For majority of organisations in Asia Pacific, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the transition to remote work by at least five years. But remote work should not come as a surprise.
Organisations’ growing preferences for remote work have been building for several years due to enhanced broadband connectivity, competition for global talent, and workers’ changing inclinations. By some accounts, 61 per cent of the global workforce is now remote. And, while it is unclear whether and by how much this number may change in the next few years, it is clear that remote work is here to stay in a significant capacity.
What does this mean for you and your influence skills? Modern organisations feature flatter hierarchies, matrix structures, and cross-functional workflows, with great degrees of involvement from external stakeholders, such as alliance partners, suppliers, investors, and even rivals.
To succeed in these environments, you cannot rely on your formal authority alone, that is, the influence that stems from your job rank. Instead, to successfully engage stakeholders over whom you do not have direct authority—colleagues from other functions, business units, or from outside your organisation—you need to rely on informal influence and persuasion and on building and leveraging relationships with others.
So, how good are you at getting work done without relying on formal authority and instead using informal influence and persuasion?
To lead effectively using informal influence and persuasion has always been challenging. The transition to remote work has made it even more challenging than it already was.
Studies have shown it is more difficult to influence people through digital interactions. One study, for example, looked at changes of opinion in response to differing information.
When contrasting information was revealed in a face-to-face discussion, 38 per cent of participants changed their mind. Conversely, only 10 per cent did so when the information was revealed through an online discussion forum.
Compared to face-to-face interplay, computer-mediated interaction reduces the degree of social presence—acoustic, visual, and physical proximity—with the people you are trying to influence. Reduced social presence makes it more difficult for you to influence others.
Also read: Why remote working is the future for startups
Consider these three characteristics of digitally mediated interactions that make influence more difficult.
Asynchronous communication
In some digital channels, interactions do not occur at the same time. For example, with emails and texts, exchanges are not immediate. This reduces the fluidity of interaction and opportunities to clarify ambiguities. Such ambiguities could, in turn, lead to wrong attributions (Why is he not responding to my email? Did I say something he did not like?)
Reduced social image
It takes longer to build your social image, especially with people you do not know. Who is this person? Where does she come from? What’s her background? What’s her interest in this project? Can I trust her?
Limited use of non verbals
Non verbals are inevitably harder to leverage in an online environment. Even in video calls, during which we largely remain seated, we are often limited in the use of body poses. The influence benefits of movement and proximity are not available.
What can we do about it? When considering the nuances of digitally mediated influence, think about the following practical tips:
Favour rich channels for influence
A video call gives you more opportunities for influence than a phone call. You can use non verbals such as gestures and facial expressions, and you can respond to the non verbals of your audience. And a phone call is better than an email. It is synchronous, and you get information on paralinguistic cues (tone, pace, intonation). It is particularly important to use rich digital channels when influencing those you do not know well.
Favour lean channels to protect yourself from unwanted influence
Flip the logic for protecting yourself from unwanted influence and use leaner channels to buffer yourself. For example, if someone insists on a video call, ask them to outline the situation and the request in an advance email. It is more difficult to say no to a request on a video or a phone call than in an email. Even if the video call is inevitable, asking for the advance email gives you a chance to preface your position with a preliminary email response.
Expand the number of channels used
To influence others on issues that encompass complex messaging, expand the number of channels you use to communicate. For example, conduct a video call on the issue and follow up with an email. Studies show that influence that activates multiple senses (e.g., both hearing and reading) reduces information overload among those you are trying to influence and produces better results.
Enhance relational closeness
When using digital communications do not focus just on your message at hand. Ask people about their day, the team, the weather, or the performance of their favourite football team. Get to know them on a personal level. For example, experienced executives often hop on conference calls early or stay behind to catch up with teammates.
Also read: The future of remote work is happening now, here’s how
Check-in with people not only when you need something from them. Keep in mind that people vary greatly in the degree of closeness they experience while working through digital channels, and yet closeness fundamentally shapes how well people respond to your message.
Allow more time
When you’re trying to influence, your audience builds a mental model of you: Are you credible? Trustworthy? What are your intentions? Proving these qualities to others is essential for influence and yet they take longer to form in digitally mediated communication. Be patient and allow yourself more time to get people on board.
Leverage reduced majority pressure
Certain forms of computer-mediated communication (e.g., online chat rooms) put people at ease, allowing them to express their opinions more readily. In video-based communication, some platforms (e.g., Zoom) allow you to seamlessly and easily poll people privately, which can further reduce the effects of majority pressure.
Leverage private communication in group meetings
On most platforms, you can send private messages to others during a meeting. The goal here is not to be sneaky. Instead, private chats can enable your team to regroup during a client negotiation, entice participation, or ask a question without interrupting the speaker.
For example, try hosting 150 employees on a call and asking for feedback on a new initiative. In this case, crickets is likely your best outcome. If you privately text one of the people on the call, however, you can ask for direct feedback: “Cindy, the team would really appreciate hearing from you on this issue.”
If you would like to learn about enhancing your influence and persuasion skills, consider the new online course on “Maximizing Your Influence and Persuasion” offered by the Ross School of Business.
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