Prentice Hall
 Greenberg, Jerald. (2011) Behavior in Organizations. 10th edition, Essex
 Guirdham M, (2002) Interactive Behaviour at Work. 3rd edition, Essex:
Pearson
 Guirdham M, (2011) Communicating Across Cultures at Work. London:
Palgrave Macmillan.
 Huczynski, A. (2004) Influencing within Organisations. 3rd edition, London:
Routledge
 Watson & Gallagher (2005) Managing for Results. London: CIPD
publishing
 Kent University: http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/persuading.htm