A manager must establish a climate in which a subordinate can admit deficiencies without fear of criticism

A last category of persuasive strategies demands inclusion not because we advocate their use but becauseyou ought to be protected from individuals who use them. Propaganda devices involve deception and emotionalism rather than sound, rational argument. As miller puts it, "They make us believe and do something we would not believe or do if we thought about it calmly, dispassionatelyJob Knowledge Effon alone, no matter how great, cannot guarantee high level of performance. Besides effort, one needs job knowledge, which results from two separate factors:
(1)abilities and skills; and
(2) clear instructions and expectations. With thee extra elements added, our performance model now looks like Figure.

Abilities and Skills

Managers often assign employees to a job because they have assumed that the employees know how to perform it. Ironically, when their performance is rated sub-standard, these employees may be accused of being poorly motivated or sloppy when in fact they lacked the requisite ability or skill. This situation arises frequently when a manager assumes that an employee has the appropriate skill d the employee is afraid to admit that he cannot do the job.

Consider an employee, Bill, who joined the office staff of an insurance company shortly after graduating from a business school. While in school Bill had some experience, three day's training, on a word processing system. During the interview, Bill's boss asked him if he knew how to operate a word processor; he qQickly replied that he did. Now that he is on the job, he has been asked to complete a repon using a new word processing system in the office. Unfortunately, the new system is entirely different from the one bill trained on. After all, he has just started the job and is afraid of looking slow or unskilled. When the manager asks Bill if he thinks he will have any trouble, Bill acts enthusiastically about the project. Clearly, this could be the beginning of many problems.

How can a manager prevent such a problem? Taking the safe route and always assuming that subordinates cannot do a job may only insult the subordinates by casting doubt on their skills. At the same time, it is dangerous to assume that people can do something they cannot. The answer is open, trusting communication. A manager must establish a climate in which a subordinate can admit deficiencies without fear of criticism. The climate established should be "What can we do to improve? "rather than a climate that continually challenges people to prove their self-worth.