Instructions

Preparation (10 minutes)

Two people play the following roles: (a) a section head and (b) a program officer. Choose the role you wish to play now. Then continue reading.

Role players should read the information sheet for their roles only. The general information is known by both parties, plus there is privileged information for the specific role. Do not read the other role before doing the exercise.

Study your role so that you can play it without referring to the written material. Familiarise yourself with the facts on your information sheet. Prepare to carry out your role as if you were in this position, with the facts, attitudes, and feelings involved. Use your imagination to expand on the facts when necessary to successfully complete the exercise. However, try to be as realistic as possible. Put yourself in the situation. Then, write down your learning goals before meeting with the other party. If you add information to the role description, you must inform the other person and reach an agreement before you begin the exercise.

Information known to Both Parties

Your organisation makes large loans and grants to foreign governments and private agencies to stimulate economic and technological development. Your own section is responsible for investigating potential projects or programs in one geographical area, and then preparing appraisal reports. Once an appraisal report is completed, there is a complex and lengthy review process before funds are actually allocated. The recommendations contained in your section’s appraisal report are weighted heavily in making the final investment decision.

There are always more worthwhile projects than there are investment funds available, so there is a certain amount of competition among sections to get funding for promising projects in their own geographical area. It is easier to get projects funded toward the end of the fiscal year, since unspent money has to be returned.

Information known only to the Section Head

Your direct report, a program officer, is late completing an appraisal report for a lay project because of “missing data.” The project in question is potentially the largest and most important in your area of responsibility, and you are determined that everything will proceed according to the review schedule that you have established. You feel certain that missed deadlines will hurt the project’s chances of being funded during the current fiscal year. You need the report right away in order to keep to the schedule for the review process, and to maximise the potential for funding.

Although this program officer is extremely competent and committed, you feel this person is overly cautious and too meticulous.

You have asked this program officer to come to your office to establish exactly when you can expect to receive the appraisal report. Your intent is to make this deadline sometime within the next few days. You do not want to alienate your direct report, because you will need this person’s continued support. However, if you do not receive the appraisal report this week, you will be forced to postpone and reschedule the entire review process. You would not be pleased if that happened.

Influence Objective(s)
Influence Style or Behaviour you intend to practise
Core Style Statement

Information known only to the Programme Officer

Your supervisor, the section head, has been putting pressure on you to complete an appraisal report for a project you have been investigating. From your point of view and past experience working with this person, the section head is more interested in meeting deadlines than in getting the best possible job done. You feel there is a risk in pushing a recommendation of this project too quickly, since you question the accuracy of some of the data obtained so far. Moreover, some information is still missing, and you need this data in order to have full confidence in your recommendation.

The section head has asked you to stop by, probably to push you to deliver the report immediately. You would like another month to obtain and analyse the data you need. This would give you full confidence in your recommendations.

Influence Objective(s)
Influence Style or Behaviour you intend to practise
Core Style Statement

Exercise (20 minutes)

Conduct the exercise: both parties carry out their roles in the meeting.
Enforce the time limit (choose a timekeeper, if necessary).
Remember to record the exercise!

Review (30 minutes)

Now, review and analyse your exercise. Begin by sharing your practice style and your Influence Objective.

Next, analyse the recording using a Tally Sheet to code behaviour. Look for missed opportunities to use the behaviours you wished to practice, and ways you might have been more effective in accomplishing your learning goal for this exercise.

Give the other person constructive feedback: how effective he or she was in accomplishing objectives, practicing specific influence skills and so on.

If you have time, you may repeat the role play. Modify your behaviour based on the feedback you have given or received. Keep in mind that the opening few minutes are the most important. It is not necessary to reach a decision in this exercise replay, as long as each participant has several opportunities to speak.

At the end of the session take time to record useful feedback and learning in your Journal.

16 Overdue Report