Abstract
The present study examined superiors' tendency to utilize different top-down influence strategies according to their evaluation of their own power relative to that of their subordinates. Four hundred and fifty-five subordinates (schoolteachers) from different schools described the extent to which their superiors used each item of the influence strategy questionnaire to influence them, while their immediate superiors evaluated superior's power and subordinate's power. Overall, superiors tended to use soft and rational strategy more often than hard strategy. However, regarding the parameter of relative power, the results indicated that the agent's power, as well as the target's power, affected the superior's choice of particular influence strategy. The results suggest that power should be discussed in relative rather than absolute terms.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 167-179 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Journal of Organizational Behavior |
| Volume | 23 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Mar 2002 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Applied Psychology
- Sociology and Political Science
- General Psychology
- Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management