Upward influence is an important vehicle for employee participation in work and decision-making. Research suggests that the forms and success of upward influence vary according to agent attributes, the supervisor-employee relationship, and the work context (Waldron, 1999; Wilson, 2002). Unexamined within this array are employee attempts at shaping their own work roles. Role (re)definition is important to consider, because its process and outcome can facilitate individual fit, work relationships, and organizational functioning (Miller, Johnson, Hart, & Peterson, 1999). A great deal of role-shaping occurs during informal or formal negotiations between employees and their supervisors. In research exploring role negotiation, however, there has been insufficient integration of research and theory exploring negotiation and bargaining (Putnam & Roloff, 1992) with studies of how individuals attempt to influence one another in organizations. This dissertation seeks to further research in this area by investigating the impact of organizational, interpersonal, and individual factors on role negotiation. Secondly, it will further explore the negotiation tactics employees use to influence their supervisors. Acknowledging the communicative nature of negotiation, this study examined three communicative tactics that have been linked to reaching an integrative negotiation agreement. Lastly, this research will investigate impact of organizational constraints in negotiation process, which have been traditionally ignored in negotiation research in laboratory settings. Data were collected using a Web survey of the current students and alumni of a professional Master's program with regard to how they negotiated their time off to attend the classes. Predictors of employees' negotiation tactics and integrative outcomes included: Perceived Organizational Support (POS); Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) quality; employees' political skills. Employees' negotiation tactics examined were: directness, elaboration, and mutual concessions. Moderators for the relationships between negotiation tactics and negotiation outcome were: slack resources, organizational policy, precedent, and job requirement. The survey results reveal that POS and LMX are positively associated with the possibility for supervisors and employees to reach an integrative agreement. A positive association is not found between employees' political skills and the integrative potential of such negotiation. Results also indicate that employees' political skills are associated with the use of directness tactics by employees during the negotiation. Neither POS nor LMX, on the other hand, is associated with any of the communicative negotiation tactics (directness, elaboration, and mutual concession). Regarding the four organizational constraints examined, organizational policy and precedent are found to be strongly related to the integrative potential of the role negotiation when employees seek flexible work arrangements. Directness is found to be positively associated with the possibility for supervisors and employees to reach an integrative agreement.

Last modified

• 08/30/2018

Creator

• Ling Li

DOI

• https://doi.org/10.21985/N2M43M

Subject

• Communication Studies

Keyword

• Upward Influence
• Role Theory
• Supervisor-Employee Relationship
• Flexible Work Arrangement
• Negotiation
• Communication Tactic

Date created

• 2007-12-12

Resource type

• Dissertation

Rights statement

• In Copyright