Are there any positive benefits to impression management, or is impression management a form of deception and unethical behavior?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

According to Goffman, impression management is an essential part of everyday life; it is part of the process of communicating to others who we are. Far from being a method of conning others, impression management can have many socially beneficial purposes. For example, impression management is often used to help others save face. When a subordinate or coworker makes an embarrassing mistake, a leader or team member can use impression management techniques to smooth over the embarrassing moment. Considerable research has confirmed these beneficial results (Rosenfeld et al, 1995). For instance, a study of 246 working adults found that subordinates responded more positively to constructive negative feedback when the supervisors included face-saving statements as well as the negative feedback; moreover, subordinates had more positive impressions of the supervisors (Kingsley Westerman & Westerman, 2010).
Some people have a negative view of impression management and assume that leaders high on impression management praise their superiors while backstabbing their competition and coercing their subordinates. However, some evidence suggests quite the opposite—that leaders high on impression management might be less likely to use punishment or coercion as a motivating tool. After all, these leaders generally want to be admired, liked, and respected by others, including their subordinates. Gray and Densten (2007) surveyed a national cross sample of 2,376 Australian business executives. They found that impression management was associated with greater amounts of transformational leadership behavior. In particular, leaders high on impression management were likely to report higher levels of providing individual support. This shouldn’t be surprising—ingratiation is one of the key forms of impression management. Moreover, the use of impression management was negatively correlated with contingent punishment. After all, it’s hard to get employees to admire you while you are punishing them.