This study explores the relationships of school heads’ adversity quotient and behavioral influence tactics to leader-member exchange in Maguindanao, Philippines.

1. BEHAVIORAL INFLUENCE TACTICS,
ADVERSITY QUOTIENT AND LEADER-
MEMBER EXCHANGE (LMX) IN
MAGUINDANAO GRADE SCHOOLS
ERNIE C. CERADO
GUILLERMO S. RIVERA, JR.
SULTAN KUDARAT STATE UNIVERSITY
Tacurong City, Philippines

2. Introduction
Pfeffer (1981)
defined influence as
the ability to
exercise power in
order to overcome
resistance in
achieving a desired
objective or result.
Barry and Shapiro
(1992) cited Kelman
and Hamilton (1989):
influence tactics are
actions that people
take to change the
attitudes, beliefs, and
behaviors of target
individuals.
The appropriate use of influence is an essential leadership
function that differentiates successful managers from non-
successful ones (McFarland, Ryan, & Kriska, 2002).

3. BEHAVIORAL
INFLUENCE TACTICS
Kipnis and Schmidt (1985) grouped the
influence tactics that they had identified and
consolidated as hard, soft, and rational.
• hard tactic signified the use of authority and position power
• soft tactics involved the use of personal power, and
• rational persuasion tactics relied upon the use of logic

4. STOLTZ’S ADVERSITY QOUTIENT (AQ)
AQ is the most widely used scale in the world for
assessing one’s current resilience and learning how
to deal with everything from minor hassles to major
setbacks more effectively.
The more resilient you are, the more effectively and
constructively you respond to life’s difficulties, and
the more fulfilling life becomes.
DR. STOLTZ

5. AQ THEORY
Its intent is to measure an individual’s pattern of
responding when facing challenges or adversities in life.
He theorizes that the higher a person’s AQ is, the higher
his or her ability to withstand adversity, which in turn is
thought to translate into increases in work performance.

6. LEADER-MEMBER EXCHANGE THEORY (LMX)

7. • Currently, most studies conducted on influence
tactics and LMX were done in foreign settings.
• LMX studies in educational settings are still
limited; it is understudied in the Philippines.
• Maguindanao grade schools are unique
according to its structural, geographical and
cultural settings.
Considering schools as dynamic
public organizations, that
school head-teachers
relationship is paramount
towards quality delivery of
services, the researcher
thought of exploring the
concepts of Behavioral
Influence Tactics, Adversity
Quotient and Leader-Member
Exchange, as well as their
relationships to each other.

8. Figure 1. Research Paradigm
Behavioral Influence
Tactics
Adversity Quotient
Leader-Member
Exchange
Quality Delivery of
School Services &
School
Effectiveness
Independent Variable Dependent Variable Expected Outcome
Conceptual Framework

9. • to describe the Maguindanaon Grade School heads’ AQ
profile, behavioral influence tactics, and leader-exchange
exchange; and
• to relate adversity quotient with LMX, as well as, behavioral
influence tactics with LMX.
Specifically, this study sought to achieve these objectives:
Research Objectives

10. METHODOLOGY

11. METHODOLOGY
Locale of the Study
• Maguindanao,
Autonomous
Region in Muslim
Mindanao (ARMM)
Philippines
Data collection
methods
• Survey
questionnaires
(Influence Behavior
Questionnaire,
Adversity Response
Profile & LMX
Scale)
Statistical tools
• Percentage, Mean,
Pearson r,
coefficient of
determination

12. RESULTS/DISCUSSIONS

13. • About one-half (48%) of the
Grade School heads have
moderate level of adversity
quotient.
• 3 out 10 (30%) school heads
have high AQ.
• School heads with moderate
and high AQ levels constituted
nearly ¾ (78%); implying that 1
out of 4 has low AQ.
• The result confirms Zhou’s
(2009) compilation of studies
indicating that grade school
administrators and even
teachers usually fall within the
moderate level of adversity
quotient.
FINDINGS
High AQ
30%
Moderate AQ
48%
Low AQ
22%
Figure 2. Adversity Quotient Profile of Maguindanaon
Grade School Heads

