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Abstract

This study explored the beliefs of men and women about what influence strategies they would consider using in a work-related disagreement with their supervisor as a function of their own sex and the sex of their supervisor. Subjects rated the likelihood of their taking each of 40 actions in order to get their own way. As expected, women considered using personal/dependent and negotiation strategies more than men; men considered using coercion/offering rewards for cooperation more than women. In addition, persons considering interaction with a female supervisor reported less likelihood of using reasoning and negotiation strategies and a greater likelihood of withdrawing from conflict than persons with a male supervisor.

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Supervisor Sex and Subordinate Influence Strategies

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