This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by van Knippenberg, B. Articles by Wilke, H. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

The Use of Hard and Soft Influence Tactics in Cooperative Task Groups

University of Amsterdam, VanKnippenberg{at}wisseworldcom.nl

Rob van Eijbergen

Leiden University

Henk Wilke

Leiden University

This study focused on the effect of relative competence and confidence in one's own task solution on the use of hard and soft influence tactics. For this purpose a 2 (relative competence: high/low) x 2 (influence tactic: hard/soft) between-subjects design, with the level of confidence generated by task characteristics as within-subjects factor, was employed. Results revealed that high competence individuals were less susceptible to the strength of the available influence tactic than low competence individuals: whereas high competence group members used hard tactics about as often as soft tactics, low competence group members used hard tactics less often than soft ones. However, this effect only showed when the task gave rise to high confidence in one's own task solution. When low competence group members had relatively low confidence, the frequency by which they used soft tactics declined substantially. All in all, the results suggest that people who aim for a positive group outcome employ influence tactics cautiously.

Key Words: influence tactics • social influence • task performance

References

• Aguinis, H., Nesler, M. S., Hosoda, M., & Tedeschi, J. T. (1994). The use of influence tactics in persuasion. Journal of Social Psychology, 134, 429-438.
• Allen, V. L. (1975). Social support for nonconformity. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (pp. 1-43). New York: Academic Press.
• Bacharach, S. B., & Lawler, E. J. (1980). Power and politics in organizations. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
• Berger, J., Wagner, D., & Zelditch, M. (1985). Expectation states theory: Review and assessment. In J. Berger & M. Zelditch (Eds.), Status, rewards and influence (pp. 1-72). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
• Berger, J., Webster, M., Jr., Ridgeway, C., & Rosenholtz, S. J. (1986). Status cues, expectations, and behavior. In E. J. Lawler (Ed.), Advances in group processes (Vol. 3, pp. 1-22). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
• Brennan, J. G., Miller, L. E., & Seltzer, J. (1993). Influence tactics and effectiveness. Journal of Social Psychology, 133, 747-748.
• Bruins, J. (1997). Predicting the use of influence tactics: A classification and the role of group membership. In K. M. Bennebroek Gravenhorst (Chair), Power dynamics and organizational change II.Symposium held at the Eighth European Congress on Work and Organizational Psychology, Verona, Italy, April.
• Buss, D. M., Gomes, M., Higgins, D. S., & Lauterbach, K. (1987). Tactics of manipulation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 1219-1229.[CrossRef][ISI][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
• Camilleri, S. F., Berger, J., & Connor, T. L. (1972). A formal theory of decision-making. In J. Berger, M. Zelditch, & B. Anderson (Eds.), Sociological theories in progress (Vol. 2, pp. 21-37). Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
• Camilleri, S. F., & Connor, T. L. (1976). Decision-making and social influence: A revised model and further experimental evidence. Sociometry, 39, 30-38.[CrossRef]
• Conner, T. L. (1977). Performance expectations and the initiation of problem solving attempts. Journal of Mathematical Sociology, 5, 187-198.
• De Gilder, D., & Wilke, H. A. M. (1994). Expectation states theory and the motivational determinants of social influence. In W. Stroebe & M. Hewstone (Eds.), European review of social psychology, 5 (pp. 243-269). London: Wiley.
• Deluga, R. J., & Souza, J. (1991). The effects of transformational and transactional leadership styles in the influencing behaviour of subordinate police officers. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 64, 49-55.
• Deutsch, M., & Krauss, R. M. (1962). Studies of interpersonal bargaining. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 6, 52-76.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
• Falbe, C. M., & Yukl, G. (1992). Consequences for managers of using single influence tactics and combinations of tactics. Academy of Management Journal, 35, 638-652.[CrossRef]
• Falbo, T. (1977). Multidimensional scaling of power strategies. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 35, 537-547.[CrossRef]
• Farmer, S. M., Maslyn, J. M., Fedor, D. B., & Goodman, J. S. (1997). Putting upward influence strategies in context. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 18, 12-42.
