Ta c t i c s 33
enced decision makers: Develop a set of feasible alternatives, or
solutions, one or more of which will satisfy the interests of the
contending parties and the larger organization—in other words, a
win-win-win solution. Too often, people latch onto a single solu-
tion that works for them and never look beyond it. In our Gemini
Company example, each division saw a single solution: Convince
the author to write a book to serve its own market. This created a
self-destructive bidding war. However, a manager in the trade book
division thought of an alternative that neither side had considered:
Create a two-book deal—one trade book and one textbook. The
author would complete one manuscript after the other. Since the
two books would be based on a common body of information, this
seemed practical and logical.
Each of the two divisions liked this alternative but only if it
would be the first in line for the author’s work. This created an
impasse. Once again, the enterprising manager came through with
a possible solution: Engage a professional writer to work with the
author in developing the two books simultaneously. Again, this
seemed feasible given the common body of information. Represen-
tatives of the text and trade book divisions liked the idea. Each
division would attain its goal, and the corporation would add an
eminent scholar to its stable of authors. The enterprising manager
who dreamed up these alternatives and guided discussion about
them helped people find common ground. In so doing, he gained
stature in the eyes of everyone concerned, and his influence in the
organization rose by equal measure.
Perhaps you, like the manager in this example, can help the
people where you work find common ground. Here are some tips
for succeeding:
? Prepare yourself by developing a solid understanding of your
organization’s key goals. Your solutions must be aligned with
one or more of these goals.
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34 Increase Your Influence at Work
? Discover the interests of the other parties—the things they
want that will provide real benefits. Caution: Interests may be
masked by the parties’ stated ‘‘positions,’’ which are not the
same as their real interests. In our example, the textbook divi-
sion’s position might be this: ‘‘We found this climate-change
expert, and we insist that that he sign a contract with us and
not with you.’’ The division’s interest, however, is in obtaining
a revenue-generating product. This is very different from its
position.
? Develop the mental habit of creating several alternative solu-
tions whenever you confront a problem. Don’t become
attached to any of these solutions until you’ve objectively
analyzed each one.
? Work toward the solution from which the parties and the orga-
nization will obtain the greatest value.
FRAME THE ISSUE YOUR WAY
Another tactic for gaining influence is to encourage people to frame
important issues your way—that is, to see them as you do. A frame
is the mental window through which we view reality. It influences
how we see, hear, and interpret the world around us. If, for exam-
ple, you asked an economist to assess what’s going on in the De-
troit area, he or she would describe the problems of the area’s
automakers, and how those problems have spilled over to the re-
gion’s supplier companies, causing cascading waves of unemploy-
ment, reduced tax revenues, and so forth. This economist’s mind
is wired to see the situation in terms of production, employment,
wages, and revenues. That’s his frame. A trained sociologist’s as-
sessment of the Detroit area would be different. The sociologist
would focus on how lost jobs and wages are affecting family rela-
tionships, crime, and community stability. Psychologist Kelton
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Ta c t i c s 35
Rhoads uses the murder trial of O.J. Simpson as an example of
how the right frame can influence a jury. Simpson’s legal team, he
reminds us, framed the case as one of an innocent black man versus
a racist police department. That frame was adopted by the jury with
the result that police evidence was seen by most jury members as
unreliable, if not planted. And Simpson was found not guilty.
How are people framing the important issues facing your com-
pany or work group? Chances are that the frame people accept will
define the boundaries of subsequent discussion and the ultimate
resolutions of those issues. Thus, if you can get people to adopt
your frame, you will have exerted substantial influence over even-
tual decisions and actions. Consider the following example:
As head of human resources, Pauline is being badgered by
Ned, a department manager. Ned insists that he doesn’t have
enough people to handle his unit’s workload. ‘‘We’re already
asking some people to come in on Saturdays,’’ he complains,
‘‘yet we continue to fall behind.’’ But Pauline’s hands are tied.
Top management insists that the head count be kept in check.
Nevertheless, Pauline and her staff quietly begin studying
Ned’s problem.
Seeing that he is getting nowhere with Pauline, Ned goes
to the COO, her boss, with the issue. Pauline soon finds herself
in a meeting with the COO and the disgruntled manager. Ned
proceeds to make his case for relaxing the hiring freeze and
allowing him to hire two new people. When he finishes, the
COO turns to Pauline and says, ‘‘So, what’s your response? We
don’t have new positions in the budget, but we can’t allow
Ned’s people to keep falling behind either.’’
Instead of questioning the points made by Ned, Pauline re-
directs the discussion entirely. ‘‘What we have here isn’t a
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36 Increase Your Influence at Work
manpower problem; it’s a work process problem.’’ She goes
on to explain how her staff’s initial mapping of the depart-
ment’s work processes uncovered time-sapping handoffs and
bottlenecks. Some activities appeared to add more cost than
value. ‘‘Approaching Ned’s situation as a traditional manpower
problem isn’t the answer,’’ Pauline explains. ‘‘We in HR think it
would be more productive to work with Ned on process im-
provements with the goal of making the work faster and less
labor intensive. This will solve Ned’s problem and comply with
the company’s hiring freeze.’’
In this case, Pauline attempts to shift the COO’s and Ned’s framing
of the problem: from having too few people to having an inefficient
work process. If she succeeds, she will have influenced an impor-
tant decision—and scored points with both Ned and her boss.
Can you think of situations in which you might exert influence
by framing the problem or the issue? In many cases, you will find
framing opportunities by applying a lesson learned in the previous
section: by thinking of and examining alternative solutions. Pau-
line’s framing of Ned’s problem as a work process issue, for exam-
ple, originates in an alternative—one that Pauline found outside
the box of Ned’s conventional solution. In other cases, you need to
embrace a different viewpoint. For example, if a group of employ-
ees insist that they should get a 5 percent wage hike this year be-
cause they received no increase last year, you might reframe the
issue this way: ‘‘I appreciate your interest in a raise. But you’re
already receiving premium wages. We’re currently paying you $3
per hour more than what our competitor is paying its people for
the same work.’’
Change the way people frame the issue, and you will influence
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Ta c t i c s 37
subsequent debate and decisions. Framing can also be used to in-
fluence people to adopt different, more productive behaviors. This
is particularly important when leading change. Change requires
that people abandon the status quo and do things differently: re-
structure their work, team up with other people, learn new skills,
and so forth. Some people resist change because the status quo for
them is profitable, comfortable, and seems safe. Others resist change
when they see themselves as coming out as losers.
The leader who frames change as a set of distasteful and diffi-
cult chores will have little influence on people’s behavior. With no
appealing carrot to dangle before them, he will have nothing but
the stick to motivate change. By framing change in positive terms—
as necessary and beneficial—the leader will be much more success-
ful in altering behavior and maintaining morale.
BUILD A NETWORK OF SUPPORT
Do you lack organizational power? Are you competing for influence
against people who have it and know how to use it? Welcome to
reality. Organizational life doesn’t always provide a level playing
field for competing ideas. People outside the inner sanctum of deci-
sion making often find themselves at a disadvantage. Their ideas
are not recognized or solicited, and access to decision makers is
often blocked. Not every company operates this way. Back in the
days when founders Bill Hewlett and David Packard ran HP, em-
ployees understood that they could go directly to Bill’s or Dave’s
office if they had something important to say. Likewise, Motorola
had a policy of accommodating open dissent that made it possible
for engineers, managers, and other employees to publicly argue
with their bosses on matters of interest to the company’s future. If
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