How can you become more influential in your job?

By Kim Harrison,

Consultant, Author and Principal of www.cuttingedgepr.com

Influence at work is an elusive quest. As communicators we all seek how to create more influence for ourselves among our workplace peers and bosses. Some people know intuitively how to become more influential, but most of us grapple with the right formula for success.

Julie O’Neil conducted a fascinating study of 309 US corporate PR practitioners in 2003 to determine what factors contribute most to the organisational influence of corporate public relations practitioners, and what types of upward influence tactics have the most impact on their organisational influence. She found a strong relationship between perceptions of value and organisational influence, which implies that much of a public relations practitioner’s power is fluid and informal rather than formal.

O’Neil identified four factors that contribute most to the positive organisational influence of corporate public relations practitioners:

• Perceptions of value - these have the greatest impact on PR practitioners’ organisational influence, based upon our ability to solve problems for the organisation. Perceptions of value relate to the relative importance that senior management believe we possesses relative to other employees. We need to show evidence of a good ROI and therefore should measure the outcomes of every significant project we do.
• Performance in the managerial role - this seems obvious – we should be able to build a record as effective managers and organisers.
• Reporting relationship - reporting to the CEO, President or Chairman is perceived as more influential compared with reporting to a lower level of management.
• Length of professional experience also is valued. It takes time to build the confidence and trust of others.

How do we influence decision makers?

O’Neil’s research project found that the extent to which communicators exert influence up the line to our bosses and senior management can be found in three key factors of upward influence.

Upward influence tactics are communication messages designed to persuade a more senior employee in order to facilitate achievement of an organisational objective. The three most important upward influence tactics are:

• Rationality - the use of facts and data to support a logical argument or to alter the thinking of a supervisor. Don’t just point to a growing need without evidence; point to the findings of focus groups, research and precedents from elsewhere.
• Assertiveness - a direct and forceful approach
• Coalition - making claims about the support of others in the organisation or in the community of one’s position. [This would be consistent with Cialdini’s principle of social proof - people will do or say things that other people are doing or saying].

Surprisingly, some findings in O’Neil’s research were contrary to the view of many people:

• Formal appointment to the executive committee doesn’t necessarily contribute to organisational influence.
• Quality interactions with senior decision makers seem more important than the amount of time we spend networking with them [quality versus quantity].
• Also, ingratiating tactics like flattery didn’t earn greater respect; instead they create a negative response.

Sources

Julie O’Neil (2003). An investigation of the sources of influence of corporate public relations practitioners. Public Relations Review, 29(2), pp. 159-169.

About the Author

Kim Harrison is a recognized authority in the public relations field. His website, www.cuttingedgepr.com, provides a wealth of informative articles and resources on public relations techniques and management.

 

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