Relationship of Managerial Work Roles to Tactics

8/10/2019 Relationship of Managerial Work Roles to Tactics

1/12

The Hart and Quinn

(1998) typology

for

assessing

variations in

managerial

roles

was used to

explore

managers

self-reported successful

use of

influence

tactics

with subordinates. Data

were

obtained from

116 managers

using

ques-

tionnaires completed

anonym ously. The

investigation

found that the managers

vision setter

role was

positively

related to

the

use

of

the

consultation tactic.

Managers motivatorrolewas positivelyrelatedto theuseo fingratiating and

inspirational

appeals, and

negatively related

to the

use

of

exchange

and coali-

tion tactics. Managers analyzer

role

w as

related

to the

use

of pressure and

rationality tactics, and

negatively related

to the

use

of the

coalition

tactic.

Managers

task

master

role was positively related to

the

use

of the

exchange

and

inspirational appeals

tactics. Implications of

these

findings for

research

and

practice

are

discussed

Relation sh ip o f M an ag eria l VWbrk Roles to

Tactics Used to nflu en ce Su bordinates

Kevin G. Lamude

California State University San Bernardino

Joseph Scudder

Indiana University

T n te re s t in man agerial work role activities ha s grown rapidly in recen t

J . yeare (Martinko Gardner, 1990), yet the bulk of research which ha s

been conducted has focused on typologies for classifying work roles

rat he r tha n the relationsh ip between ma nag erial roles and actual com-

munication behavior or behavioral intentions. The present study was

un de rtake n to explore the relationship between self-reported manage-

rial work roles and successM infiuence strategies with subordioat^JS. The

geBeral im portan ce of this area of research results from the belief tha t

influence abilily is central to being effective in a variety of work roles

(Dreher, Dougherty,

Whitely, 1989).

armger Work

oles

The literatu re on m anag erial wo rk has changed significantly ia the

pas t decade or

so.

Prev:iously, it was dom inated by single case-oriented

accounts of specific companies o r biographies of specific le aders th a t had

been subjected to m inim al em pirical study (Bowditch Buono, 1985).

Early controveisies revolved around the participants' reasons for the

observable activities. For instance, Carroll and Iky ior(1968)pointed out

th at since man agerm l work is m ental, it is not directly observable. Sim-


2/12

6 4 The Journai of usinessCom mu nica t ion 32:2Apr iN995

is more emphasis on cognitive processes, as in Quinn's (1981, 1988)

Competing Values concept which suggest that effective manager per-

formance requires the simultaneous m aste ry of seemingly contradictory

capab ilities. Th ere is also more em ph asis on integra ting tjT)ologies for

describing m ana geria l wo rk activities (Carroll

Gillen, 1987).

M ore recently, H a rt and Qu inn (1993) proposed a useful in tegrative

way to distinguish m anagerial work roles. Tbis approach revolves around

the Competing Values concept as the organizing framework. Citing

empirical sup port, Qu inn and his colleagues (Quinn Rohrba ugh,

1983;

Quinn, Spreitzer,

Hart,

1992)

proposed tha t different value dimen-

sions (flexibility to pred ictability and inte rn al to externa l focus) un der -

Heth e conceptualizations of the four m ajor perspec tives of organizational

and manag em ent effectiveness h ter atu re . For example, the hum an rela-

tions perspective (participation, openness, morale and commitment)

em phasizes fiexibility and inte rn al focus. The open system perspective

(innovation, adaptatio n, growth, and resource acquisition) stresses flex-

ibihty and exte rna l focus. The ration al goal perspective (direction, goal

clarity, productivity, and accomplishment) emphasizes predictability

and e xter na l focus. Finally, the in terna l process perspective (informa-

tion m anagem ent, docum entation, and control) stresses predictabihty

and in ternal focus. Evidence suggests that an effective m anager may need

to perform

w ll

on all four conflicting dem ands (Q uinn

Cam eron, 1988;

Qu inn, 1988).

