Ingratiatory Behaviors in Organizational Settings

Social psychological research and work in the areas of upward influence, organizational politics, and impression management document the use of ingratiatory behaviors for the purpose of altering (shaping) positively the evaluations or attributions of relevant others. We examine four aspects of the ingratiation process. First, we define and distinguish ingratiation from other related, but not identical, constructs. Second, we present a dynamic model of the process and review the literature on which the model is based. Third, we present issues for future research that follow directly from the model. Finally, we summarize the important theoretical and practical issues raised by our review.