MGT 420 Module #4 Case & SLP

Case Assignment

For this assignment, take a close look at the required readings from the background materials including Cialdini (2001), McIntosh, et al. (2008), and Gorman (2009) as well as the Pearson tutorials. Pay close attention to what you perceive as the usefulness of the readings and how convincing you think each of the authors are. When you have finished carefully reading these articles, write a 4- to 5-page paper addressing the following issues:

1. Which of these readings or tutorials was the most convincing or presented the most useful information? Explain your reasoning as to why you found this author more convincing than the others.
2. Based on the ideas about persuasion that you read about in the background readings, write a memo at least one page in length to your employees trying to persuade them to cancel their weekend plans and volunteer to work next weekend. This memo shouldn’t be an “order” that they need to work on the weekend, but rather an attempt to persuade them to do so. In addition to the background readings, use concepts from at least one of the two Pearson tutorials from the background materials to guide you in the writing of this memo.
3. Explain how your memo applied the concepts from the readings and how you used one of the Pearson tutorials.

Assignment Expectations

• Follow the assignment instructions closely and follow all steps listed in the instructions.
• Stay focused on the precise assignment questions; don’t go off on tangents or devote a lot of space to summarizing general background materials.
• Make sure to cite readings from the background materials page. Rely primarily on the required background readings as your sources of information.
• Include both a bibliography and in-text citations. See the Student Guide to Writing a High-Quality Academic Paper, including pages 13 and 14 on in-text citations.

Module 4 - SLP

Persuasion

Now that the session is nearing the end and you’ve read and written a great deal about the use of power and politics, it is a good time to assess yourself on what you’ve learned and what you may need to think and improve upon in your future career. Fortunately leading academics have developed a survey to help you assess your knowledge and skills in organizational power and politics. It is very important to be as honest as you can, and answer the questions as you normally act, not as you wish you would!

Complete the assessment at the following website: http://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/faculty/uzzi/ftp/page292.html

Analysis

Comparison Data

The maximum possible score is 180. Maximums on sub-area scales are provided below. Compare your score to a norm group consisting of 500 business school students. In comparison to the norm group, if you scored

Maximum possible scores

SLP Assignment

Prepare a 2- to 3-page paper and discuss:

1. Your areas of relative strength and weakness.
2. The areas you have selected to work to improve—no more than 4 personal/position characteristics. You may or may not want to work on improving Using Influence, Resisting Influence, and Increasing Influence—depending on your scores.
3. What areas you think the material in this class helped you with the most? Are there specific articles or tutorials that you think helped you the most regarding the areas covered in this survey?

SLP Assignment Expectations

• Follow the assignment instructions closely and follow all steps listed in the instructions.
• Stay focused on the precise assignment questions; don’t go off on tangents or devote a lot of space to summarizing general background materials.
• Carefully review the Trident “Writing Style Guide” for more detail on referencing and writing expectations. This guide is found under “My Resources” in the TLC portal.

Module 4 - Background

Persuasion

Required Material

To introduce yourself to the topic of this module, take a look at the following video and short article by a leading expert in the area of persuasion Dr. Robert Cialdini:

Cialdini, R. B., & Martin, S. (2012). Science of persuasion. Influence at Work. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFdCzN7RYbw

Cialdini, R. B. (2001). Harnessing the science of persuasion. Harvard Business Review, 79(9), 72-79. [EbscoHost]

Now that a look at this more detailed reading to expand your knowledge of persuasion:

McIntosh, P., Davis, J. H., & Luecke, R.,(2008). Chapter 9: When you aim to persuade. Interpersonal communication skills in the workplace. New York: AMA Self-Study. [EBSCO eBook Business Collection]

Finally, read these very practical guides to persuasive writing and these two interactive tutorials. These guides will be of great assistance to you in preparing for your Case Assignment:

Gorman, T. (2007). Chapter 9: Writing to persuade. Persuasion: Command Attention - Hold Their Interest - Get What You Want. Avon, Mass: F+W Media. [EBSCO eBook Business Collection].

Developing persuasive business messages. (2014). Pearson Learning Solutions. New York, NY.

Three-step process for writing persuasive messages. (2014). Pearson Learning Solutions. New York, NY.

SLP Reading

Gaining Power and Influence: Pre-assessment questionnaire. Retrieved from http://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/faculty/uzzi/ftp/page292.html

Optional Reading

Conger, J. A. (1998). The necessary art of persuasion. Harvard Business Review, 76(3), 84-95. [Business Source Complete]