Matthew won the race for student council president partly due to a pledge that he would get the school to put in a swimming pool. It was a big thing to promise, but he knew that the school system had recently had a large influx of tax dollars and that the money is there; he just needs to win over the powers that be. First, he has to get his school principal on his side, and together they will go to the board of education. The principal, Ms. Wetherby, is new to the school system, and other than simply meeting her, he has had few interactions with her. In his meeting with Ms. Wetherby, the best approach for Matthew is to

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The best option for Matthew is rational persuasion, which is most effective when it helps show that the proposal is important and feasible. Rational persuasion is particularly important because it's the only tactic that is consistently successful in the case of upward influence, as in this situation. There is little justification for an inspirational appeal (talk to her about how exciting it would be to be to have a pool), because he does not know what is important to Ms. Wetherby. Likewise, given the fact that he does not know her, an effort at ingratiation (compliment her leadership and let her know that he sees her as capable and competent) would sound like flattery, and in any case, ingratiation is not a good short-term strategy. On the other hand, pressure (explain that the student body is motivated and could make things difficult if they do not get their way) is only ever effective in the short term, and in any case would be unlikely to yield positive results. The use of a coalition (let her know about all the coaches, teachers, and students he has on his side), while not effective on its own, could be good when used in combination with the rational approach.

Matthew Won the Race for Student Council President Partly Due