How Others Persuade!

Peer pressure is something that effects people all around the world.  Now in a business and organization it also has its sway too.  Peer pressure can also be looked at as social motivation.  Typically people tend to act like those they associate themselves with, but in a business a boss can use  this too his advantage.  Now research has proven that the power of one can influence hundreds maybe thousands.  As a boss if change is going on in your organization try and search out the people that are highly respected throughout your organization. Most of the time people will go with the group only because they do not want to be the odd balls out.  They do not want to be the one that backs the boss or goes against some of the norms.  As a boss you need to find the people that everyone looks to at the lower level for information and as a guide.  These people are called opinion leaders and they can effect a bunch of people in an organization.  Now in the video above you see peer pressure at it’s finest.  Micky is a 7th grader and Steph is a 6th grader so right away Micky is looked up to as an opinion leader.  When everyone starts smoking and Steph turns it down Micky thinks about leaving for a second but doesn’t. Now think if Micky did leave she could be an opinion leader for all of the lower classmates in the school to follow her lead and not smoke.  In an organization a boss can use the opinion leaders to turn all of the employee in into the new way that the business needs to be ran.  If employees see theses people they respect (opinion leaders) acting in the way the boss wants and change, most of the time people will follow them and then the others will follow the group through peer pressure.  So in the end people who are respected and connected can have a huge amount of influence over any change effort.  These people can change a stressful situation throughout the organization into a new turn and solution for the business.