ABSTRACT
This chapter, the first of four chapters on core themes from Schein’s work, introduces his work on coercive persuasion and influence, which he considered to be one of his most significant research. Coercive persuasion is a process of social influence whereby those seeking to influence others control the social environment and the interactions between the targets of influence. Coercive persuasion is a central construct that runs through much of Schein’s work on helping, learning and change. This chapter introduces how Schein, as a clinical psychologist in the US Army, was sent to assess how American prisoners of war (POWS) had been indoctrinated in Korea, and how he brought his research to organisational socialisation and management development, organisational learning and education. The questions for study and reflection at the end of the chapter invite the readers to reflect on how they exercise social influence.
