To what extent are subordinates inclined to attempt compliance-gaining with superiors in upward communication? What factors are related to their selection of compliance-gaining strategies? This study sought answers to these questions by investigating inclination toward compliance-gaining as a function of subordinate locus of control (internal versus external) and situation (policy circumvention versus policy enforcement). Hypotheses predicted that (a) internal subordinates would exceed external subordinates in inclination to use strategies based on relationships/identification and values/obligations, and (b) locus of control and situation would interact, with external subordinates demonstrating less inclination to attempt compliancegaining with superiors in a policy circumvention situation than in other conditions. Results lend qualified support for hypothesized differences between internal and external subordinates, but also suggest that subordinates in general prefer only a few specific strategies in compliance-gaining attempts with superiors. Directions for future research are suggested.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Abdel-Hamlin, A. A. (1980). Personality and task moderators of subordinate responses to perceived leader behavior. Human Relations, 34, 73-88.
2.
Andrisani, P. J. , & Nestle, G. (1976). Internal-external control as contributors to and outcome of work experience. Journal of Applied Psychology, 61, 156-165.
3.
Ashkanasy, N. M. (1985). Rotter's internal-external scale: Confirmatory factor analysis and correlation with social desirability for alternative scale forms. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 48, 1328-1341.
4.
Bacharach, S. B. , & Lawler, E. J. (1980). Power and politics in organizations. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
5.
Berger, C. R. (1985). Social power and interpersonal communication. In M. L. Knapp & G. R. Miller (Eds.), Handbook of interpersonal communication (pp. 439-499). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
6.
Bettinghaus, E. P. , & Cody, M. J. (1987). Persuasive communication. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
7.
Boster, F. J. , Stiff, J. B., & Reynolds, R. A. (1985). Do persons respond differently to inductively-derived and deductively-derived lists of compliance-gaining? A reply to Wiseman and Schenck-Hamlin. Western Journal of Speech Communication, 49, 177-187.
8.
Brownell, P. (1982). The effects of personality-situation congruence in a managerial context: Locus of control and budgetary participation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 42, 753-763.
9.
Cartwright, D. (1959). A field theoretical conception of power. In D. Cartwright (Ed.), Studies in social power (pp. 183-220). Ann Arbor, MI: Institute for Social Research.
10.
Cheng, J.L.C. (1983). Organizational context and upward influence: An experimental study of the use of power tactics. Group & Organizational Studies, 8, 337-355.
11.
Cody, M. J. , & McLaughlin, M. L. (1980). Perceptions of compliance-gaining situations: A dimensional analysis. Communication Monographs, 47, 132-148.
12.
Cody, M. J. , & McLaughlin, M. L. (1985). The situation as a construct in interpersonal communication research. In M. L. Knapp & G. R. Miller (Eds.), Handbook of interpersonal communication (pp. 263-312). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
13.
Cody, M. J. , McLaughlin, M. L., & Jordan, W. J. (1980). A multidimensional scaling of three sets of compliance-gaining strategies. Communication Quarterly, 28, 34-46.
14.
Cody, M. J. , Woefel, M. L., & Jordan, W. J. (1983). Dimensions of compliancegaining situations. Human Communication Research, 9, 99-113.
15.
Dailey, R. C. (1978). Relationship between locus of control, perceived group cohesiveness, and satisfaction with co-workers. Psychological Reports, 42, 311-316.
16.
Dillard, J. P. , & Burgoon, M. (1985). Situational influences of the selection of compliance-gaining messages: Two tests of the predictive utility of the Cody-McLaughlin typology. Communication Monographs, 52, 289-304.
17.
Eisenberg, E. M. , Monge, P. R., & Farace, R. V. (1984). Coorientation on communication rules on managerial dyads. Human Communication Research, 11, 261-271.
18.
Erez, M. , & Rim, Y. (1982). The relationship between goals, influence, tactics, and personal and organizational variables. Human Relations, 35, 871-878.
19.
Etzioni, A. (1961). A comparative analysis of complex organizations. New York: Free Press.
20.
Evans, M. G. (1974). Extensions of a path-goal theory of motivation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 59, 172-178.
21.
Farace, R. V. , Monge, P. R., & Russell, H. M. (1977). Communicating and organizing. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
22.
French, J. R. , & Raven, B. H. (1959). The bases of social power. In D. Cartwright (Ed.), Studies in social power (pp. 150-167). Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.
23.
Getter, H. A. (1966). Personality determinants of verbal condition. Journal of Personality, 34, 397-405.
24.
Goodall, L. H. (1984). The status of communication studies in organizational contexts: On rhetorician's lament after a year-long odyssey. Communication Quarterly, 32, 133-146.
25.
Goodstadt, B. E. , & Hjelle, L. A. (1973). Power to the powerless: Locus of control and the use of power. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 27, 190-196.
26.
Hecht, M. L. (1984). Persuasive efficacy: A study of the relationships among type and degree of change, message strategies, and satisfying communication. Western Journal of Speech Communication, 48, 373-389.
27.
Hirokawa, R. J. , & Miyahara, A. (1986). A comparison of influence strategies utilized by managers in American and Japanese organizations. Communication Quarterly, 34, 250-265.
28.
Jablin, F. M. (1979). Superior-subordinate communication: The state of the art. Psychological Bulletin, 86, 1201-1222.
29.
Jablin, F. M. (1985). Task/work relationships: A life-span perspective. In M. L. Knapp & G. R. Miller (Eds.), Handbook of interpersonal communication (pp. 615-654). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
30.
Katz, D. , & Kahn, R. (1978). The social psychology of organizations (2nd ed.). New York: John Wiley.