An im por tant extension of the Competing Values concept was m ade

by H a rt and Q uinn (1993), who classified m ana ger ial work roles found

in the lite ratu re into four competingrol categories (Vision S etter, Moti-

vator, Analyzer, Task M aster. See Table 1.) th at correspond to Quinn's

value framework and examined how these roles are related to perfor-

mance. UsingQ typecluste r analysis they found the four h ypothesized

managerial reles could be grouped together on the basis of Quinn's

Com peting Valuesframework.In addition, they found th at m anag ers who

focused on all fou rw ork role s achieved hig he r levels of perform ance. In

this study, we extend tha ttypeof rese arch to lear n how m ana ger s effec-

tively use different tactics to influence subo rdinates .

nfluence Strategies

Much of the recent research on managerial infiuence with subordi-

nate s ha s focused on factors th at condition th e tactics th at are used (Del-

uga,1988; Harper Hirokawa, 1988;Lamude,1993;L amu de, Scudder,


3/12

Managerial Work Roles / Lamude, Scudder 1 6 5

Table1

Definit ions of M anagerial oles

Vision Setter Manager focuses on creating a sense of identity, mission, aind

agendas for organizational members.

Motivator Manager employs personal examples, metaphors, anecdotes,

ceremony and symbols to emphasize organizational values and

create a

sense

of excitement and challenge for oi^^anizational

members.

Analyzer Manager is concerned with the critical review of projects and

proposals, evaluating decisions, negotiating, and conflict solving.

Iksk Master Manager has a strong focus on hands on results, knowledge,

decision making, and resource options.

behav ior. Yet, a growing body of lite ra tu re (Kan ter, 1982; Kotter, 1982;

fe.vett & Lau ,1983;YuM Falbe, 1990) has argued th at influencing sub-

ordinates is an im po rtan t component of m anag erial work

roles,

landthe

study of managerial roles may provide a more detailed analysis of the

influence process.

The spedfic influence strategies m ade available

to

respond ents in the

presen t study were based

on Yukl

and Falbe's (1990) modification ofKip-

nis and Schm idt's (1985) hawi and soft influence tactics . Th e fouir

hand tactics involve use of auth ority and position power, and they tend

to be used in an impersonal and manipulative way (JPalhe

,

Yukl,

1992, p.644). The hard tactics include press ure, upw ard appeal,

exchange, and coalition.

In turn , Falbe and Yukl (1992) propose the four soft influence tac-

tics involve use of personal power and power sharing

(p.

644).Tb e soft

tactics include ingratia ting, rationality, inspiration al appeals, and con-

sultation. Definitions of these tactics a re shown inTable2.

Since Ha rt and Q uinn's m anag erial role typology makes no prediction

abo ut influence stra teg y use, the pr esen t stud y was exploratory^?. How-

ever, several prio r man ager-to-subo rdinate tactics of influence studies

s u r e s t th atsomespeculation is possible. In particular, in a series of stud-

iesresearch ers repo rt th at soft tactics such

as,

rationality, inspirationa l

appeal, consultation, ingratiation a nd less pressure are m ore success-

ful in influencing sub ordin ates' comm itment to vrork-related outcom es

(Falbe

Yukl,

1992;

Yukl

Fadbe, 1990; Yukl Tracey, 1992).

While man age rs are likely to possess trans-role preferences for soft


4/12

66

The Journal of

usiness

ommunication 32:2April 995

Table

efinition of Influence T actics

Rational persuasion

Inspirational appeals

Consultation

Irâtiation

Exchange

Coalition tactics

Pressure

Upward appeals

The manager uses logical aiûments and factual evidence

to persuade the ta iêt subordinate th at

a

proposal or

requestisviable and likely toresult in the attainmentof

task objectives.

The manager makes a request or proposal tha t arouses

taiêt enthusiasm yappealit^ tothe subordinate s

values, ideals,

and aspirations, or

y

increasing th e

subordinate s self-confidence.

The m anager seeks the subordinate s participation in

planning a strategy, activity, or chais e forwhichtlie

subordinate s support and assistance are desired, or the

manager is

willing to

modify a proposal

to

deal with the

subordinate s concerns and su êsti on s.

