THE POWER OF CONFORMITY: EXPLORING COERCIVE CONTROL MECHANISMS IN LEADERSHIP

https://emeritus.org/in/learn/what-is-leadership/

‘Fitting in’ was a term used for acts that humans put up in order to avoid societal punishment, such as bullying. When everyone in the room is wearing the same blue hat, you would feel compelled to wear the same blue hat. Some might think that this act is caused by our primal brain, which tells us that we must be part of a larger group in order to survive. However, one thing is for sure, acts of ‘fitting in’ is called social conformity, an act that would be useful in terms of leadership. 

The act of conformity itself can be divided into two categories based on the coercive control mechanisms. These mechanisms include coercive power and coercive persuasion. An example of these mechanisms is shown by Nelson Mandela and Kim Jong Un. Nelson Mandela and Kim Jong Un share the same skill that most people do not possess. That aforementioned skill is the ability to make others follow their lead and work upon a common goal, or in another sense, conform to their lead. To put it simply, Nelson Mandela’s leadership is based on coercive persuasion, while Kim Jong Un’s leadership is based on coercive power.

Coercive power itself is an arsenal and might be the easiest way to achieve social conformity. All one needs to do is to install fear into their followers, forcing them to listen and obey your commands. However, this creates a false sense of conformity, as followers are forced to follow blindly, leaving no room for questions and any sense of liberty. Humans crave freedom and liberty to do things. Taking away their sense of freedom upfront might lead to multiple accounts of deviancy which leads to the system crumbling down.

On the other hand, coercive persuasion is done in groups. Based on a study of US Prisoner Of War (POW) done by Schein, there are a number of techniques used in coercive persuasion, with most of those techniques revolving around groups. Using role modeling, peer pressures, and reward systems, Chinese captors transform US POWs beliefs into communism. These same techniques are applied to real-world scenarios, in which companies will implement mentoring programs, projects based on teamwork, and reward systems to achieve conformity.

In conclusion, humans tend to make attempts to fit in to avoid societal punishment. This trait is then used by leaders by creating a sense of social conformity under their leadership. To achieve that, a leader might use coercive power or coercive persuasion. Coercive power limits critical discussion, while coercive persuasion internalizes a common value amongst followers to achieve their autonomy. These practices of these coercive control mechanisms have become normalized in our society and it is recommended for people to learn about these topics.

References:

Dowman, B. (2020, February 7). Cultural change, leadership and social conformity. LinkedIn. Retrieved April 24, 2023, from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/social-conformity-organisational-culture-ben-dowman 

Tourish, D., Collinson, D., & Barker, J. R. (2009). Manufacturing Conformity: Leadership Through Coercive Persuasion in Business Organisations. Dans Management, 12(5). https://doi.org/10.3917/mana.125.0360