In search of the right touch: Interpersonal assertiveness in organizational life

Recent evidence suggests that many organizational members and leaders are seen as under- or over-assertive by colleagues, suggesting that having the "right touch" with interpersonal assertiveness is a meaningful and widespread challenge. In this article, I review emerging work on the curvilinear relation between assertiveness and effectiveness, including evidence from both qualitative descriptions of coworkers and ratings of colleagues and leaders. I discuss mediators and context effects and also explore why unhelpfully low and high levels of interpersonal assertiveness may emerge and persist. I draw implications for interventions as well as future research.