Tlie manager uses praise,fiattery,friendlybehavior,or

helpful behavior

to

get the target subordinate in

a

good

mood or to think favorably of him or he r before asking for

something.

The manager offers an exchange of favour, indicates

willingness to reciprocate

at

a later

time,

or promises

a

share of the benefits if the ta iê t subordinate helps

accomplish a task .

The m anager seeks the aid of others to persuade tiie

taiêt subordinate

to do

something or

uses

the support

of

others as a reason for th e targettoagree also

The

mam ger

uses demands, threats,

firequent

checking,

or persistent reminderstoinfluence th e targ et subordi-

nate to do w hat he or she wants.

The manager seeks to establish th e legitimacy of a request

by claiming the authority or righ ttomake it or yverify

ing tha t itisconsistent with organizational policies, rules,

practices, or traditions.

Other researchers have considered the impact of task activity on the

influence process. For example, task activity has been identified

a s

a source

of hard infiuence tactic differentiation with subordinates. Kim and Yukl

(1989) reported the pressure tactic

is

used more often for influencing sub-

ordinates in work-related task than with peers or superiors. In turn,

Lamude, Scudder, and Furno

(1993)

found

coahtion,

exchange, rationahty,

and pressure tactics were successful in influencing subordinates to per-


5/12

Managerial Work

Roles

/ Lamude, Scudder 1 6 7

vision articulate s an attractive ftiture, and m anage rs should behave in

ways th a t reflect t he viisioE.O Hairand F riedrich(1992)concluded th at

if a vision becomes a rigid pa tte rn of behavior ins tead of an inspii-ational

challenge, it may do m ore ha rm th an good (p.87). Such writings sug-

gest th at soft tactics are more likely

to be

significantly associat3d w ith

the vision sette r role th an hard tactics. This finds su pp ort from

researcherswhofound inspirational appea ls and consultation tactics are

used m ost often as a me ans to obtain subo rdinate com mitment for new

objectives, stra teg ies , and projects (Yukl Falbe, 1990).

The an alyzer role involves competing viewpoints, the recognition of

comm onalities and con trasting viewpoints, and the ability to influence

t

subordinatetoadopt a comm on poin t of view ( H art Quinn , 1993).

Because th e analyze r m ana ger assum es a Mghly active and control-ori-

en ted role in com municating decisions, we expect tM s role to besignif-

icantly associated w ith hard tactics. TMs is sup ported by little pa ge ,

Nixon, and Gibson (1993) who provide evidence th at the u se of ingrati-

ating, and two hard tactics, coalition and rationality are the mos t

effective in negotiating, so lvir^ problems and conflicts. Ha rt and Q uinn

(1993) suggest the m otivato rrolehelps managerstolink employees with

enduring oi^aniza tional values, develop and m aintain M gher levels of

perfonmance, a nd promo te their own and employees' em otion and ide a

expression. Res earchers h ave no ted the im portance of infiuence behav-

ior in undeistanding how managers motivate suboitiinates commit-

ment and extra effort (Bass, 1985;Yukl, 1989). DeFleur, Kearney, and

Plax(1993)suggesttheexercise of doseness, enthusiasm , and MMng behav-

iors are generally perceived as eflfective in motivating others. Results from .

prior research on downward influence of managers over suboniinates

found these motivating behaviors were positively associated with the use

of more ing ratiating and less exchange tactics (Lamude, etai.,

1993).

We

would expect, then , th at thes e tactics are m ore likely to be employed in

the role of m otivator.

etho

Sample

The presen t study employed volunteer sampling (O'Hair & Kieps, 1990)

in ordertogenerate a sufficient num ber of participantstoproduce a power

estimate of.90(Cohen, 1969) for the princ iple an alys is of inte res t. O ur

sample consists of116volunteer m anag ers (66 ma les and 50 females)

participating in a one day business and m anagem ent education program

sponsored by the N atio na l In stitute for Professional Development. TMs


6/12

? 6 8 The Journal of usiness ommunication 3 : Apn7 f995

top level managem ent. The resp onden ts' ages ranged from27to69,with

a mean age of

45.

