theonline.mba
← Back to LDR 404

LDR 404 · Unit 3 of 6

Influence Tactics and Persuasion

Power, Influence and Organizational Politics

Start unit · 4 lessons →

Learning objectives

After completing this unit, you will be able to:

  • Produce portfolio-ready deliverables
  • Apply the frameworks in "Influence Tactics and Persuasion" to a real management decision
  • Make progress on your Executive brief applied project

Why this matters

Influence Tactics and Persuasion is essential to Power, Influence and Organizational Politics. Lessons build fluency with anchor-company examples, worked problems, and assessments on the unit page.

Lesson

Unit overview

Complete all 4 lessons in order. Each lesson follows the program authoring standard: conceptual prose, worked examples, practice problems, and managerial judgment prompts. Finish unit exercises and the knowledge check before marking the unit complete.

Connection to applied work

This unit feeds directly into Executive brief. As you read, capture notes, examples, and data you can reuse in that deliverable. Strong students finish each unit with a draft section of their project, not just highlights.

Practice

  1. Write a one-page summary of this unit in your own words without looking at the lesson.
  2. Find a real company example (public filing, news article, or personal experience) that illustrates the main concept.
  3. Draft one paragraph recommending an action a manager should take based on this unit.
  4. Add at least three terms from this unit to your course glossary.

Knowledge check

Answer these without notes before marking the unit complete:

  1. What is the central idea of "Influence Tactics and Persuasion"?
  2. What mistake do beginners most often make when applying this material?
  3. How does this unit help you complete Executive brief?
  4. What is one decision you face this month where this unit applies?

Key takeaways

  • Produce portfolio-ready deliverables
  • Business concepts only matter when they change a decision.
  • Your LDR 404 assessment (Power, Influence and Organizational Politics. Six units covering applied topics in this concentration.) rewards applied understanding, not memorization.

Unit assessment

Complete each section below. Score 80%+ on the quiz to finish this unit's assessment.

50% applied project30% case work20% knowledge checks

Exercises

Apply what you learned in this unit with structured practice.

ExerciseApplied practice: Influence Tactics and Persuasion45 min
Complete a focused practice exercise on **Influence Tactics and Persuasion**. 1. Choose a real company, product, or situation you know. 2. Apply one core framework from this unit to analyze it. 3. Write your analysis in 300–500 words with a clear recommendation. 4. Cite at least one credible source.

Deliverable

300–500 word analysis document saved to your portfolio under LDR 404.

Rubric

  • • Framework applied correctly (not just named)
  • • Specific evidence from a real example
  • • Clear recommendation with tradeoffs acknowledged
  • • Professional writing with source citation
ExerciseDrill: Influence Tactics and Persuasion30 min
Work through the practice problems in the unit lesson without looking at notes. Then check your work against the lesson and write a short reflection: - What you got right - One mistake you caught - One concept to review before the next unit

Deliverable

Problem solutions + 150-word reflection in your LDR 404 workbook.

Rubric

  • • Attempted all practice items before checking answers
  • • Honest reflection on errors
  • • Identifies a specific review action

Reflection

Reflect on how the unit concepts apply to your work.

ReflectionReflection: Influence Tactics and Persuasion40 min
Write a structured reflection (400–600 words) on **Influence Tactics and Persuasion**. Address: 1. What surprised you in this unit? 2. Where have you seen this dynamic in a team or organization? 3. What will you do differently in the next 30 days? Use specific examples. Avoid generic statements.

Deliverable

Reflection document in your portfolio.

Rubric

  • • Specific personal or observed example
  • • Connects unit concepts to behavior
  • • Identifies a concrete behavior change
  • • Honest and analytical tone

Knowledge quiz

Check your understanding before marking the unit complete.

1. BrightPath faces: how Diane Foster persuades skeptical partners to adopt shared hiring scorecards Which framing best matches decision-grade leadership analysis?

2. Which framework is most directly tied to Cialdini principles in this unit?

3. In the BrightPath scenario (Scorecard resistance), what is the core risk if leaders skip influence tactics and persuasion?

4. BrightPath has 900 employees and $240M revenue. Why do small failures in influence tactics and persuasion compound?

5. Which mistake mirrors HarborPoint Advisors' failure in the worked example?

6. Which evidence label is appropriate after a 12-person focus group on influence tactics and persuasion?

7. Diane Foster proposes a pilot on 3 managers/units/teams before scaling Rational persuasion. What is the best reason?

Next unit: Political Skill and Ethical Boundaries →