Mastering the Art of Influencing in Corporate Settings

Knowing how to influence others can benefit many kinds of workers in a corporate setting, from entry-level employees to middle managers to CEOs. To improve your influencing skills, you must first gain a deeper understanding of influence dynamics and the possible outcomes of influencer efforts. Learn about the benefits and challenges of workplace influencing, the types of influencing you can engage in, different influencing styles, and more.  

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The dynamics of influence

Understanding the dynamics of influence starts with a definition. Merriam-Webster defines influence as "the power to change or affect someone or something" without using direct force [1]. Common synonyms of influence include sway, leverage, weight, clout, and pull. Depending on your goals in the workplace, you may try different influencing types and tactics. 

Benefits and challenges of corporate influence

Having influence means that your opinions have value. When you have influence, others appreciate and respect you and may turn to you for advice. In the workplace, good influencing skills offer many benefits. You can use them to:

• Encourage productivity

• Stop undesirable behavior

• Spark creativity and innovation

• Resolve conflicts between workers

• Facilitate collaboration and teamwork

• Convince your superior to promote you

• Boost employee commitment toward goal achievement

• Garner support when implementing or suggesting changes

Occasionally, you may face challenges when trying to influence others in the workplace. For instance, an aggressive attempt at influence can come off as coercion, and using a judgmental tone might make others feel belittled or criticized. 

Different influencing styles in the workplace

People influence others in different ways. Knowing about various influencing styles can help you understand which works best for you and how to identify different styles in others. Five essential influencing styles for the corporate landscape include asserting, bridging, inspiring, negotiating, and rationalizing.

Asserting: People who use an assertive style to influence others often have a high level of confidence from knowledge, experience, and a position of authority. 

Bridging: This influencing style draws on personal connections and coalition-building, and it works well when parties share mutual trust and respect.  

Inspiring: Inspiration influences others through stories, examples, and mutual excitement and purpose. 

Negotiating: Negotiation as an influencing style allows for back-and-forth discussion and an outcome that satisfies all parties. 

Rationalizing: This influencing style involves drawing on experience and data, presenting factual information, and using logic as a persuasive technique. 

3 types of corporate influence

The type of influence you engage in at work will typically vary according to your job title and role. Three key types of corporate influence include:

1. Upward influence: This type occurs when a subordinate influences a superior. You need good communication, collaboration, and teamwork skills for success at upward influence. Other helpful abilities include emotional intelligence, reasoning well, and resourcefulness.

2. Lateral influence: This type involves peer-to-peer influence. Good skills for lateral influence include credibility, good interpersonal skills, a vision for the organization's good, and an ability to communicate that vision.

3. Downward influence: This type occurs when a superior influences a subordinate. Even though organizations expect subordinates to follow superiors, a feeling of mutual respect between the two parties helps ensure the success of downward influence. 

Measuring the success of influence

You can measure the success of influence by evaluating the result or outcome. Three types of influence outcomes include:

1. Commitment: When the subject of your influencing effort responds with commitment, it means they behave enthusiastically and positively in the ways you desire.

2. Compliance: When your subject responds with compliance, they behave as you desire out of a sense of duty, but not with particular willingness or enthusiasm. 

3. Resistance: When your subject responds with resistance, they either ignore your attempt at influence, make excuses for not behaving the way you want, or openly refuse to participate.

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Tips for having a more significant influence in the workplace

To build greater influence in the workplace, focus on building and developing specific abilities and characteristics. Consider these tips for improvement in upward, lateral, and downward influencing.

1. Be reliable. 

The ability to influence someone depends on trust, and reliability helps build trust. To become a more reliable boss or coworker:

• Be on time.

• Tell the truth.

• Finish what you start.

• Honor your commitments. 

2. Build your emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence empowers you to recognize and manage your emotions while also understanding the feelings of others. Emotional intelligence plays a crucial role in effective problem-solving, decision-making, and conflict resolution, which can boost your ability to influence others. You can start building your emotional intelligence in just a few simple steps:

• Practice active listening.

• Begin identifying and managing your emotions.

• Recognize nonverbal cues like tone of voice and body language in yourself and others. 

3. Connect with others. 

Building stronger relationships opens up more opportunities to influence people at work. To begin making more robust connections, try one or more of the following tips:

• Actively look for moments to make connections, such as elevator rides, lunch breaks, and walks to staff meetings. 

• Listen more and speak less.

• Maintain a positive attitude.

• Show your true self by being vulnerable, honest, and authentic.

4. Focus on professional development. 

Engaging in professional development can make you a better leader and mentor, positions that provide plenty of opportunities for influencing others. To improve your influencing skills specifically, consider taking negotiation, communication, or conflict resolution courses.

Getting started on Coursera

Influence plays a vital role in the corporate setting, whether you're in a leadership position or not. For more information about corporate influence and leadership, consider turning to Coursera, a leading provider of online courses offered by key business leaders and world-renowned colleges and universities. 

Promote leadership skills throughout your organization by developing employees who innovate and inspire. In the Leadership Academy from Coursera, employees can learn the skills needed to lead their business into the future. With Coursera for Business, you’ll build effective managers at every level with beginner and advanced-level leadership content, including 40+ SkillSets to drive soft skill proficiency across the entire organization.