All of th e respo ndents h ad at le ast a college degree.

Procedures

One -hundred twenty-seven questionnaires were adm inistered a t the

program site cafeteria during the lunch break. The self-report ques-

tionnaire was composed of m easu res of m ana geria l roles and influence

tactics, and limited demographic information. A cover lette r attached to

the que stionnaire explained the purpose of the study and assu red con-

fidentiality. Responden ts were told tha t they were taking pa rt in a sur-

vey to assess m anagem ent communication issues. Similartothe procedure

of Falbe et a l., (1993) respond ents we re asked to reca ll a recent conver-

sation in which the y were successful in influencing a subordina te to com-

m ittoa work-related activity and to describe on a5-point agree-disagree

scale which items, if any, represe nted the ir work role(s) an d tactic(s) of

downward influence. Com mitment was described as when the employee

agrees with the request or decision, is enthusiastic about it, and is

likely to exercise initiative and dem onstrate unusu al effort and pe rsis-

tence in order to car ry out the requ est successfully. Partic ipan ts w ere

asked to complete the q uestionnaire during lunch and deposit them in

abox as they left the cafeteria. If they were unabletocomplete them imm e-

diately, they were allowed to place them in a box located at the infor-

m ation cen ter later in the day. The vast majority of the que stionn aires

upon w hich the study results are based w ere completed at th e time of

distribution.

Measures

Managerial roles

M anagerial roles were m easured by the16item M anag er Role Item

scale (Hart & Quinn, 1993). Each of the four managerial roles were

assessed by a four-item questionnaire. The alpha coefficients of inter-

nal consistency for each subscale were as follows: Vision Setter = .80,

M otivator = .82, Analyzer =.83,an d Tksk M ast er = .88 indicating con-

sistency within the scales.

Influence strategies

Weassessed 8 sets of influence strate gies v ia Yukl and Falbe's (1990)

modification of Kipnis etal's(1980; 1985), Intraorgan izatio na l Influence

Scale. These

included:

pressu re, upw ard appeal, exchange, coalition, con-

sultation, ingratiation, ra tional persuasion, a nd inspirational appeals.


7/12

Managerial Work Roles

Lamude Scudder

169

Results

The data were analyzed using a series of stepwise regression tech-

niqu es to identify influence tactic s th a t were significantly related to the

four m ana geria l work roles. As seen in kble

3,

therewas

a

different set

of predic tors for each of the four

roles.

Vision se tte r ha d one signi.ficant

predictor. More use of consu ltation (Beta=.45) was re lated to

the

man-

ager s vision s etter w ork role. Motivator ha d four significant pred ictors.

M ore use of insp irational appeal (Beta=.45) and ing ratiating (Beta=.33 )

tactics and less use of exchange (Beta=-.25) and coalition (Beta.16) tac-

ticswere related to the m anager s m otivator role. Aiialyzer ha d three sig-

nificant predictors. More use of pressure (Beta=.56) and rationality

CBeta=.25) tactics and less

use of

the coalition (Beta=-.21) tac tic were

rela ted to the m anager s analyzer role. Finally, tas k m as ter h ad two sig-

nificant predictors. Moreuse of inspira tional appeals (Beta=.25) and

exchange (Beta=.47) tactics were rela tedtothe m anager s task role. The

upw ard appeal tactic failed to exert any appreciable im pac t on the four

work roles.

Table 3

Stepwise Multiple Regression of Manager s Tactics on

Work oles

Tkctics

Pressiire

Upward Appeal

Exchange

Ingratiating

Rationality

Inspirational Appeal

Coalition

Consultation

Constant

RSQ (Adjusted)

Viision

Setter

B Beta

_,

_

_

_ _

_

_

_

_

1.61 .45

5.813

.19

(8/107d0

Motivator

B Beta

_

_

- 0 . 8 1

- .25

1.18 .33

_

_

1.40 .45

- 0 . 6 0

-.16

-

6.676

.36

{4/llldf)

Analyzer

B Beta

1.82 .56

_.

