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ASSERTIVENESS • Assertiveness is a form of behaviour characterized by a confident declaration or affirmation of a statement without need of proof; this affirms the person's rights or point of view without either aggressively threatening the rights of another (assuming a position of dominance) or submissively permitting another
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Assertiveness at work place

Nov 08, 2014

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Assertiveness at work place.
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ASSERTIVENESS Assertiveness is a form of behaviour characterized by a confident declaration or affirmation of a statement without need of proof; this affirms the person's rights or point of view without either aggressively threatening the rights of another (assuming a position of dominance) or submissively permitting another to ignore or deny one's rights or point of view.

BENEFITS OF ASSERTIVE Behavior Assertive behavior often enables an individual within an organization to achieve extraordinary results, otherwise, look a remote possibility. Assertive behavior helps in gathering unflinching support and cooperation from peers, subordinates and superiors by making them allies, instead of being part of warring factions. It offers an opportunity to come out of a big mistake, offers employees thoughtful and honest answers to their queries, grabs attention of person(s) who are otherwise unwilling to listen, gathering insights for important behavioral and professional aspects.

BENEFITS It avoids frustration amongst employees, makes other people flexible to accept a difficult stance, which they may need, but not aware. Assertive behaviour will help you talk about your needs and ideas and the outcome you would prefer, without arousing defensiveness in the person or group addressed.

BENEFITS Your ability to influence is no doubt an important step on the road to success. Being assertive, without being offensive, can help build your esteem as well as give you the confidence to handle difficult situations.

EXPRESSING ASSERTIVENESS Assertiveness can be expressed in various forms and manifestations. It depends upon the situation one is in. - For example, assertiveness while putting forth a point to the subordinates requires more of body language along with the verbal aspect, whereas the telecommunication between a customer and a marketer would call for assertiveness on the verbal part.

ASSERTIVE COMMUNICATION Communication acts as one of the major fundamentals to the success of any organization or an individual. The styles to be adopted while communicating with assertion calls for understanding the objective of the communication, expectations after the completion of the communication process, and the persons involved in the communication process. Choosing the right language is also important. Using humour or thanking at the end appropriately is important.

Assertive, Oppositional & Affectionate

Alberti(1977) has developed THE CRIB: A model for differentiating Assertive Behaviour. Aggressive, generally involves self-centred selfexpression and demeaning others in order to maintain power and control. Non-assertive, characterized by non-expression of honest feelings, frequently motivated by the fear of losing the approval of others, demeans the nonasserters self. On the other hand, acting assertive increases selfesteem and sense of personal control, co-operation and communication.

The Crib: A Model for Differentiating Assertive Behavior

ASSERTIVENESS & LEADERSHIP The concept of leadership is elusive, yet people in an organization tend to realize whether leadership is present or absent in an organization. The one characteristics that people sometimes look for in a leader is Assertiveness. Leaders with low levels of assertiveness may be viewed as too passive, while at the high end, leaders with extremely assertive behaviour may be viewed as too hostile. In between these two extremes are many possible additional descriptors for leader assertiveness. Generally, however, leaders can exhibit low assertiveness (e.g., being very passive and deferential to others), moderate assertiveness (e.g., mounting a defence when provoked), or high assertiveness (e.g., pursuing objectives with hostility). And in the end, depending on the situation, perhaps a particular level of assertiveness may mean the difference between leader success and failure.

LEADERSHIP According to the researches carried out by Daniel Ames and Francis Flynn, Extreme levels of assertiveness either high or lowmay carry a price in terms of perceived leader effectiveness. Moderate levels of assertiveness are more likely to be seen as resulting in effective leadership, both in terms of instrumental and social outcomes. Yet Ames and Flynn also suggest that while leaders may generally want to display moderate levels of assertiveness, they also may need to be flexible. In other words, leaders may sometimes have to manifest higher or lower levels of assertiveness depending on demands of the situation. However, leaders may not be able to change their basic tendencies easily when it comes to assertiveness, even if they are aware of them and the need to adapt when necessary, so in order to be better equipped of such situation, training may help them to express appropriate levels of assertiveness in more effective ways.

STEREOTYPED OR TOUGHMINDEDNESS The stereotyped notions of assertiveness: The best defense is a good offence. Become a go-getter. Assume that others will exploit you. Adopt an abrasive, and arrogant manner. Competing with others rather than self. Look out for number one.

STEREOTYPED OR TOUGHMINDEDTough Minded Assertiveness: Talks about strengthening, & toughening. Vulnerable is weak. The author* believes that vulnerability opens the door for ongoing growth experience, through which we discover new strengths, insights, skills and response abilities.(Speaking from Experience: Joe D. Batten, Training & Development Journal, 1979, p 30-32)

STEREOTYPED OR TOUGHMINDED

EVALUATE YOUR ASSERTIVENESS "Are you willing to talk to anyone about what you want?" "What do I want from this situation? "Did I get what I wanted?

