The Impact of Supervisor Influence Strategy and Relational Context on Readiness to Change for the Alcohol Abusing Employee

Abstract

This study explores interpersonal influence dynamics occurring when a supervisor tries to persuade an alcohol abusing employee to seek help through an employee assistance program. The impact of influence strategy and relational context were examined through a controlled laboratory experiment. Results offer support for the hypothesis that a motivational influence strategy will be more effective than a confrontational strategy and modest support for the hypothesis that an in-group relational context may facilitate compliance better than an out-group relational context. Significant findings as well as some theoretically consistent but non-significant interaction effects are discussed in terms of implications for supervisor training and future research.

Key Words:

• Employee assistance program
• interpersonal influence
• substance abuse
• supervisory referral
• leader-member exchange model
• stages of change