_

_

.76 .25

_ ._

- .72

-.21

_

4492

.3 9

(3/112df)

Task

Mas te r

B Beta

_ _

1.65 .47

_ _

_ _

.84

.25

_

_

-

3.558

.27

(2/113dQ

Discussion

Weejqjiored w ork roles as an important antecedent factor conditioning

m anagers perceived effective tactics of influence with subord inates . The


8/12

1 7 The Journal of

usiness

Com munica t ion 32:2Apri l 1995

In recent years considerable attention has been given to the role of

vision setting in m anagem ent attitudes and ieadersMp skill. The pre-

sent results suggest tha t the consultation tactic and visionary role are

positively rela ted TMs is consistent with Bennis and N anus's ( 19 8^ argu-

m en t th at the visions tha t man agers have are based on communicating

sha red va lues. TMs asso ciation is also consonan t with th at offered by

O'Hairan d BHedrich (1992), who suggested th a t acting on visions often

requires man agers to remainflexibleandtostrive to modify and improve

the ir original vision.

The p resen t findings indicate t ha t in the role of motivator, m anagers

can obtain more commitment and effort from subordinates by relying

less on coalition an d exchange tactics and more on use of ing ratia ting

and inspirational appeals tactics. As others have ai^ued, the use of

exchange and coalition tactics result in being perceived as impersonal

an d manipu lative, and seldom resu lt in subo rdinate com mitment (Falbe

& Yukl, 1992).

Results related

to

the analyze r role were all hard tactics and resem-

bled those found by other researchers with problem solving managers

(Littlepage, etal.,

1993).

T hese results m ight be explained best by H ar t

and Q uiim's (1993) obseirvation tha t m anag ers focusing on comm unica-

tion to seek information, to shape decisions rega rding competing view-

points and to maintain control, or for managing superior-subordinate

relationsMp s, typically ignore behaviors tha t enh ance relationships and

participation.

Contrary

to

expectations,

we

found th at the task m aster role

was

related

toeffective use of hard and soft tactics . The most defensible conclusion

is the recent finding tha t th e inspirational ap peal tactic is much more

effective when u sed in combination with a

hard

tactic such

as

exchange

(Falbe

Yukl, 1992). These researchers also observed that it may not

be app rop riate to regard the exchange tactic as a hard tactic except

wh en it is used in imperso nal and man ipulative ways. Future research

exploring wMch charac teristics a re mo st salient to m ana ger s in decid-

ing w he the r the exchange tactic is hard or soft would be of value.

Caution is suggested in the generalization of the p resentfindings.The

present study was designed to be exploratory in nature. One primary

limitation istiaefeictha t the sample

was

non-random an d limited

to

man-

agers

who

self-selected into the responden t group . In addition, onlyself-

report da ta w ere used . WMle a recent review by Specto r (1987) found

little evidence of common va riance among self-report m easure s of affec-


9/12

Managerial Work Roles / Lamude, Scudder 1 7 1

behavior. The instrum en t developed by H art and Quinn (1993) to m ea-

sure m ana gers' propensity to engage in role behavior was shown to be

internally con sistent an d to differentiate among responde nt m anag ers.

It is also associated with an a rray of tactics use d to influence subordi-

nates.

The focus on influence tac tics however begs the question of how

well the H art and Quinn

framework

generalizestoman agers across man-

agerial functions. Lamude, Scudder, and Furno (1993), for example

foxmd perceived differences of downward influence tactics across tech-

nical, middle-line, and su pp ort m anag erial functions an d influence suc-

cess.Belatedly, future research should examine th e relationship between

m a n ^ e r i a lrolesand effective upw ard and horizontal influence a ttem pts.

O ther re sea rchers have suggested links between use of influence tac-

tics and othe r influence attem pt outcome factors such

as,

unsuccessful,

resistance , and com pliance (Falbe Yukl,1992;Yukl, 1989). Such rela-

tionsh ips m ight be profitable future directions to more fully explore t he

roles of m ana geria l work activity an d influence processes.

