NOTES: INFLUENCING PEOPLE

In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Course
MDM B002: ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT

Submitted by:
Jefflynne Valerie B. Lunes

Submitted to:
Orlina Ursula D. Regua, MBA

June 9, 2021

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INFLUENCING PEOPLE

Influence is the ability to persuade someone to think or act in the way you want. This ability is an
essential part of leadership. After all, someone who can't convince people of things isn't a leader-
-no one is following him or her. Therefore, it's important for an effective leader to understand
influence. That way, he or she can use this understanding to become even more skilled at getting
things done.

Influencing people is something leaders do on many levels with many different people. All of us
try to influence almost everyone we meet in different ways--we try to convince people to like us
or to leave us alone, to sign our petition or to think about the educational system.

ELEMENTS OF INFLUENCE

At the simplest level, influence is simply the effective combination of three elements:

1. A communicator -- the person who wants to influence someone

2. A message -- what the communicator wants the audience to do or believe
3. An audience -- the recipient (or recipients) of the message.

The communicator has a message he or she wants understood and accepted by the audience. It's
pretty simple, and we see it happen all the time.

For this discussion, let us consider the manager as the communicator and the employees as the
audience.

HOW MIGHT YOU INFLUENCE PEOPLE

All three of those elements taken together will decide the overall effectiveness of an attempt to
influence someone. The audience (who may or may not consider themselves followers) ultimately
determines how well and easily they are going to be influenced. Even if you were born with a
golden tongue and have the facts behind you, you probably still won't convince everyone of
everything you would like. Remember: it took centuries before everyone came to accept the fact
that the world was round.

However, that's not to say that the communicator and the message aren't very important as well. A
strong communicator with an important message can win over most audiences.

MOTIVATION THEORIES

It is the study of understanding what drives a person to work towards a particular goal or outcome.
It's relevant to all of society but is especially important to business and management. That's
because a motivated employee is more productive, and a more productive employee is more
profitable.

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3 MOTIVATIONAL THEORIES:

1. McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y

In the 1960s, social psychologist Douglas McGregor developed two contrasting theories
that explained how managers' beliefs about what motivates their people can affect their
management style. He labelled these Theory X and Theory Y. These theories continue to
be important even today.

Theory X
Authoritarian style of management
This is a very “hand-on” and usually
involves micromanaging people’s work to
ensure that it gets done properly.
This is mostly applied if you believe that
your team members dislike their work and
have little motivation.
Theory Y
Participative style of management
Managers who use this approach trust their
people to take ownership of their work and
do it effectively by themselves.
This applies if you believe that your people
take pride in their work and see it as a
challenge.

The approach you take will have a significant impact on your ability to motivate your team
members. So it’s important to understand how your perceptions of what motivates them
can shape your management style.

Theory X
Theory X managers tend to take a
pessimistic view of their people, and assume
that they are naturally unmotivated and
dislike work. As a result, they think that
team members need to be
prompted, rewarded or punished constantly
to make sure that they complete their tasks.
Work in organizations that are managed like
this can be repetitive, and people are often
motivated with a "carrot and stick"
approach.
Performance appraisals and remuneration ar
e usually based on tangible results, such as
sales figures or product output, and are used
to control staff and "keep tabs" on them.
This style of management assumes that
workers:
• Dislike their work.
• Avoid responsibility and need constant
direction.
• Have to be controlled, forced and
threatened to deliver work.
• Need to be supervised at every step.
• Have no incentive to work or ambition,
and therefore need to be enticed by
rewards to achieve goals.
Theory Y
Theory Y managers have an optimistic,
positive opinion of their people, and they use
a decentralized, participative management
style. This encourages a
more collaborative , trust-
based relationship between managers and
their team members.
People have greater responsibility, and
managers encourage them to develop their
skills and suggest improvements. Appraisals
are regular but, unlike in Theory X
organizations, they are used to encourage
open communication rather than control
staff.
Theory Y organizations also give employees
frequent opportunities for promotion.
This style of management assumes that
workers are:
• Happy to work on their own initiative.
• More involved in decision making.
• Self-motivated to complete their tasks.
• Enjoy taking ownership of their work.
• Seek and accept responsibility, and need
little direction.
• View work as fulfilling and challenging.

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 Theory X Theory Y
• Solve problems creatively and
imaginatively.

According to McGregor, organizations with
a Theory X approach tend to have several
tiers of managers and supervisors to oversee
and direct workers. Authority is rarely
delegated, and control remains firmly
centralized. Managers are more
authoritarian and actively intervene to get
things done.
Although Theory X management has largely
fallen out of fashion in recent times, big
organizations may find that adopting it is
unavoidable due to the sheer number of
people that they employ and the tight
deadlines that they have to meet.
Theory Y has become more popular among
organizations. This reflects workers'
increasing desire for more meaningful
careers that provide them with more than
just money.
It's also viewed by McGregor as superior to
Theory X, which, he says, reduces workers
to "cogs in a machine," and likely
demotivates people in the long term.

