I would like to be promoted into management after obtaining my bachelors degree.
ID: 331368 • Letter: I
Question
I would like to be promoted into management after obtaining my bachelors degree. I would like my boss to help me do this.
Which bases of power and influence tactics can you use to influence the person to help you achieve your goal? Explain not only which bases of power and influence tactics you could use, but also how you would actually implement each.
Tactics
1. Rational Persuasion: trying to convince someone with reason, logic or facts
2. Inspirational Appeals: trying to build enthusiasm by appealing to others' emotions, ideals or values
3. Consultation: getting others to participate in planning, making decisions, and changes
4. Ingratiation: getting someone in a good mood prior to making a request
5. Personal Appeals: referring to friendship and loyalty when making a request
6. Exchange: making express or implied promises and trading favors
7. Coalition Tactics: getting others to support your effort to persuade someone
8. Pressure: demanding compliance or using intimidation threats
9. Legitimating Tactics: basing request on one's authority or right, organizational rules or policies, or express or implied support from superiors
Bases of power
Reward power – rewarding compliance
Coercive power – punishment
Legitimate power – relying on formal authority
Expert power – providing needed information
Referent power – relying on personal attraction
Explanation / Answer
In my opinion, the expert power will be best applied in this case. The influence tactics should be the rational persuasion. Note that the candidate, with his new degree, is equipped with a skill that can help him and the organization grow. But to use this skill, he must be given enough opportunity to explore which is possible only when he is taken to the next authority level. The choice for the bases of power is expert power because the candidate now generates and/ or analyze information of a higher order (presumably due to his degree) which can be beneficial to the department and the organization.
The candidate should try to convince his boss during the performance appraisal sessions or by initiating a special session. he should be ready with all the information about how much the skill has been upgraded, how that can be beneficial for the organization, and finally, how the application will be successful only with a legitimacy of power achieved at a higher hierarchy. The candidate may not expect a promotion in the immediate year but may need to convince his boss with regular rational persuasion feedbacks so that in the subsequent appraisal session, his promotion may be considered.