www.influenceatwork.com

Do you get the feeling advertisers, the media, politicians, salespeople, parents and teachers, and friends sometimes are trying to trick you by manipulating words and images in self-serving ways? According to Professor Robert B. Cialdini and his colleagues, you are right to feel a bit put upon. After all, as their research has documented, each of us is the recipient (or victim) of countless social influence attempts during every waking hour. The Internet site www.influenceatwork.com provides a brief inside look at social influence so we will not be unfairly or unwittingly manipulated. Back at the home page, click on the “What’s Your Influence Quotient?” icon. The short 10-item quiz (and answers) will get you thinking about the power and pervasiveness of social influence. Back at the home page, you might want to select the heading “About Us” from the main menu, for relevant background.

Questions

1. Having taken the influence quiz, are you more aware of the day-to-day influence processes and tactics? Explain.
   
   
2. Generally, do you see social influence as a constructive or sinister force in society? Explain.
   
   
3. Is it possible that employees are becoming more difficult to influence because they have become hardened or numbed as a result of excessive exposure to influence attempts?
   
   
4. How can managers use social influence ethically?