31.
Kelley, H. , & Thibaut, J. (1978). Interpersonal relations: A theory of interdependence. New York: John Wiley.
32.
Kelman, H. C. (1961). Processes of opinion change. Public Opinion Quarterly, 25, 57-78.
33.
Kipnis, D. , Schmidt, S., & Wilkinson, I. (1980). Intraorganizational influence tactics: Explorations in getting one's way. Journal of Applied Psychology, 65, 440-452.
34.
Kirk, R. E. (1968). Experimental design: Procedures for the behavioral sciences. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
35.
Lamude, K. G. , & Daniels, T. D. (1987). Locus of control and upward communication situational influences on subordinates' selection of compliance-gaining strategies. In C. C. Bacon (Ed.), Proceedings of the Organizational Communication Interest Group (pp. 1-8). Salt Lake City, UT: Western Speech Communication Association.
36.
Lamude, K. G. , & Lichtenstein, A. (1985). The effects of motivational needs and rights situational dimension on compliance-gaining strategies. Communication Research Reports, 2, 164-171.
37.
Lefcourt, H. M. (1982). Locus of control: Current trends in theory and research (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
38.
Marwell, J. , & Schmitt, D. R. (1967). Dimensions of compliance-gaining behavior: An empirical analysis. Sociometry, 30, 350-364.
39.
Mowday, R. T. (1978). The exercise of upward influence in organizations. Administrative Science Quarterly, 23, 137-156.
40.
Pacanowsky, M. , & O'Donnell-Trujillo, N. (1982). Communication and organizational cultures. Western Journal of Speech Communication, 46, 115-130.
41.
Parsons, T. (1963). On the concept of influence. Public Opinion Quarterly, 27, 37-62.
42.
Phares, E. J. (1965). Internal-external locus of control as a determinant of social influence exerted. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2, 642-647.
43.
Pines, H. A. , & Julian, J. W. (1972). Effects of task and social demands on locus of control differences in information processing. Journal of Personality, 40, 407-416.
44.
Putnam, L. L. (1982). Paradigms for organizational communication research: An overview and synthesis. Western Journal of Speech Communication, 46, 192-206.
45.
Riccillo, S. G. , & Trenholm, S. (1983). Predicting managers' choice of influence mode: The effect of interpersonal trust and worker attributions on managerial tactics in a simulated organizational setting. Western Journal of Speech Communication, 47, 323-339.
46.
Rich, C. E. (1983). Repeated measures. In R. S. Barcikowski (Ed.), Computer packages and research design: Vol. 3. spss and spssx (pp. 567-710). Lanham, MD: University Press of America.
47.
Richmond, V. P. , Davis, L. M., Saylor, K., & McCroskey, J. C. (1984). Power strategies in organizations: Communication techniques and messages. Human Communication Research, 11, 85-108.
48.
Richmond, V. P. , McCroskey, J. C., & Davis, L. M. (1986). The relationship of supervisor use of power and affinity-seeking strategies with subordinate satisfaction. Communication Quarterly, 34, 178-193.
49.
Rim, Y. , & Erez, M. (1980). A note about tactics used to influence superiors, coworkers and subordinates. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 53, 319-321.
50.
Ritchie, E. , & Phares, E. J. (1969). Attitudes change as a function of internal-external locus of control and communicator status. Journal of Personality, 37, 429-433.
51.
Rotter, J. B. (1954). Social learning and clinical psychology. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
52.
Rotter, J. B. (1966). Generalized expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcement. Psychological Monographs, 80 (1, Whole No. 609).
53.
Rotter, J. B. , Chance, J., & Phares, E. J. (Eds.). (1972). Applications of a social learning theory of personality. New York: Holt, Rineholt & Winston.
54.
Schilit, W. K. , & Locke, E. A. (1982). A study of upward influence in organizations. Administrative Science Quarterly, 27, 304-316.
55.
Seibold, A. L. , Cantrill, J. G., & Meyers, R. A. (1985). Communication and interpersonal influence. In M. L. Knapp & G. R. Miller (Eds.), Handbook of interpersonal communication (pp. 551-614). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
56.
Spector, P. E. (1982). Behavior in organizations as a function of employee's locus of control. Psychological Bulletin, 91, 482-497.
57.
Sprowl, J. P. (1986). Sales communication: An analysis of sex differences in compliance-gaining strategy use. Communication Research Reports, 3, 90-93.
58.
Stewart, R. A. , Kearney, P., & Plax, T. G. (1986). Locus of control as a mediator: A study of college students' reactions to teachers' attempts to gain compliance. In M. L. McLaughlin (Ed.), Communication yearbook 9 (pp. 691-705). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
59.
Strickland, B. R. (1970). Individual differences in verbal conditioning, extinction and awareness. Journal of Personality, 38, 364-378.
60.
Wheeless, L. R. , Barraclough, R., & Stewart, R. (1983). Compliance-gaining and power in persuasion. In R. N. Bostrom (Ed.), Communication yearbook 7. London: Sage.
61.
Wheeless, V. E. , Hudson, D. C., & Wheeless, L. R. (1986). A test of the expected use of influence strategies by male and female supervisors as related to job satisfaction and trust in supervisor. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association, Chicago.
62.
Winer, B. J. (1971). Statistical principles in experimental designs. New York: McGraw-Hill.
63.
Winter, D. G. (1973). The power motive. New York: Free Press.
64.
Wiseman, R. L. , & Schenck-Hamlin, W. (1981). A multidimensional scaling validation of an inductively-derived set of compliance-gaining strategies. Communication Monographs, 48, 251-270.
