Influencing and negotiating skills: some research and reflections – Part I: influencing strategies and styles

Abstract

Examines the connection between influencing and negotiation. Using data collected from self‐assessment instruments developed by them, the authors argue that it is useful to see negotiation as one type of influencing. The article is in two parts. This first part concentrates on influencing. It looks at the six strategies that people at work actually use in their attempts to influence others. These strategies are used in combination and this makes it possible to identify four types of influencer or styles of influence. It is stressed that styles of influence are context specific. The findings raise questions about training in these areas and have implications for how this is undertaken. They also raise questions about what constitutes managerial effectiveness in these areas.

What type of leader am I?: a training needs analysis of health library and information managers

“…The ISSP consists of four influencing ‘styles’, as shown in Fig. 1, the two‐dimensional model of influence 38 …”

“…Strategist? As the label suggests, strategists tend to work to a strategy, carefully planned in advance, and use reason, assertion and partnership to influence others 38 …”

“…Located at the opposite end of the scale to the strategist, the opportunist ‘plays it by ear’ reacting to each situation as it develops. In the influencing situation, they tend to respond opportunistically by bringing themselves into favour with the other party and offering an exchange of benefits 38 . This style perhaps has more of a negotiation feel to it embodying elements of the ‘chameleon’ approach described earlier.…”

“…They use partnership, reason, exchange and courting favour to influence others. Manning and Robertson state that ‘ they engage collaboratively in a rational partnership with others for the overall good ’ 38 …”

An Analysis on Negotiation Styles by Religious Beliefs

“…In the broadest sense, negotiation is a process of communicating back-and-forth to discuss the issues to reach an agreement that is satisfactory to the parties involved (Gulbro and Herbig 1994;Foroughi 1998). Negotiation is a kind of social interaction with the goal of reaching an agreement between two or more parties, usually with different objectives or interests that they think are important (Fraser and Zarkada-Fraser 2002;Manning and Robertson 2003;Wheeler 2004a). Each negotiator's individual culture determines his or her epistemology, values, norms and behaviors (Simintiras and Thomas 1998;Hung 1998;Woo and Pru'homme 1999;Chang 2003).…”