Page 430 - Effective Communication Soft Skills Strategies For Success by Nitin Bhatnagar, Mamta Bhatnagar

418 | Model Question Papers

even if it results in punishment. To be punished is better than to be ignored. On the other
hand, a person with a low inclusion need prefers not to stand out, would rather not receive
too much attention, does not like to be prominent in the public eye.
Schultz holds that people at both extremes are motivated essentially by the same fear of not
being recognized as individuals. The people high on the inclusion need will combat the fear by
forcing others to pay attention to them. Those low on the inclusion need have convinced them-
selves that they will not get any attention, but that it is just the way they want it. Most people are
probably somewhere in the middle of that continuum. Your needs for inclusion may change as
the people you associate with differ, and as the situations you find yourself in change. We may
want very little recognition from a professor when we have not done an assignment and do not
wish to be called upon, while at the same time we may have a strong need for attention from
the person sitting next to us, whom we are interested in getting to know better.
The need for inclusion has some influence on the process of interpersonal communication.
Imagine a situation in which two or more people equally something. Much of the energy
they are going to spend in that interpersonal context will be spent establishing in the group
a position from which they will get the recognition they need. However, if all members are
recognition seekers, chances are they will have a difficult time securing attention from one
another. Much of the group’s time, it can be predicted, will be spent vying for recognition
from anyone in authority or from each other. Little else is likely to get accomplished.
A group composed of a reasonable balance of people high and low on inclusion will
probably function in a smoother fashion.
Control: The need for control involves a striving for power, for being in charge, for
running things, and for influencing one’s environment. The need for control is not
necessarily related to the need for inclusion. Some people enjoy being in charge of
things even if no one is aware that they are running the show. These people are high on
control while low on inclusion-power, behind-the-throne types. Some people, on the
other hand, may seek leadership or prestige positions not for the power they bring but
for the attention they produce. This is why it is not always easy to determine whether a
person’s behaviour is influenced by one need or the other.
Naturally, some people are quite low on the need for control and are not interested at all in
taking initiative, in assuming responsibilities, in making decisions, or in leading a group.
As is true for the inclusion need, a mixed group composed of highs and lows on the con-
trol dimension, has a better chance of getting things done.
Too many ‘leaders’ and not enough ‘followers’ may result in a constant struggle for
leadership, and the ensuing climate of competition may not be conductive to accom-
plishing much. On the other hand, too many ‘followers’ and no ‘leader’ may result in
apathy, and not much may.
Affection: The need for affection has to do with how close people want to be to one
another. Some people like to be very intimate and enjoy warm relationships, even with
relatively casual acquaintances. They enjoy telling about themselves on a personal level
and expect similar behaviour on the part of others. They want and need to be liked.

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