Managing Up the Hierarchy: US Correctional Institutions and Differences in the Use of Influence Strategies

Abstract

 

This study generated and tested hypotheses regarding the use of upward influence strategies and gender in a US prison system.  The present study focused on the upward influence strategies used by male and female employees across ten different prisons. Kipnis and Schmidt’s Profile of Organizational Influence Strategies was administered to 201 state employees. The sample was 85 % African American and nearly equally distributed by gender. Data was analyzed for differences among demographic groups.  Results show that males use Reason, Bargaining and Coalition strategies; whereas, females use Friendliness strategies more frequently to influence their boss. Implications for research on the choice of influence strategies between genders in a predominately African American population are explored.