Warning:

Your assumptions and how you assess your people's needs and wants will likely be the
biggest influencers on your management style. However, it's important that you challenge
your assumptions and review your team members' individual requirements regularly. This
will allow you to adapt your approach appropriately.

Summary:

Though your assumptions about what motivates your people will likely have the biggest
impact on which of these two approaches you take, your choice can also be shaped by
several other factors. These include your organizational structure (tiered or flat), the type
of work that your people do (repetitive or challenging), and their skill level (amateur or
experienced).

2. Mayo’s Motivation Theory

Elton Mayo is an Australian professor of Industrial Research at Harvard University.

This motivations theory was based on the Hawthorn Study which was conducted at
Hawthorn, a Western Electric plant based in Cicero, Illinois. The Hawthorn Studies were
a large group of productivity studies conducted between 1927 and 1933 that collected large
data sets.

The Hawthorn Study

The very first study that was done concerned workplace lighting. The study sought to
understand if changing lighting conditions resulted in increased or decreased
productivity.

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 To run the experiment two groups were created. A control group and a group with
improved lighting conditions. What happened when the lighting was improved for one
group? Well, productivity improved for that group.

But, here’s the strange thing. Productivity also improved in the control group! When
they reduced lighting for one group productivity also increased! Not only that, but each
change (increase or decrease) also lead to increased employee satisfaction.

Many other experiments were run as part of the Hawthorn Studies. Their results also
contradicted what was expected from Scientific Management.

So, what’s going on?

This is where Mayo comes in. He was the person who was able to make sense of these
results which ran contrary to what everyone expected.

He recognized that the worker isn’t a machine and that how they are treated and their
environment is important. He recognized that work is a group activity and employees
have a need for comradery and recognition. They have a need for a sense of belonging.

In a nutshell, productivity has a psychological element to it.

The Hawthorn Effect

In addition to the social concern for the worker, one of the big things to come out of
the Hawthorn Studies was the Hawthorn Effect. This states that changes in behavior
happen when you are monitoring or watching employees. The mere presence of
someone watching you changes the way you behave. You start to perform better.

This explains why productivity improved in the first experiment when the lighting was
improved, and also when it was made worse.

The Hawthorn Study was the first of its kind to recognize that if you treat an employee
a certain way, a good way, they might be more productive for the organization.

Mayo’s Theory of Motivation

Based on analyzing the data of the Hawthorn Studies, Mayo proposed that employees aren’t
that motivated by pay and environmental factors. Instead, positive relational factors play a
bigger role in productivity.

The importance of group working cannot be overstressed. It is the group that determines
productivity, not pay and not processes.

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For example, if someone is working too fast they will be ostracised from the group.
Likewise, if someone is working too slow the same thing will happen.

Mayo created this matrix to show how productivity changed in different situations.

You can think of group cohesiveness as being how well the group gets on, their comradery.
You can think of norms as being whether the group encourages positive or negative
behaviors.
There are four positions in the matrix:

1. Groups with low cohesiveness and low norms

These groups are simply ineffective in terms of productivity. A team like this
wouldn’t last very long. This is because nobody would be motivated to be productive
in any way.

2. Groups with high cohesiveness and low norms

These types of teams have a negative impact on productivity. Here the team gets on
great, but negative behaviors are encouraged rather than positive ones. Gangs are
often cited as examples of this type of group.

3. Groups with high norms but low cohesiveness

This type of team can have a limited positive impact on productivity. This is because
each team member will be working towards their own success rather than that of the

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 team. If one team member does something great, then good for them, but it doesn’t
really improve the productivity of the rest of the team.

4. Groups with high norms and high cohesiveness

These are the teams that can make the greatest positive impact on productivity. In
this type of team, each team member supports each other to succeed. People are
personally committed to their success and also to the team’s success. A strong support
network forms within this type of team.

To use the model to boost the productivity of your team, you should do the following:

1. Strong Communication
Communicate regularly with the members of your team. Giving regular feedback is
an important part of this.
Why? Because workers in the Hawthorn Studies were consulted and had the
opportunity to give feedback. This resulted in improved productivity.

2. Group Working
Your team should be working as a group rather than as individuals. If your team is
too big to work as one group then try to break it down into smaller groups. Try to
avoid people working individually. If you give out a bonus, don’t just make it about
what was achieved. Instead, include an element of the bonus that is about how the
result was achieved and the contribution to teamwork. This will encourage group
cohesiveness.
Why? Hawthorn employees didn’t previously work in teams, but when they did,
productivity improved.

3. Increased Involvement
Try to have greater involvement in each team member’s life. Ask how their day has
been? Ask about their weekend and what’s going on at home. Here you’re trying to
strike the right balance between being supportive and allowing people to keep their
autonomy.
Why? Because Hawthorn workers responded well to the increased attention they
were receiving. Both their job satisfaction and productivity increased.

