Teutonic organizations believe that size makes up for persuasion.
Small organizations believe that persuasion makes up for size.
The problem in both organizations is scale, not properly understood.
Because your organization, your team, your personality, or your project is large, that doesn’t mean that persuasion is something to be abandoned. Persuasion at scale to get me to follow the rules, be compliant, or go along with the program, must not be abandoned in favor of the use of power and authority.
Because your organization, your team, your personality, or your project is small, that doesn’t mean that persuasion is the only thing to consider. Appealing to power or authority to get me to follow the rules, be compliant, or go along with the program, is sometimes a tool that works to ensure future engagement.
Be sure of three things to determine the balance in your organization:
- Be sure of how your size (small or large) is perceived by others in the market.
- Be sure of how your persuasion tactics have been effective (or haven’t been effective) in the past.
- Be sure of how you have used (or misused or failed to use) power and authority in the past, and in the present, to move the market.
Otherwise, when your organization follows a rule or regulation to the letter, creates a method of persuasion that falls on deaf ears, or makes a move that benefits the organization but not your customers or fans, don’t be surprised when the push back is unexpected.
