A Framework for Training Influential Managers

Abstract

Influencing other people's behaviour or attitudes is an activity central to the management role. Indeed it may be accepted by some as a reasonable definition of management—“getting things done through people”. Yet the question of the source of that influence is a complex one. The simple notion of power as the only, or even the primary, source does not stand up to close examination, not least because the manager has little or no power over most of those to be influenced. The figure varies, depending on which piece of research one believes, but 60 per cent is a fairly conservative estimate of the proportion of the average manager's time spent with people who are not subordinates. It is fair to expect that many of these contacts will actually have some power over the manager, who nevertheless has to influence their decisions or activity.

Citation

Kilcourse, T. (1985), "A Framework for Training Influential Managers", Journal of European Industrial Training, Vol. 9 No. 4, pp. 23-26. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb014222