FAILED UPWARD INFLUENCE ATTEMPTS - PREDICTING THE NATURE OF SUBORDINATE PERSISTENCE IN PURSUIT OF ORGANIZATIONAL GOALS

Research on upward influence in organizations has often proposed that such influence is an episodic process, yet rarely does such research e xamine the use of influence after the employee has met with initial re sistance. Based on the upward influence model of Porter, Alien, and An gle (1981), this study examined several predictors of subordinates' de cisions to cease or persist in attempts to obtain work-related resourc es after an initial failure. A LISREL model indicated that upward infl uence actions following a failed influence attempt can be predicted wi th variables related to goal importance, influence agent characteristi cs (i.e., Machiavellianism and work experience), and aspects of the ag ent-target relationship (i.e., leader-member exchange and costs associ ated with influence). The implications of these findings are discussed .