Objectively rating your own behaviour can be difficult. The connection between what we think we're doing and what others see is very weak. Often it's not greater than chance. Therefore, it might help to get feedback from trusted colleagues or to conduct a 360-degree review.

Set goals and stick to them. Build relationships. Stay true to yourself. Dont be a bully.

PRINCIPLES TO REMEMBER Do: Assess your own degree of assertiveness and ask others for feedback Set realistic goals to make small changes in your behaviour and stick to them Forge relationships with colleagues outside of work so that you feel more comfortable speaking up Don't: Assume that assertiveness is always a good thing the context you work in and your gender both matter Try to imitate someone else's behavior you can change while still being true to who you are Overcompensate and become aggressive balance assertiveness with consideration of others

The Case Study of Finn Inc. Finnie Inc. is a UK headquartered organization having operations across Europe, parts of the Asia Pacific and Latin America. The company is headed by a Finnish gentleman Rose Taylor (Rose). The success mantra of Finnie in their European operations was assertiveness displayed while interacting with prospective clients and potential distributors by speaking in the clients or distributors language, verbally or non-verbally and also by formulating negotiation strategies with these parties. The company was highly successful in the European markets as they understood the pulse of the markets there. The top management including Rose realized the importance of communicating assertively with any stakeholder wherever they were present, which culminated in the organization allowing everyone to air their opinions freely and frankly with a critical backbone.

Rose handed over the mantle to his son Alex who was born and brought up in the UK. Alex did not have first hand knowledge of other parts of the globe including neighbouring Europe. He found certain moves made by his illustrious father to be at loggerheads with his own perception. He believed that assertive behaviour was something in which the employees had to blindly follow what had been laid down by the management, without airing their views in the form of feedback or opinion. He started to inculcate the same within the organizational fabric. Alex was trying to be part of everything, not only at the management level but also at the operative and supervisory level, and this led to a feeling of resentment amongst the rank and file of the organization. This gave rise to unrest across the global operations and shifting of loyalties of Finns clients.

According to Rose, Alex had jumbled up the meaning of assertiveness with aggressiveness.

The Revival Steps The revival steps taken by Alex with the help of McGill Brothers representative David to improve the companys condition were: He suggested Finnie to have assertive communication with all their stakeholders which would comprise sending a clear message, learning to listen to all the stakeholders viewpoint and perspective, starting any conversation with I feel, rather than you should, acknowledging the part of conflict areas between the management and other stakeholder.

The management of the company has to reduce anxiety and stress caused by misunderstandings and conflicts. The management should cultivate the culture of allowing everyone to air their thoughts and feelings clearly and effectively. To enhance the self esteem and self confidence of all the employees so as to have better control over the organizational life and life of the individual employees.

The organization was advised to have more respect for the ideas and opinions of others while making the communicate where the company stands.

The management and the employees should have the ability to say no, when no is being said without feeling self conscious. The organization should develop relationships with other stakeholders by politely disagreeing with their opinion if it doesnt match with the organizational requirement, rather than developing a hostile relationship.

Management should motivate other stakeholders to clearly state their own opinions and ideas in the overall interest of both the entities.Management should inculcate practices to ask for help when needed without fear and stress both at the individual and at the organizational level.

Alex realizes his fallacies and he started to adopt an assertive behaviour. Six months after his mentoring session, he realized the following changes in his behavioural traits: He gained self-confidence. He had more self-esteem. He understood and recognized his feelings. He started to earn respect from his stakeholders. He improved his communication with all stakeholders. He started to create win-win situations whenever he had any discussion with any of the stakeholders. His decision making skills improved. He started to create honest relationships with all the stakeholders. He started to have more satisfaction in his role as the head of the company. All these changes started influencing the companys performance, as after a lull in the performance the bottom lines of the company moved northwards for the first time in six months.

Conclusion Assertive behaviour is important for individuals both at the personal and professional level. One to one relationships on which the all human activities rely upon is decided on the basis of assertive behaviour. Quite often people consider assertiveness and aggressiveness as interchangeable items. However, there is a wide difference. Its a proven fact that assertive behaviour has many followers from every walk of life and luminaries and personalities like Barack Obama, Mahatma Gandhi, to name a few instances where assertive behaviour with honest work ethics and sincerity towards the cause has made them global leaders not only in their perspective fields but also a role model for the common man. The workplace dynamics in the modern day competitive world is altering with every moment and therefore its important for organizations to understand and implement the nuances so that the employees along with others imbibe such assertive behaviours resulting in moving up the scale and value chain.