Impression Management

Frequently asked questions (FAQs):

What are some examples?

The term may seem far away—a practice employed by large companies, perhaps, or used by PR firms. While this is certainly the case, it can also be used by individuals to try to control how they are initially viewed or perceived. Wearing a certain style of dress for a job interview, telling a prospective romantic partner only about the positive aspects of your past, and regularly complimenting your mother-in-law can all be examples of impression management. It can be conducted on a grand scale, as when a company loudly and exhaustively proclaims its many charity affiliations, or small and almost unnoticeable, as when a friend always seems to agree with what you have to say.

There are also examples of honest and deceptive impression management. Honest impression management is putting forth information that paints you in a favorable light (i.e. complimenting your mother-in-law), and doing so because you actually believe what you are saying. Deceptive impression management is impression management that paints you in a positive light while being dishonest about your investment, interest, or belief in what you are saying (as when a company suddenly releases a slurry of information about their many outreach problems on the heels of negative press).

Why is it important?

It is important because impressions are often the most important parts of initial and ongoing communication and relationships. On a smaller scale, it matters in interpersonal relationships because people are more likely to paint themselves in a positive light and play up their strengths until someone has grown to love or value them, before they will allow a steady stream of less than ideal behaviors and traits to come forth. It is important on a grander scale because companies rely heavily on this concept to continue to provide goods and services to people in the face of increasing competition.

If you have been invited to a black tie event, for instance, and you arrive in dark-wash jeans, a simple blouse, and sneakers, you will have given the impression of not fitting in, not caring about directives, or not understanding simple instructions. Impression management allows you to attend the event in question and gain acceptance by other eventgoers and organizers. Similarly, companies use it to single themselves out and essentially argue why they are the company you should spend your money with. From positive associations with charities to positive employee experiences, companies rely on it to develop brand loyalty and stay in business.

What is the implication for managers?

Impression management is the term used to describe the manipulation (positive or negative) of others’ perceptions of you—particularly upon a first meeting or first exposure. It has many implications for managers, both in terms of their own impressions and the impressions they have of incoming job applicants. As a manager, it is important to create a positive impression for incoming job applicants, clients, and customers; clean stores, open communication chains, and prompt services are all ways to maintain positive impression management, and encourage customers and new employees alike to stick with a company. An inability to read social cues, keep current with terminology and events, and engage thoughtfully with clients and consumers can all spell very real trouble for companies of all sizes, as they all negatively impact it.

It is also important to keep on management’s radar, as incoming employees are likely to work very hard on their own, and are likely to provide a singular image of their own qualifications and assets while minimizing or altogether ignoring their weaknesses and pitfalls. Being able to sort through the truth of someone’s claims and qualifications, and being able to recognize someone’s attempts at flattery rather than genuine interest can be important parts of a manager’s job if incoming employees are to add value to a company’s team and stick around long enough to make the training and integrating of new employees worth the effort.

What are the techniques?

There are seven recognized techniques, though there are certainly some that will not apply to everyone in need of it, and not all will be effective for every situation. The seven recognized techniques include:

• Conforming to expectations and norms. As a company, this could mean donating to a specific set of charities or hiring with a certain starting salary. As an individual, it could mean following typical social conventions, such as making small talk or dressing a certain way.

• “Excuses” could just as readily be described as “explanations,” as they involve managing any negative outcomes or unpleasant or less-than-ideal circumstances. A job interview, for instance, often involves either making excuses for or explaining why a certain event happened the way that it did (being let go, getting a write-up in a former position, etc).

• An apology is another form that comes not at the beginning of an association, but after some type of relationship has already been established. If a manager offended an employee, for instance, a workplace could maintain its status as a pleasant, friendly, and appropriate place to work if the manager in question delivers a prompt and heartfelt apology. Companies, too, can apologize for poor hiring practices or poor decision-making in larger, public communications such as press releases.

• Acclaiming is a type of self-promotion and involves drawing attention to a person or company’s desirable traits or past successes. This can come after some negative press or rumors have leaked or can be a part of the impression during a first meeting.

• Flattery is precisely what it seems to be: an attempt to flatter the person conducting an interview, being interviewed, or being considered. A large company can use flattery in social media, by reaching out to other companies and applauding their initiatives, or highlighting a single customer’s use of their products. Employees can flatter their managers by praising their every effort and idea, even if those ideas do not actually warrant praise. People in daily life can flatter a friend or romantic interest by suggesting that everything they say or do is fascinating and groundbreaking.

• Favors can assist in positive impressions by “buttering someone up” or essentially bribing them with tokens for esteem and value. Someone wooing a prospective client might offer them a free stay in a hotel for a 30-minute marketing pitch. A new paramour might attempt to manage your impression of them by showering you with gifts such as flowers and small, affectionate notes.

