Question

After reading the following passage, identify which influence tactics the leader is using, and explain your reasoning.

1. Gina is the director of human resources in a diversified company with approximately 50,000 workers. She has assembled her five direct reports in a hotel conference room for a Saturday morning meeting. With an intense facial expression, Gina launched directly into her presentation, supported by PowerPoint slides on a large screen.

2. "Enjoy your coffee, tea, juice, donuts, bagels, and pastries because I can offer you no other goodies this morning. As HR professionals, you know we are in trouble. As hard as we all work, and as much good as we do, our jobs are in peril. The trend is clear. Our corporation, similar to many others, might be outsourcing our work to HR vendors. The movement has already begun with payroll being outsourced last year and health insurance this year.

3. "Even worse, the corporate group is planning to purchase HR software that will enable line managers throughout the company to take care of their own HR responsibilities, such as recruiting and selection.

4. "I want to work with all of you to develop strategies and tactics so vital that the top-management team will decide to keep our group intact, and not join the outsourcing movement. We need also to discourage line managers from being performing HR on their own without our help. Think of HR activities so vital that we become indispensable. Maybe we should be coordinating a flu-shot program. Maybe we should beef up our wellness program so much that absenteeism and insurance costs are reduced to an extent that our contribution to the bottom line is obvious even to our CFO.

5. "Now that I’ve told you the truth, let’s get started having a true dialogue about the challenges facing us."

Answer 1

Gina uses logical persuasion to present facts about outsourcing, inspirational appeals to motivate her team, and consultation to involve them in strategy development.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the provided passage, the leader, Gina, the director of human resources, uses several influence tactics to address the challenges her department is facing. She employs a logical persuasion tactic by using facts about corporate trends in outsourcing HR functions to articulate a sense of urgency. Gina also uses inspirational appeals, as she calls on her team to develop strategies that demonstrate their vital contribution to the company's bottom line, aiming to inspire them with the vision of being indispensable. Furthermore, Gina initiates consultation by involving her team in problem-solving and seeking their input for strategies to maintain their relevance within the organization.