Management Strategies - impression management (IM) - Essay Example

Management Strategies Over the years, the concept of impression management (IM) has played a significant role in both post bureaucratic and bureaucratic organizations. Often, most people adopt impression management strategies to influence the impression or image others have on them. IM is also used when an individual wishes to maintain and create a specific identity. Often, an individual achieves the goal by exhibiting certain behaviors, both non-verbal and verbal, which causes others to view the individual as desired. Existing research about IM reveals that, it is a dynamic process, which occurs incessantly during interpersonal interactions (Merkl-Davies & Brennan 2007, p120). As people interact with others, they establish signals or cues that indicate how other people perceive them. Therefore, the underlying assumption of this study is to discuss the impression management strategies for performance management in both bureaucratic and post-bureaucratic organizations. According to Kaplan & Fisher (2009, p320), impression management is a goal-directed behavior in bureaucratic organizations. For instance, most job candidates engage into some forms of deceptive such as personality assessment to succeed in the interview process. Although deception is an issue affecting both bureaucratic and post-bureaucratic organizations, the truth of the matter is that many employees continue to use it to further their goals with the organizations. A research by Harris, Gallagher & Rossi (2013, p171) reveals that, most employees who engage into deception often gain organizations benefits such as promotions. In some instances, an employee may impress his/her supervisor by the fact that, he has a strong work background in the immediate field. In other instance, an employee may provide untrue information about his personality. Specifically, most employees utilize deception impression because of the strict rules set in the organization. It is crucial to note that, bureaucracy management is based on impersonality, hierarchy, rules, and division of labor. These factors trigger employees to give deceptive information about their personality, work experience, and their personal goals and objectives. In essence, decisions in bureaucratic organizations are made through a strict command and organized process. Usually, these organizations highly regard employees with adequate knowledge, skills, talents, and work experience to carry out their daily duties and responsibilities. Since there are clear defines responsibilities and roles, employees or job candidates may often provide deceptive information to obtain the job position offered to them. Mostly, bureaucratic organizations engage in impression management to retain and attract the best and competent employees. Through advertisements and other medium of communication, bureaucratic organizations may portray themselves as the most suitable, profitable, and enjoyable place in which to work or earn a living. In this case, such organizations may omit some information that may prevent people from joining the organization such as the presence of strict rules and regulations. With this, bureaucratic organizations may employ impression management to achieve its set goals and objectives (Moideenkutty 2009, p110). According to Drory & Zaidman (2007, p295), post-bureaucracy organizations base their beliefs on empowerment, shared responsibility, trust, and personal dignity. Now, an employee in this organization could behave in a certain way to impress the organization or the management team in this case. In most cases, employees might rely on the structure of the organization and from that form an impression. For instance, new employees who want to be liked by the management team in the organization may use politeness, affinity seeking, and immediacy strategies. Additionally, organizations may also employ politeness strategies to empower employees on their assigned duties and responsibilities. Based on the ideal that post-bureaucracy organizations base their beliefs on empowerment, such organizations may employ certain strategies such as rewarding the best employees or most improved employees. In so doing, this may create a strong culture that promotes productivity (Chen & Fang 2008, p265). Similarly, the organization may strongly reveal its wish on empowerment and productivity in the work place. Employees who want to be admired and liked may use exemplification as discussed by Carlson, Carlson & Ferguson (2011, p500). For instance, an employee might arrive at work early and leave late to create the image of commitment to their work (Merkl-Davies, Brennan & McLeay 2011, p120). Typically, both bureaucratic and post-bureaucratic organizations may use immediacy strategies to convey a sense of unity, togetherness, and openness. For instance, supervisors may use immediacy behaviors such as appreciating employees on their good performance, reminding employees on the importance of team work, and emphasizing on the sense of unity and togetherness. As a result, such subordinates are more likely to be liked by employees. In essence, employees with supervisors who use immediacy behaviors tend to have higher job motivation and satisfaction. Immediacy behaviors may encourage effective communication in the workplace (Merkl-Davies, Brennan & McLeay 2011, p320). From the ongoing discussion, it is evident that impression management is a crucial aspect for performance management in bureaucratic and post-bureaucratic organizations. Often, impression management influences people to work hard and embrace team work in the organizations. Despite the benefits that emerge from utilizing impression management, any organization must embrace and establish impression that is truthful. For instance, an organization should not provide wrong earnings to its stakeholders; rather it can create an impression of its input in achieving the set goals and objectives. Among the mentioned impression management strategies include ingratiation, self-promotion, and exemplification. Bibliography Carlson, J.R., Carlson, D.S. & Ferguson, M. 2011, "Deceptive Impression Management: Does Deception Pay in Established Workplace Relationships?", Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 100, no. 3, pp. 497-514. Chen, Y. & Fang, W. 2008, "The Moderating Effect of Impression Management on the Organizational Politics-Performance Relationship", Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 79, no. 3, pp. 263-277. Drory, A. & Zaidman, N. 2007, "Impression management behavior: effects of the organizational system", Journal of Managerial Psychology, vol. 22, no. 3, pp. 290-308. Harris, K.J., Gallagher, V.C. & Rossi, A.M. 2013, "Impression Management (IM) Behaviors, IM Culture, and Job Outcomes",Journal of Managerial Issues, vol. 25, no. 2, pp. 154-171,106. Kaplan, D.M. & Fisher, J.E. 2009, "A Rose by Any Other Name: Identity and Impression Management in Résumés", Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, vol. 21, no. 4, pp. 319-332. Merkl-Davies, D. & Brennan, N.M. 2007, "Discretionary Disclosure Strategies in Corporate Narratives: Incremental Information or Impression Management?", Journal of Accounting Literature, vol. 26, pp. 116-194. Merkl-Davies, D., Brennan, N.M. & McLeay, S.J. 2011, "Impression management and retrospective sense-making in corporate narratives", Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, vol. 24, no. 3, pp. 315-344. Moideenkutty, U. 2009, "Moderating Effect of Supervisory Role Definitions and Employee Impression Management on the Relationship between Organizational Citizenship Behavior and Individual Outcomes: A Conceptual Framework", Journal of Organizational Culture, Communication and Conflict, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 109-119. Read More