• Association is a part of it, in that it provides a sort of “in” for people, which can positively impact their ideas about a person or company. For instance, a company might have an affiliation with a local food bank, suggesting that they are on the up-and-up. After all, what kind of shady company would be interested in partnering with a food bank? A love interest could use association by exclaiming, after you’ve told a story, “So and so?! I know so-and-so!”

Although many of these words carry with them a negative or unpleasant connotations, this is not necessarily the case; not all of this topic itself is nefarious, or designed to hide something that needs to be brought to light. Instead, it can mean putting your (or your company’s) best foot forward within a certain group, proposition, or population.

What are the types?

Just as there are seven techniques involved, there are six types. These include:

• Self-awareness. Self-awareness seems to be discussed a lot, whether it is a headline splashed on a gossip magazine or an in-depth analysis published by a respected United States journal. What it means to be self-aware is simply this: be able to recognize your motives, your needs, and your failings, and accept and acknowledge your hand in things.

• Mindfulness means paying attention and staying present. If you are daydreaming, drifting, or otherwise absent from your workplace, your relationships, or your life, you cannot properly recognize your own impressions, let alone manage them.

• Emotion impression management. Nothing can quite destroy others’ impressions of you like out-of-control emotions. Whether emotional outbursts are mostly sad (crying or begging), angry (shouting, accusing, or throwing), or overwhelmed (shaking, sobbing, or panicking), emotional instability can quickly undermine an individual (and a company). This type, then, is a vital part.

• Following etiquette. Etiquette once focused on specific utensils, how to sit at a dinner table, and similar concerns, but the word has come to encompass far more than that, focusing on upholding social norms and expectations. Continually upholding these norms and expectations plays a large role.

• Demonstrating confidence. Confidence inspires trust, which makes confidence an important part of it, as well; after all, if a manager, client, or employee cannot trust you, how will you be able to keep their continued patronage, cooperation, or respect?

• Like confidence, positivity can inspire trust and respect. Remaining positive means finding a way to consider or proffer the upside or potential benefit of any given situation, which is essential to maintaining positive impressions.

Managing your impression or your company’s impression can be an arduous task, and requires no small effort. The practices above can, however, do a great deal to assist in maintaining high impressions. The learning outcomes associated with consistent use of this management include customer satisfaction, brand loyalty, and trust between employees and employers.  

How is it positively used?

While there has been a great deal of research done regarding this topic, much of the research has focused on the negative aspects of the practice. While there can be deception involved in it, this is not always necessarily the case; making a good impression (and maintaining that impression) can be done honestly, provided that the virtues you claim to have and the accomplishments you claim to possess are, in fact, honest. The formula for positive impression management is fairly straightforward: communicate honestly, and maintain your reputation.

It is positively used when a company honestly seeks to promote its programs for their virtue: if a company engages in charity work, and actively looks for ways to improve its company culture and customer experience, promoting and acknowledging those traits in marketing campaigns, but is positive in its use, practice, and message. A job candidate who is qualified for a job, who would be an asset to the team, and who firmly believes they are right for the job are positively using it when they highlight and detail all of the ways in which they are ideal for the job.

What are the benefits?

The benefits depend greatly on the areas in which it is applied. If it is largely focused on familial relationships, for instance, on the heels of marriage, the benefits are likely to include increased family satisfaction, increased familial trust, and increased feelings of safety among the family. In a workplace, benefits might include a greater likelihood of receiving a promotion, a greater incidence of workplace commendation, and a trusting, comfortable, and respectful relationship between employees and management teams. Between companies and current or potential clients, benefits can include product satisfaction, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty.

How is it used in the workplace?

The strategies in the workplace are vast and can be used from the angle of employees, management, and company owners alike. Employees often use these strategies to keep the position they are interviewing for, by making sure they appear to be exactly what the company is looking for. Once hired, employees can continue using these strategies to make sure they continue to be viewed as top performers who are indispensable for their employers.

Managers may use such strategies to make sure their employees are pleased with them and their positions. It can help daily operations run smoothly, provided that managers are and continue to be seen as considerate, firm, competent, and reasonable. Companies, too, may use these strategies to keep management teams happy, and to also appear competent and capable.

Is it ethical?

The theory of impression management is neither inherently ethical nor inherently unethical; it is used in all walks of life and, in many cases, is done without a great deal of thought or effort. What is better discussed, then, is not whether or not it is ethical, but what kind is ethical: honest or deceptive. Understandably, honest impression management is ethical: is a form of self-promotion that is based in fact and demonstrable truth. Unethical is deceptive impression management, which involves lying to create a specific impression, or manipulating facts to guarantee a specific outcome.