Working With Followers Research Paper

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.

A subset of leadership that is not often discussed is that of followership. "Followership refers to a role played by certain individuals in an organization, team, or group. Specifically, it is the capacity of an individual to actively follow a leader. Followership is the reciprocal social process of leadership." By implementing the concept of followership, a leader can improve the organization by instilling followers with a sense of responsibility to the organization and inspiring followers to be courageous in finding ways to make a difference. Just like leadership skills, followership skills need a solid foundation and a fostered environment to develop. In developing a followership concept, a leader needs to discuss the different

A leader can be a manager, but a manager is not necessarily a leader. The leader of the work group may emerge informally as the choice of the group. If a manager is able to influence people to achieve the goals of the organization, without using his or her formal authority to do so, then the manager is demonstrating leadership. Managers must know how to lead as well as manage. Without leading as well as managing, today's organizations face the threat of extinction. Management is the process of setting and achieving the goals of the organization through the functions of management: planning, organizing, directing (or leading), and controlling. A manager is hired by the organization and is given formal authority to direct the activity of others in fulfilling organization goals. Thus, leading is a major part of a manager's job. Yet a manager must also plan, organize, and control. Generally speaking, leadership deals with the interpersonal aspects of a manager's job, whereas planning, organizing, and controlling deal with the administrative aspects. Leadership deals with change, inspiration, motivation, and influence. Management deals more with carrying out the organization's goals and maintaining equilibrium.

Many times in life, we are convinced that leaders rise from the ground, pulling the rest of us up to meet them. Followers are portrayed as decorations to help enhance the leader. The relationship between them, however, is more closely resembling a tower. Followers support and build up to a major cause with the leader at the top, the figurehead of their ideals. The ideal leader is the ideal follower, which helps to portray outwards the qualities they're looking for and the goals they have. The difficulty arises when today's society raises everyone to believe that they must be a leader or they're a loser. As Reese Bobby in Talladega Nights said, "If you're not first, you're last." During my time on the girl's golf team, I was in no way the best

Followership is the ability to take direction well and be part of a team and deliver what is expected. Followers are just as important to an enterprise success as the leader’s lead. Followership, according to Atchison, is the reciprocal process of leadership (Atchison, 2004) The stigma of followership skills is, one does not reach progressively more responsible leadership positions without demonstrating an ability to follow and function effectively in a group. The fact is that in organizations

Followers help leaders manifest their vision. Successful followers (supporters or team members) come in a wide variety of personal characteristics. There are people who may be good followers who do not make good leaders or even want to be leaders, but there are no good leaders who are not good followers. A good leader was once a follower. Without followers there is no leadership in any organization. Leaders can develop effective followers as followers develop effective leaders. The performance of followers and leaders of an organization are variables that depend on one another. Both roles are proactive together they can

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

There have been many observations regarding the characteristics of a leader, but followership has received less attention. Treister and Schultz (1997) “suggests that a "follower is someone who accepts guidance and, on receiving it, takes the appropriate action." Treister et al (1997) also state followership is “considered a passive or submissive role of lesser importance than leadership. However, the effectiveness of leaders to a large measure depends on the qualities of their followers.” Treister et al (1997) go on to say “good leadership enhances followers, just as good followership enhances leaders." So followers are just as important as leaders are to a leader/follower relationship.

When learning more about what leadership consisted of, I was faced with this questions, “what type of follower am I?”. Often times we forget that followership is vital part of leadership,

Effective followers are other-centered. They are less concerned with themselves and personal benefits than they are with the success of the team. An example of this is when a follower takes responsibility

Riggio,R E,Chaleff,I & Lipman-Blumen, J 2008,The Art of Followership: How Great Followers Create Great Leaders and Organizations,1st Edition,A Willy Imprint,USA

Followers and leaders form one relationship in which they influence one another as well as their working environment, and that is leadership. They do not do the same things in the relationship but they are both essential to success.

Finally, leaders can also use their influence to model the behavior of their subordinates (Nahavandi, 2006). They achieve this by providing guidance and advise to their followers and by inviting others to participate in organizational team building activities. When leaders actively promote and encourage their followers to follow their examples they are effectively molding the future behaviors of their

Management plays one of the most vital roles within a company. Effective leadership improves the efficiency of the organization, ensures deadlines and launches are met, and empowers subordinates to be accountable for their objectives.

While followership is a relatively new field of study, it is still not as clearly understood as other more established fields and is often approached with hesitation. The term follower has a negative connotation, especially in the U.S., but they are not “passive recipients of the leader’s influence” they have an active role in the give and take relationship (Leroy, Aneseel, Gardener & Sels, 2015, p. 1681). It is observed that leaders’ strategic roles frequently reflect a high status with control over resources that cross boundaries while followers have lower status, less control over resources, and fill a narrow operational role (Manning & Robertson, 2016). Leaders cannot exist without followers and vice versa.