Theory X Case Study

Though it is often forgotten, the concept of followership plays a very important role in the success of any group setting. For example, Steve Jobs may have founded and led Apple, but could not have achieved such success without the followers that worked under him. Our government, the education system and health services would not function properly without the support of the majority of their staff who are not in leadership positions. The job of followers is to make it possible for someone to lead.

In followership there needs to be a leader that inspires and bonds followers together as a unit moving in one direction. Today’s leader has to be more than someone that was placed in a position of authority, a person with a title and a higher salary level. A real leader is found when the behaviors and attitudes of their

In any workplace, workers are no doubt the essential mainstay that holds any business or corporation together. Employees achieve important tasks to help the company’s long term vision and goals to be successful and efficient. A business can’t be successful without a proper management that is why it is important for employees to enjoy going to work and they also have maintain a positive attitude while being productive and completing tasks. Motivation is what gives a person the purpose to perform or behave in a certain way with the desire or willingness to gain something. There are two types of motivations, motivation that comes from a person and motivation that comes from materially goals. It is very necessary that employers keep their employees motivated and encourage them to perform above expectations.

Kellerman, B. (2008). Followership How followers are creating change and changing leaders. Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Business Press

One of the strengths of this approach is that it highlights that leaders and followers mutually affect each other, making leadership an interactive activity that is not restricted to only a formal leader. At the same time this approach lacks wide empirical research, specificity and conceptual

A lot of businesses find that a very efficient way to keep their customers is by acting in a socially responsible way.. A company can be socially responsible in a variety of ways such as using resources that won’t hurt the environment or the consumers, and giving a portion of their proceeds to a foundation. An example of a socially responsible company is Burt’s Bees. Burt’s Bees has gone above and beyond to promote socially responsibility not only by providing natural products and assuring customers that no harm was done to the animals involved but by sponsoring and donating to foundations that have the same want for world-wide well being.

Effective followership is an essential component of effective leadership in that, without good followers, the leader’s work is difficult and cumbersome. The role of the follower is many times understated. As illustrated by Kelley (1998), “effective followers are thinkers; energetic and assertive, self-starters, independent problem solvers, and carry out their tasks with these characteristics (p. 143). Effective followers also are characterized by their ability to perform tasks with little supervision, their intelligence, and ability to think for themselves. We are all followers, even those who consider themselves leaders; so to encourage this effectiveness in others; we must be role models for those under us, so that they may also be effective at following. Chaleff (2009) observed that “all important social accomplishments require complex

Leaders are expected to lead and followers expected to follow- but are the two really that different? Not really. This paper focuses

The role of the follower and the quality of the relationship itself are informally negotiated between followers and their leaders over time (Gils, Quaquebeke, & Knippenberg, 2009). Based on the LMX theory, leaders build a special relationship with an inner circle, or “in-group”, of followers, who often get high levels of responsibility and access to resources. The in-group members work harder and are more committed to task objectives. They are also expected to be totally committed and loyal to their leader. Conversely, other followers fall in the “out-group" and are given low levels of choice or influence. Aggression, sarcasm and a self-centered view are qualities seen in the out-group. The quality of the LMX relationship varies and is better when the challenge of the job is extremely high or extremely low (Graen et al., 1982).

In looking at the characteristics a leader posses, knlowedgable, charismatic, articulate or heroisim; it is the devotion of a follower that determinses wether or not you are a leader, (Bennis, 2007). Leaders and followers have a co- dependent relationship; one cannot exsist without the other. Known as a dyadic relationship, the ability to recognize the level of power a leader has over an individual can possibliy origninate from the level of dependency the follower demonstrates (Martinez, Kane, Ferris, & Brooks, 2012). The level of dependency from a follower can provide the illusion to an individual to be revered as a leader. The expectation that a position exsudes power is a myth that propels the leader and follower dyad; when working under a leader the follower possibly assumes their role without question due to the enforcement of a hierchey structure. Willing followers tend to demonstrate a desire to serve, are in touch with their emotions, aware of their responsibilities, and seek to serve who they have deemed their leader (Northouse, 2013). Determine the plausible future of a leader; followers look for the following results from a leader, knowledge, task orientation, structure, and motivation (Northouse

The four groups of followers operated as alienated followers, sheep, yes people, and survivors, all lacking the key factor of being able to succeed without strong leadership. Sheep lack initiative and sense of responsibility, while yes people refuse to be against the leader (Wren 195). Alienated followers tend to think more independently but are prone to group think. They are normally dissatisfied and/or resentful. Any of these three groups can at any time merge into the survivor group because this group of followers operate under the “slogan “better safe than sorry”” (Wren 195). If a leader is surrounded by these types of followers, it is more difficult for him to be a good leader. Also, if the leader already retains personal motives, he

The purpose of this chapter is to analyze available followership literature to identify established and acceptable definitions and attributes of followership. The idea and theory of followership has been around for centuries. Aristotle once said, “Who would learn to lead must, as men say, first of all learn to obey” (Aristotle, 1895). Since the mid-1900s researchers conducted specific studies on followership, beginning with E. P. Hollander and Wilse Webb’s study “Leadership, Followership, and Friendship: An Analysis of Peer Nominations” where they assess the validity of peer nominations (1953). Interest in the study of followership increased in the 1980s and 90s. However, followership became an independent field when Robert Kelly and Ira Chaleff each published books with followership in their titles (Crossman & Crossman, 2011). Kelly’s The Power of Followership: How to Create Leaders People Want to Follow and Followers Who Lead Themselves and Chaleff’s The Courageous Follower: Standing up to and for our Leaders are foundational works inspiring practically every subsequent study. From here followership literature can be categorized into two defining groups descriptive, studies that identify actual behaviors, and prescriptive, studies that identify ideal behaviors (Crossman & Crossman, 2011). This research combines both descriptive and prescriptive descriptions of followership and arrays them along Jon Howell and Dan Costley’s

The leader and follower relationship is looked at as winners and losers, when it is actually a symbiotic association. (Chaleff) Leaders cannot exist without followers and followers cannot exist without a leader. Leaders can forget that they need the backing of a solid team of followers in order to succeed. Because they make the “important” decisions and enjoy an astronomical rate of pay, it is easy to overlook the loyal, hard working individuals that make everything happen under them. Followers too can forget that they are a valuable element of a successful organization, and that their feedback and ideas are welcome.

Corporate social responsibility has been one the key business buzz words of the 21st century. Consumers' discontent with the corporation has forced it to try and rectify its negative image by associating its name with good deeds. Social responsibility has become one of the corporation's most pressing issues, each company striving to outdo the next with its philanthropic image. People feel that the corporation has done great harm to both the environment and to society and that with all of its wealth and power, it should be leading the fight to save the Earth, to combat poverty and illness and etc. "Corporations are now expected to deliver the good, not just the goods; to pursue

Theory X assumes employees are inherently lazy and will avoid work if they can and that they inherently dislike work. As a result of this, management believes that workers need to be