The Hindu Business Line : I think, therefore IM

MORE than being good, better ensure you are seen as good. Ditto with justice, fairness, health and a host of other attributes including your image. If you haven't thought about this thus far, keep aside whatever you've been managing and launch into Impression Management. The book by Paul Rosenfeld, Robert A. Giacalone and Catherine A. Riordan, published by Thomson Learning (www.thomsonlearningasia.com) is about "building and enhancing reputations at work."

Some corporate chieftains already know the IM technique. So do our politicians and party spokesmen. And we all "impression manage." How? "In many different ways," states the book. "What we do, how we do it, what we say, how we say it, the furnishings and arrangement of our offices, and our physical appearance." In short, IM is "a mutual ritual that helps smooth and control social relations and avoid embarrassment." And that should apply to selling and buying too.

IM is not always viewed kindly. When IM is used for "unprincipled ends," it gets a bad name. So, if you have an ethical question such as whether IM is good or bad, the answer is simple: "IM is neither intrinsically good nor bad but rather is a fundamental part of social and work lives." Next question: Is IM conscious? Both yes and no. Much of IM is automatic, such as "when showing respect toward authority figures, not making rude gestures when obnoxious customers can see us." Is there a need, therefore, for employee training to factor in IM issues to save the organisation from habits that can run counter to business interests?

"Ingratiation" as an IM technique is put to good use in "ad campaigns, promotional events and annual reports." On how this technique works, one study found that it gave an employee "a 4 to 5 per cent edge in salary over those who depend only on job performance." Another food for thought: "Servers who smiled, wrote `thank you' and drew happy faces on the back of customers' cheques received higher tips than those who didn't." Hope you get the message.

If ingratiation is attention-giving, self-promotion is attention getting. They work in tandem, so your ads can do both. If you overdo, however, the two can work at cross-purposes. But you find that commercials tend to be intimidating. That's because psychologists have found that "successful intimidation often elicits ingratiation," though "intimidation is the opposite of ingratiation."

Since IM has its risks too, prudence dictates the use of "indirect IM" that uses the "association principle." An example: "For many years, pop star Michael Jackson appeared in advertisements for Pepsi, a relationship that was quickly terminated after Jackson was accused of sexually molesting a young boy." There are parallels in accounting profession too, when corporates distance themselves from tainted auditors by promptly sacking them when a scam surfaces. This form of IM by association is called BIRG, short for "basking in reflected glory." Does that also explain the sale of cricket T-shirts during the season?

When attacked, you need to resort to protective IM, to repair spoiled identities. Damage control was recently resorted to by the poultry industry when chicken flu fears were hitting the headlines. "Rezoning, spin-doctoring and spin-control" are other names for such exercises. So, it's not enough to have a good IM in place; check if you have the remedial drill too in place.

Are you already turning the yellow pages for `impression consultants'?

Book courtesy:

Landmark (www.landmarkonthenet.com)

BookMark@TheHindu.co.in

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