Managing Project Teams Social Influence

Question: Disucus about theManaging Project Teamsfor Social Influence. Answer: Robert Cialdinis Six Principles of Influence for Influencing others Behaviors are: Commitment and Consistency Human beings have deep need for consistency and commitment towards something is what they follow to maintain that consistency. This principle can be supported with the example of the sales profession, where the marketer gets the customers to commit to something small that would ultimately propel them towards bigger commitments (Cialdini and Cliffe 2012). Authority Humans tend to obey authoritative figures, and feel a sense of obligation and duty towards them in all situations. An example that supports this principle are the Milgram experiments, where subjects torture other people with electric shocks just because they are instructed to do so by any authoritative figure. Liking Cialdini declares that humans are more prone to influence by people they like, and that might come in the form of familiarity, trust or similarity (Guadagno et al. 2013). Tupperware parties are good examples of the principle that the public would probably buy if they like the individual selling to them. Social Proof Cialdini has defined this as being based on the idea of safety, as people are persuaded to do what they observe other people doing, especially in moments of uncertainty. For instance, if coworkers work late, then we would too to comply. Scarcity Scarcity persuades consumers to perceive something as attractive and act quickly, as they feel they would miss it. This principle can be mostly found in advertisements with taglines as limited period offer. Reciprocity Humans generally want to return favors and repay. In sales world, this can be seen in the form of an added free gift. All these principles successfully assist in measuring influence and persuasion. References and Bibliography Cialdini, R. and Cliffe, S., 2012. The uses (and abuses) of influence.Harvard business review,91(7-8), pp.76-81. Cialdini, R.B., 1987.Influence(Vol. 3). A. Michel. Guadagno, R.E., Muscanell, N.L., Rice, L.M. and Roberts, N., 2013. Social influence online: The impact of social validation and likability on compliance.Psychology of Popular Media Culture,2(1), p.51.