Ethical Leadership: Resisting Influence in the Form of Reciprocation

 









    In order to lead from an ethical platform one of the issues which we as leaders must navigate when making decisions for our organization is the expectation of reciprocation. Or, the feeling that we are obligated to repay in-kind to help we have received from others. This can become a very slippery slope because obviously not all "favors" are equal and the expectation of returning the favor regardless of weight can become substantial. 

    One way that we as leaders can resist the dynamic of reciprocity is to decline the initial favor. I personally believe that this is the most effective and efficient way to avoid the possibility of the quid pro quo cycle. By rejecting the initial offer as the decision makers we avoid the uncomfortable feeling and position we would be put in to pay an equal or greater price than the one we received initially.  

    However, this does bring about an entirely different scenario which may present itself. This is called "rejection then retreat". In this situation a party will ask for something extreme in return for a favor. As the decision making leader we then reject the situation because of the ask in return. The offering party after having the extreme favor then counteroffers something much more realistic and much more intriguing to us as leaders. All the while, the counteroffer was what was what the offering party expected to begin with. So, as leaders we have resisted the initial offer in reciprocity based upon our rule that this is the most effective and efficient way to avoid the quid pro quo system. We rejected #1 because this is our default response and #2 because the offer was so outrageous. But, now the counteroffer seems too good to be true which will test our belief system of reciprocity. As leaders we must work to "smoke out" these types of situations. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. 

    Finally, we can also address the least ethical way in order to manage the expectation of reciprocity. That is to accept the initial favor with no expectation of returning that favor. I think the important part of understanding this scenario is that you as a leader could be on the other end of this situation. Obviously, its not ethical or recommended to receive a favor with no expectation of trying to repay at an equal value. As a decision maker of an organization its vital that we enter into these type of informal contracts with ethical parties who are people true to their word.     

    Resisting influence in the form of reciprocation is an important discussion to me as it pertains to leadership decision making. I also believe that reciprocation can easily become a norm within an organization without understanding the potential pitfalls and that is the reason I wanted to discuss it in some detail. Please feel free to comment on reciprocation and your opinions regarding its use in leadership with organizations. Also feel free to place a comment regarding a form of influence other than reciprocation that you feel is also important to avoid or keep top of mind.  

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