Conflict, Power, and Influence Case Analysis

Thomas Green did a great job positioning himself for promotion through his outstanding performance as an account executive. However, he overestimated the power of performance alone. Thomas needs to grow his information power (Organizational Behavior 13.3) and use rational persuasion (Organizational Behavior 13.3) to gain credibility and influence both internally and externally.

From the first moments of Green’s promotion, he was under scrutiny from Davis. Thomas needed to prioritize efforts to help internal stakeholders, like Davis, understand what he was seeing in the market. Green should have compiled thorough monthly market analysis reports, complete with data on emerging markets and client trends, new product adoption rates, and other relevant KPIs. He might have been tempted to say these reports were a waste of time, but by preparing them, Davis would have had a harder time disputing Green’s choices and would have been more likely to approve of how Thomas spent his time.

Market reports are a smart, proactive step toward helping others understand Thomas’s thinking, but he was unwise to ignore the deliverables Davis specifically requested. Thomas can use information, such as shared calendars, weekly KPI reports, and quota projections, to strengthen his relationships with both Davis and McDonald. Providing transparency into what he is doing in his new role will help build internal support, especially if Green can demonstrate his dedication and consistent success.

Thomas’s need for more data doesn’t apply only to his internal interactions. Many clients also expressed a need for more concrete information and research to help them justify his products within their own organizations. If Thomas intended to continue engaging directly with clients in his new role, he should have limited the number of visits and focused on closing more meaningful deals. He should have taken time to understand each client’s use case and then prepared case studies or primary data reports to demonstrate how his proposals would clearly benefit them. Thomas’s youthfulness meant that clients needed more information to feel secure. 

Thomas is noted for his charisma and enthusiasm, but had he worked in a more evidence-based manner, he could have generated greater influence. When Green chose to challenge the projections that Davis set for his department, he could have taken a more rational approach. Asking, “Would you mind walking me through how you arrived at these projections?” would have opened the door for Green to introduce additional data, allowing him to challenge the numbers with evidence rather than opinion. While he likely wouldn’t have gained favor with Davis, McDonald and others would have been more able to follow the logic of his arguments and, as a result, may have been more inclined to question Davis’s projections as well.

Thomas made many siloed decisions in an effort to maximize his impact as the newest Senior Analyst. However, he should have involved others, especially Davis and McDonald, as he pursued new initiatives. One effective tool would have been to create cost-benefit reports projecting the ROI and market defensibility of his proposals, compared to other possible uses of his time and company resources. This kind of report would have helped Thomas gauge the level of risk his supervisors were comfortable with, and he would have been far more likely to gain their support before launching his special initiatives.

Lastly, Thomas needs to adopt a more logical and structured approach to his sales strategy. While Green excels at drawing others into his ideas, there is evidence that his approach lacks the substance needed for others to champion his proposals independently. Because his influence relies heavily on charisma and energy, it is limited to those he interacts with directly. If Thomas applied frameworks like SPIN selling (Situation, Problem, Implication, and Needs Pay-off), he could anchor his approach in a logical structure that others could carry forward and present, without needing his personal flair, but still retaining effectiveness through rational persuasion.

Thomas has great potential, but he will continue to struggle if he does not learn to bring others along with him. Increasing his information power and shifting his approach to influencing others toward a more rational, logic-based method will help him overcome his current shortcomings. By applying these suggestions, Thomas will see stronger internal support, greater credibility among peers and leaders, and more consistent buy-in from clients. Rather than relying solely on charisma, he will be able to scale his influence through clear data, structured arguments, and thoughtful preparation. These changes will allow him to succeed not just as a contributor, but as a respected leader in the organization.