14. • Evidently, Grade School heads
rarely used pressure as a
strategy in influencing their
subordinates.
• This approach categorically
obliges them to resort to using
demands, threats, or persistent
reminders to influence their
teachers.
• Its occasional application is
indicative of its less acceptability
and ineffectiveness to teachers.
• In West Carolina, Von Dohlen
(2012) found out that pressure
as proactive influence tactics
were reportedly used the least
often by principals.
FINDINGS
Influence Tactics Means Verbal Interpretation
Rational Persuasion 3.04 Moderately Often
Inspirational Appeal 3.08 Moderately Often
Personal Appeal 2.90 Moderately Often
Consultation 2.97 Moderately Often
Collaboration 2.93 Moderately Often
Ingratiation 2.88 Moderately Often
Pressure 2.57 Occasionally
Table 1. Use of Behavioral Influence Tactics of Grade School Heads

15. • In contrast, tactics like rational
persuasion, inspirational appeal,
personal appeal, consultation,
collaboration, and ingratiation
are repeatedly used by school
heads to influence their
teachers.
• School heads prefer to use
subtle and friendly tactics to
persuade their subordinates
into freely performing their
participation, support and
loyalty when given tasks.
• The results is consistent with
Gardner and Avolio’s (2008)
finding that soft influence
tactics like inspirational appeal
is ordinarily practiced in a
school setting.
FINDINGS
Influence Tactics Means Verbal Interpretation
Rational Persuasion 3.04 Moderately Often
Inspirational Appeal 3.08 Moderately Often
Personal Appeal 2.90 Moderately Often
Consultation 2.97 Moderately Often
Collaboration 2.93 Moderately Often
Ingratiation 2.88 Moderately Often
Pressure 2.57 Occasionally
Table 1. Behavioral Influence Tactics of Grade School Heads

16. • The quality of LMX among
Grade schools in Maguindanao
is high; it is also true to stages
like role taking, role making and
consistency.
• School heads and their teachers
mutually recognize each other’s
individuality and consider each
other as a friend.
• Similarly, school heads provide
support and trust in their
subordinates, and extend help
when necessary for the
individual’s professional growth
and accomplishment of
organizational goals
FINDINGS
Categories of LMX Means Verbal Interpretation
Role taking 3.12 High
Role making 3.10 High
Consistency 3.19 High
Overall Mean 3.14 High quality
Table 2. Leader-Member Exchange among Maguindanaon Grade Schools

17. • Graen and Uhl-Bien (2005) cited
that high quality LMX
relationships can facilitate leaders
to “identify the passions of
individual academic faculty, and
then draw upon these passions to
foster a sense of organizational
citizenship and transformative
collaboration.”
• Favorable LMX enhances the
subordinates’ motivation, job
satisfaction and productivity
(Lunenburg, 2010).
• High-quality relationship
prompted members to assume
greater job responsibility,
contribute more to the
organization, and are rated higher
in performance (Schreisheim,
Neider, & Scandura, 1998).
FINDINGS
Categories of LMX Means Verbal Interpretation
Role taking 3.12 High
Role making 3.10 High
Consistency 3.19 High
Overall Mean 3.14 High quality
Table 2. Quality of Leader-Member Exchange among Maguindanaon
Grade Schools

18. • Behavioral influence tactics and
LMX are strongly related to each
other.
• The relationship is relatively
strong, thus, it can be inferred
that LMX in Grade schools can
be determined by the mode of
behavioral influence tactics a
certain school head exercises.
• The result can also be
construed, such that, 69% of the
variations in leader-member
exchange are explained by the
variations in behavioral
influence tactics employed; the
remaining 31% may be
attributed to other factors.
FINDINGS
Table 4. Correlational Analysis of the Grade School Heads’ Behavioral Influence
Tactics and Adversity Quotient with the Leader-Member Exchange
Variables Pearson r (rcomp.)
Coefficient of
Determination (r2)
Behavioral Influence Tactics
vs LMX
0.829*
0.69
Adversity Quotient vs LMX 0.133 0.02
rtab(.05, 21) =.413
The finding substantiates the earlier claim that
there is moderate link between LMX and choice
of influence tactics of managers and executives
in large-scale multinational companies in
Malaysia (Lo, Ramaya, and de Run, 2010).