Warning
The main criticism of the model is that it is seen as manipulative. This is because it
encourages companies to pretend they are interested in the well-being of their employees.
The reality might be that they are only interested in increasing productivity.

Summary
The Hawthorn Effect states that your productivity changes when someone is watching you.
Mayo not only identified the Hawthorn Effect, he was also the first to identify the
importance of the psychological element of workplace motivation. He recognized that if
you treat an employee well, they might be more productive for the organization.

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3. Alderfer – ERG Theory

Clayton Alderfer was an American psychologist who held academic posts at Yale and
Rutger. He’s known for his study of workplace race relations – and for his rebuilding of
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs into a three-factor model of motivation known as the ERG
model. In this model the letter E, R, & G each stand for a different human need: existence,
relatedness and growth.

Alderfer’s model says that all humans are motivated by these three needs. The most
concrete and motivating of Alderfer’s three needs is existence, which really relates to
physical and psychological survival. The next level is the need for relatedness, a sense of
community and a good relationship with yourself. The least concrete, but still important,
of Alderfer’s needs in the ERG model is growth, which really relates to self-development,
fulfillment and the sense of achieving your potential.

How the model works

Alderfer’s ERG Theory of Motivation states that individuals can be motivated by multiple
levels of need at the same time, and that the level which is most important to them can
change over time. In other words, an individual’s priorities and motivations may be fluid
and can move between the existence, relatedness and growth levels of need over time. They
can move upwards, and they can move downwards.

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 In Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, individuals need to have satisfied one level of needs before
moving on to the next one. For example, they need to have satisfied their safety needs before
being motivated by social belonging. Alderfer disagreed. In his model, individuals do not
need to have satisfied their existence needs before being motivated by their relatedness need.

In fact, Alderfer went further and said that different individuals potentially prioritize the
needs in different orders based on their life views. A standard example of this could be the
starving actor who’s motivated by growth through their art, potentially at the expense of their
existence (i.e. they can’t pay their rent but are pursuing their passion).

Alderfer also noted that how individuals perceive their progression in relation to each of the
levels of need is important. If an individual feels they are making great progress at
relatedness, they may be increasingly motivated by growth even though their relatedness
need has not been fully satisfied. Similarly, if an individual feel frustrated with the progress
they are making in relation to growth, they may abandon it and redouble their motivation in
relation to relatedness.

The ERG model in the world of work

In Maslow’s model, individuals remain at a fixed level of need until they have satisfied it.
This would mean that individuals at work should work towards satisfying their current stage
of need, and that leaders and managers should focus on helping the members of their teams
achieve one specific level of needs at a time.

Alderfer’s ERG Theory of Motivation, though, upends this thinking. Under Alderfer’s model
individuals can be motivated by different levels at the same time, and have their motivational
priorities change in relation to their sense of progress. Given this, individuals should not
focus on one level of need at a time. Instead, they may wish to balance their motivations
across levels. Similarly, leaders should not focus on helping the members of their team
satisfy one level of need at a time. Instead, they should be aware of the blend of needs that
humans can have and help their team members progress in relation to a blend of needs, which
will change over time.

IN SUMMARY
The ability to influence someone successfully is one of the most important and challenging jobs
any leader will face. By fully understanding this information, a leader can become very effective
in his or her work. We encourage you to think carefully about your use of influence, and to use it
wisely and ethically as you pursue your goals.

References:
https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/leadership/leadership-functions/influence-people/main
Online Resource
Steve's Primer of Practical Persuasion and Influence
Print Resources

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 Berkowitz, W. (2000). Community and Neighborhood Organization. In J.
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Carnegie, D. (1981). How to win friends and influence people (Rev. ed.). New
York, NY: Simon and Schuster.
Cialdini, R. (1993). Influence: Science and practice. (3rd Ed.). New York, NY:
Harper Collins).
Covey, S. (1992). Principle-centered leadership. New York, NY: Simon and
Schuster.
McRae, B.(1998). Negotiating and influencing skills: The art of creating and
claiming value. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Nelson, R. B., & Economy, P. (1995). Better business meetings. Burr Ridge, IL:
Irwin Professional Publishing
Pratkanis, A., & Aronson, E. (1992). Age of propaganda: The everyday use and
abuse of persuasion. New York, NY: W. H. Freeman.
Zimbardo, P., & Leippe, M. (1991). The psychology of attitude change and
social influence. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
https://psychology.wikia.org/wiki/Persuasive_communication#Principles
https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_74.htm
https://expertprogrammanagement.com/2018/05/mayos-motivation-theory-hawthorn-effect/
https://peakon.com/blog/employee-success/clayton-alderfer-erg-
theory/#:~:text=Alderfer's%20ERG%20theory%20on%20employee,is%20Maslow's%20Hierarc
hy%20of%20Needs.
https://worldofwork.io/2019/02/alderfers-erg-theory-of-motivation/

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