• Friedland, N. (1976). Social influence via threats. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 12, 552-563.[CrossRef]
• Grams, W. C., & Rogers, R. W. (1990). Power and personality: Effects of machiavellianism, need for approval, and motivation to use influence tactics. Journal of General Psychology, 117, 71-82.
• Hinkin, T. R., & Schriesheim, C. A. (1989). Development and application of new scales to measure the French and Raven (1959) bases of power. Journal of Applied Psychology, 74, 561-567.[CrossRef][ISI]
• Kipnis, D. (1972). Does power corrupt?Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 24, 33-41.[CrossRef][ISI][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
• Kipnis, D., & Schmidt, S. M. (1988). Upward influence styles. Administrative Science Quarterly, 33, 528-542.[CrossRef]
• Kipnis, D., Schmidt, S., & Wilkinson, I. (1980). Intraorganizational influence tactics: Explorations in getting one's way. Journal of Applied Psychology, 65, 440-452.[CrossRef][ISI]
• Littlepage, G. E., Schmidt, G. W., Whistler, E. W., & Frost, A. G. (1995). An input-process-output analysis of influence and performance in problem solving groups. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 877-889.[CrossRef]
• Mazur, A. (1985). A biosocial model of status in face-to-face primate groups. Social Forces, 64, 377-402.[CrossRef]
• McGarty, G., Turner, J. C., Oakes, P. J., & Haslam, S. A. (1993). The creation of uncertainty in the influence process: The roles of stimulus information and disagreement with similar others. European Journal of Social Psychology, 23, 17-38.
• Moscovici, S. (1976). Social influence and social change. London: Academic Press.
• Raven, B. H. (1992). A power/interaction model of interpersonal influence: French and Raven thirty years later. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 7, 217-244.
• Rosenthal, R., & Rosnow, R. L. (1985). Contrast analysis: Focused comparisons in the analysis of variance. New York: Cambridge University Press.
• Rule, B. G., Bisanz, G. L., & Kohn, M. (1985). Anatomy of persuasion schema: Targets, goals and strategies. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 48. 1127-1140.[CrossRef]
• Skvoretz, J. (1985). Status characteristics, expectation states, and participation in task groups. In J. Berger & M. Zelditch (Eds.), Status, rewards and influence (pp. 163-188). San Francisco, CA:Jossey-Bass.
• Tepper, B. J., Brown, S. J., & Hunt, M. D. (1993). Strength of subordinates upward influence tactics and gender congruency effects. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 23, 1903-1919.[CrossRef]
• Turner, J. C. (1991). Social influence. Buckingham: Open University Press.
• van Knippenberg, B., van Knippenberg, D., Blaauw, E., & Vermunt, R. (1999). Relational considerations in the use of hard and soft influence tactics. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 29, 806-819.[CrossRef]
• van Knippenberg, B., & Wilke, H. A. M. (1998). Power use in cooperative and competitive settings. Submitted for publication.
• van Knippenberg, D., & van Knippenberg, B. (1996). Group member prototypicality and influence exertion. Paper presented at the meeting of the Society of Australasian Social Psychologists, Canberra, Australia, May.
• Vecchio, R. P., & Sussmann, M. (1991). Choice of influence tactics: Individual and organizational determinants. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 12, 73-80.
• Yukl, G., & Falbe, C. M. (1990). Influence tactics and objectives in upward, downward and lateral influence attempts. Journal of Applied Psychology, 75, 132-140.[CrossRef][ISI]
• Yukl, G., Falbe, C. M., & Youn, J. Y. (1993). Patterns of influence behavior for managers. Group & Organization Management, 18, 5-28.[Abstract]
• Yukl, G., Guinan, P. J., & Sottolano, D. (1995). Influence tactics used for different objectives with subordinates, peers and superiors. Group & Organization Management, 20, 272-296.[Abstract]
• Yukl, G., & Tracy, J. B. (1992). Consequences of influence tactics used with subordinates, peers, and the boss. Journal of Applied Psychology, 77, 525-535.[CrossRef]

CiteULike

Connotea

Del.icio.us

Digg

Reddit

Technorati

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. L.T. Leong, M. H. Bond, and P. P. Fu Perceived Effectiveness of Influence Strategies in the United States and Three Chinese Societies International Journal of Cross Cultural Management, April 1, 2006; 6(1): 101 - 120. [Abstract] [PDF]

This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by van Knippenberg, B. Articles by Wilke, H. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                   What's this?