Although caution is needed in offering guidelines until follow-up

research verifies th e prese nt results, the se findings also sugges t inter-

ven tion work can be und erstood in the context of roles and effective us e

of hard and soft tactics with subo rdinates.

OT

Kevia

G.

Lamude (Ph.D., University of

Utah)

is an Associate Professor of Com-

mimication Studies at California S tate

University,

San Bernardino.

His

research

on

influence, stress, and relational dimensions has appeared in Communication

Research Reports, The Journal of Business

Communication,

Journal of Social

Behavior andP ersonality,Management ommunicationQua rterly,Perceptual and

M otor Skills,Psychological

Reports,

WesternJournal of Speech Com munication,

andWomenStudies inCommunication.Address correspondence toK.

G.

Lamude,

Ph.D., Department of Commimication Studies, California State University, San

Bernardino,

5500

University

Parkway,

San Bernardino, CA. 92407-2397.

Joseph Scudder

(Ph.D.,

Indiana University) is an Assistant Professor of Speech

Comm unication at Indiana University.Heha s contributed articles toCommunica-

tion Reports,

ommunication Research

Reports,

ommunicationQuarterly,

The

Journal of Business

Communication,

Human

ommunication

Research, Journal

of Social Behavior and

Personality,

Public Relations Review, Perceptual and

Motor

Skills, and Psychological

Reports.His

research interests center on

tlie

study

of influence, small group comm unication, and information systems.

REFERENCES

Bass,B.

M. (1985).Leadership andperformance beyond

ex pectations.

New York:


10/12


11/12

M ana gerial Work Roles

/ Lamude

Scudder

1 7 3

O Hair,

D., Priedrich,G. W.(1998).Strategiccomm unication: Inbusinessandthe

professiom (pp.86-87). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

O Hair,D., &Kreps,G. L.(1990).Appliedcommunicationtheory and research.

Hillsdale, N J: Erlbaum.

ft.ett, C,

Lau, A.

(1983).M anagerial

work:

th e influence of Merarchicaileveland

functional

spedalty.

Academy ofManagementJournal 26,170-177.

Qwiim,

R.(1981). A comp eting values app roachtoorganizational effectiveness. Pub-

licProductivityReview , S, 1J2-140.

Quiiin,B.(1988).Be yond rationalmanagement. San Prancisco: Jossey-Bass.

Quiim, R ., & Cameron, K. (1988).Paradoxand transformation.Canibri e, MA:

Ballinger.

, R.,

&

Eohrbaugh,

J. (1983).A

spatial model of effectiveness criteria: Ibw ard

a comp eting values ap proach to organizational analysis.ManagementScience,

29 ,

363-377.

Quinn, R., Spreitzer, G .,

&

Hart,

S.(1992).

Challenging th e assum ptions of bipolar-

ity: Interpenetration and man^erial effectiveness. InS.Srivastva

(Ed.),

Execu-

tiveand organization continuity(pp. 57-89). San IVancisco: Jossey-Bass.

Spector,P. E.(1987). M ethod variancessan artifact in self-reported affectsindper-

ceptions at

work:

Myth,or significant problem?Journal of Applied P sychology,

72, 438-443.

Stewart,R.(1976).Contrastin manage me nt: A study ofdifferent typesof managers'

jobs, the ir demands and choices.Maidenhead, Bershire: McGraw-Hill

Stewart, E. (1982).Amodelfor understanding m anagerialjobsandbehavior.Acad-

emy ofManagem,entReview,7 , 7-13.

IW ner ,A .N.,&L ombard,G .E E (1969).Interpersonal behaviorand administra-

tion.New

York:

F ree Press.

Yukl, G . (1989).Le adersh ip in orgcm izations.Elnglewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

YuM G., Faibe,C. M.(1990). Influence tacticsand objectivesinupward,dovmward,

and lateral influence attempts.Journal of Applied

P sychology,

75,132-140.

Yukl, G ., Faibe, C. M.,&

Yoxm,


12/12

Documents

Relationship of Managerial Work Roles to Tactics