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.