Authority versus persuasion
By: Eric J. Van den Steen
Contributors: Harvard Business School
Series: Working paper / Harvard Business School -- 09-085; Working paper (Harvard Business School) -- 09-085
Publisher: Harvard Business School
Published: 2009
Place of publication: Boston]
Language: eng
Number of pages: 22
Description: This paper studies a principal's trade-off between using persuasion versus using interpersonal authority to get the agent to 'do the right thing' from the principal's perspective (when the principal and agent openly disagree on the right course of action). It shows that persuasion and authority are complements at low levels of effectiveness but substitutes at high levels. Furthermore, the principal will rely more on persuasion when agent motivation is more important for the execution of the project, when the agent has strong intrinsic or extrinsic incentives, and, for a wide range of settings, when the principal is more confident about the right course of action.
Notes: "January 2009"--Publisher's website.

Includes bibliographical references.