The 4 th National Human Resource Management Conference 2008 379 The Relationship of Upward Influence Tactics with Age, Gender and Industry: An Analysis of Asian perspective Shazia Akhtar 1 & Zahid Mahmood 2 1 Humanities Department Air University, E-9, Islamabad. Pakistan. shaziaakhter@gmail.com; shazee_akhtar@hotmail.com 2 Management Sciences Department Air University, Islamabad Pakistan zahid@mail.au.edu.pk Abstract: We begin with a review of the upward influence literature and its relationship with human resource decisions of performance ratings, promotability assessments and salary progression. In particular, we examined whether men and women display different influence behavior in diverse settings in Asia, especially in Pakistan. It is well recognized in studies of managerial behavior that a manager’s effectiveness highly depends upon his/her success in dealing with interpersonal relationships. Within the past decade, organizational theory and research have made substantial contributions to our understanding of the upward influence process in organizations. Conspicuously missing from this research literature is information on the relationship between the use of upward influence tactics to gender, Age and type of Industry. Few studies have examined upward influence behavior in the gender context, and even fewer have used Asian samples. Therefore, given the limited study of Asian upward influence behavior and the importance of Asia to the world economy (“War of the Worlds,” 1994), it is important for business people on both sides of the pacific to understand how influence behavior in Asia might converge or diverge with those behaviors in the West. The purpose of this conceptual paper is to look at how the tactics of upward influence adopted by the manager’s play a role in their career advancement and whether gender, type of industry and Age differences exist in the choice of upward influence tactics. A set of potentially testable propositions regarding the relation between use of influence tactics, gender, age and industry is developed and discussed. INTRODUCTION Managerial advancement and success are largely dependent on a manager's effective use of influence (Yukl, 1994).An effective manager should be able to “manage” not only his/her subordinates and co- workers but also superiors. In other words to effectively accomplish work through interpersonal networks, managers must succeed in influencing the behavior of others, including their superiors (Pfeffer, 1992; Schilit, 1986).Influence can be defined as the process by which people persuade others to follow their advice, accept their suggestion or comply with their orders. It is the effect, either intended or unintended of the agent (influencer) on the target’s (to be influenced) attitude, perception or behavior (Yukl 1998).Specifically, the agent uses influence for organizational purpose (Yukl&Tracy,1992) but it can also be used for the development of personal goals. While downward influence, also known as leadership, has been the focus of many studies over the last few decades, upward influence behavior and informal power, in general, were given very little attention by management researchers until the late 1970’s.Few studies have examined upward influence behavior in the gender context, and even fewer have used Asian samples. Therefore, given the limited study of Asian upward influence behavior and the importance of Asia to the world economy (“War of the Worlds,” 1994), it is important for business people on both sides of the pacific to understand how influence behavior in Asia might converge or diverge with those behaviors in the West. Upward Influence Tactics-Methodologies and Typologies. Intra-organizational influence behavior can be divided into three types according to the relative positions of the Agent (the one exerting the influence) and the Target (the one being influenced).The focus of this paper is on upward influence, the attempt to influence someone higher in the formal hierarchy of authority in the brought to you by CORE View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk provided by UUM Repository