19. • Conversely, the adversity
quotient of the Grade School
heads is not related to LMX.
• This implies that having a
high AQ does not guarantee
a high quality LMX. Similarly,
when there exists a poor
relationship between the
school head and
subordinates in school it
does not follow that the
former has lower AQ.
FINDINGS
Table 4. Correlational Analysis of the Grade School Heads’ Behavioral Influence
Tactics and Adversity Quotient with the Leader-Member Exchange
Variables Pearson r (rcomp.)
Coefficient of
Determination (r2)
Behavioral Influence Tactics
vs LMX
0.829*
0.69
Adversity Quotient vs LMX 0.133 0.02
rtab(.05, 21) =.413
It can be deduced that the school heads’ ability to deal and cope
with adverse situations have nothing to do with the quality of
leader-member exchange. Whether their adversity quotient is
low or high, it will not directly manifest impression to the
professional and personal relationships between them and their
subordinates.

20. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS

21. Majority of the Grade School heads have
moderate level while only ¼ have low Adversity
Quotient. Cognizant of the value of AQ, there is a
need to adjust and improve its present level as it
is behavioral. Dr. Stoltz advised, “The stronger
your AQ, the more effectively you will respond to
adversity, and the less life’s events will take a toll
on your energy, performance, health, and outlook.
The weaker your AQ, the more difficult it can be
for you to maintain the energy, optimism, and
fortitude required to optimize your talents and
your life.” (http://www.peaklearning.com).
Thus, the Department of Education should
have intervention programs or relevant
training on this regards either in the district
or division level. This will precisely equip
them how to exactly handle every conflict,
deadline, setback, injustice, opportunity and
challenge in school.
CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS

22. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS
In terms of behavioral influence tactics, the Grade School
heads commonly used inspirational appeal, rational
persuasion, consultation, collaboration, personal appeal, and
ingratiation; pressure is rarely employed. These most
preferred tactics are categorized in Mullany’s (2011) study as
soft influence factors; they usually incite commitment.
In contrast, pressure tactic is categorized as hard; this
tactic together with coalition and legitimating are
referred to those factors that seek to force compliance
among subordinates. Thus, regardless of culture or
geographical setting it appears that pressure as a
behavioral tactics is not practical to use.

23. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS
The leader-member exchange
between the school heads and
their subordinates indicates high
quality. This led us to surmise
that Maguindanaon Grade School
heads are good in dealing with
their teachers. They ensure every
subordinate to belong or is
motivated to be part of the in-
group rather than in the out-
group.
Moreover, it can be inferred
that teachers are working
harmoniously with their heads.
LMX in school is a mutual
understanding, feeling, and
relationship between and
among school heads, teachers
and other staff; thus, LMX
quality is attributed to all actors
in school.

24. Behavioral influence tactics of school heads and LMX are proven
related, but AQ and LMX are not. Precisely, the way school heads
influenced their teachers to stimulate compliance and commitment,
or minimize resistance when implementing educational tasks is
associated to the manner of working relationships they have.
Thus, his manner of exercising power over his subordinates creates an
apparent result on the characteristic of their social partnerships.
Conversely, the school head’s resiliency or capacity to face adversities
in work is, in no way, related to the quality of social engagement
between him and his teachers.
CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS

25. RECOMMENDATIONS
It is suggested that Grade
school heads should assess
properly which influence
tactics is effective considering
its impact to LMX.
School heads are bombarded
with multifarious challenges
everyday at work, hence they
are vulnerable to stress. AQ
Orientation is what they need.

26. RECOMMENDATIONS
Other Grade school heads should be
aware on the use of LMX as a
leadership tool. Thus, they can have
school level evaluation to examine
the LMX particularly the out-group.
Further study will be carried out to
ascertain the influence of Leader-
Member Exchange to school
effectiveness.

27. Thank you for
listening.