Interpersonal Influence in Product Management

W HILE much has been written on the role of product management in marketing,' little has been said about the means that product managers use to gain compliance from functional and staff groups who provide support for their product lines.2 This is critical, since product managers often find themselves dependent for support on others over whom they have limited direct authority or control. The objective of this article is to empirically measure the perceived importance of various interpersonal influence modes used in gaining product line support from the standpoint of both product managers and their superiors. In addition, the research explores the potential assistance that group product managers can give their product managers in using each influence mode.