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Topic 8

Topic 8. Leaders and Followers. Followers . “If you wish to develop people into leaders, you must begin by teaching them to be followers.” - West Point U.S. Military Academy. Ira Chaleff. Anecdotally comments that for every 300 references on leadership --- 1 on followership

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Topic 8

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  1. Topic 8 Leaders and Followers

  2. Followers “If you wish to develop people into leaders, you must begin by teaching them to be followers.”- West Point U.S. Military Academy

  3. Ira Chaleff • Anecdotally comments that for every 300 references on leadership --- 1 on followership • Fairly New Phrase in Leadership Literature

  4. Effective Followership • Studies have mostly omitted followership as a determinant of effective leadership • Leadership and followership are related in a Yin and Yang fashion – one concept implies another • When we commonly speak of effective leadership, we are really speaking of effective followership

  5. Leadership and Followership • Good followers are reliable and dependable people, whom leadership can count on in the clutch. When we speak of followers, we are not talking about blindly, passive followers, or about “yes” men and women. We are talking about assertive, critical thinkers, who will allow their talents to be utilized, but who will refuse to be used and abused by leadership. One learns the art and science of effective leadership by being a consistent and committed follower.

  6. Effective Followers • Effective followers “have the vision to see both the forest and the trees, the social capacity to work well with others, the strength of character to flourish without heroic status, the moral and psychological balance to pursue personal and corporate goals at no cost to either, and, above all, the desire to participate in a team effort for the accomplishment of some greater purpose.”

  7. Followers & Followership • “I am a leader, therefore I must follow others.” (Voltaire 1700’s) • First step in leadership development is teaching one to be a follower. • Everyone (without exception) is a follower. • West Point Thesis ---- able leaders emerge from the ranks of able followers

  8. Qualities of Effective Followers • Loyal, effective team player with a contagious attitude • Always ready to accept tasks • One who remains positive in changing or confusing situations • Regards peers well and is well-regarded • Acts for the good of the team, as well as self • Competent • Dedicated • Honest, Sincere • Strong, Independent

  9. Qualities of Effective Followers • “Good followers are reliable and dependable people, whom leadership can count on in the clutch” • They are “assertive, critical thinkers, who allow their talents to be utilized, but who will refuse to be used and abused by leadership” • Chaleff developed a model for the courageous follower that requires “the courage to assume responsibility, the courage to serve, the courage to challenge, the courage to participate in transformation, and the courage to leave’

  10. Robert Kelley • Harvard Business Review Article “In Praise of Followers” • 4 Essential Qualities • Self-management • Commitment • Competence and Focus • Courage • Another way of framing qualities of effective followers is to say we want them to be generally the same as qualities of effective leaders.

  11. The Followers • Certain aspects of followers affect the leadership process: • Expectations • Personality traits • Maturity levels • Levels of competence • Motivation

  12. The Followers (continued) • Workers who share a leader’s goals and values will be more motivated to do their work. • The number of followers reporting to a leader can have significant implications. • Other relevant variables include follower’s trust in the leader and their confidence (or not) that he or she is interested in their well-being.

  13. Follower-Leader Comparison • Follower Power ??? • Effective followers generally use referent or expert power to strengthen their position. • Regarding followers---- Research tells us that higher intelligence and certain personality traits such as agreeableness and dependability relate to higher performance.

  14. Graen & Scandura’s LMX Theory • Leader- Member Exchange Theory • Expectations • In-Group • Out-Group • Psychological Bank Account • Resulting Performance

  15. Leader-Member Exchange Theory • Developed in the mid-1970s, LMX describes how leaders, over time, develop different exchange relationships with their various followers • Leaders develop separate exchange relationships with each of their followers • A small group of followers constitutes an “in-group” • The majority of the followers constitute an “out-group”

  16. The Reciprocal Nature of Influence • There is a great deal of evidence suggesting that leadership style affects subordinate performance and attitudes • There are also sound theoretical bases that argue that subordinate performance and satisfaction can cause the leader to vary his style of leadership

  17. Robert Kelley:Two-Dimensional Taxonomy • Categorizing Follower Behavior Using a Two-Dimensional Taxonomy • Independent, Critical Thinking--- Dependent Uncritical Thinking • Active --- Passive

  18. Robert Kelley:Two-Dimensional Taxonomy • The first dimension is independent, critical thinking as opposed to dependent, uncritical thinking. Effective followers think on their own without having to be told every detail. Because they are confident in their abilities, effective followers are willing to take risks and act independently. • Ineffective followers do not think for themselves; they wait for instructions from their leaders because they are not willing to take any risks. Sometimes, followers act this way because they have fear of failure. In the middle of independent, critical thinking and dependent, uncritical thinking are followers who do the task they are given without challenging the leader.

  19. Robert Kelley:Two-Dimensional Taxonomy • The second dimension in Robert Kelley’s model categorizes followers as active or passive. According to Kelley, effective followers are active. They participate and take responsibility for the job. Ineffective followers are passive; they need to be supervised all the time to ensure the job gets done. In the middle of passive and active are followers who after being told what needs to be done gets the task done.

  20. Robert Kelley • Research and work of Robert Kelley (late 80’s, early 90’s) • Using the 2 dimensions of independent, critical thinking and activity level, followers are categorized into one of 5 levels.

  21. Five Style of Followers • Alienated Followers • Conformist Followers • Pragmatist Followers • Passive Followers • Exemplary Followers

  22. 1. Alienated Followers • Passive and critical such followers are often capable but cynical, often good followers who have become disgruntled

  23. 2. Conformist Followers • The “yes people” of the organization, active but uncritical, demonstrate commitment but lack self-confidence or are averse to conflict

  24. 3. Pragmatist Followers • Middle of the road survivors --- usually mediocre performers who present an ambiguous image – they may be risk averse – often very political workers

  25. 4. Passive Followers • Both passive and uncritical, these followers show none of the behavior of effective followers; behavior only in response to leader and/or situation

  26. 5. Exemplary Followers • The most effective followers are active and critical; they know how to get along with the leader and peers and others for the benefit of the organization

  27. Partnering (Rosenbach, Pittman, Porter [1996, 97, 98]) • Partnering deal with the quality of relationships between leaders and followers rather than on characteristics of leaders and followers.

  28. Rosenbach, Pittman, Porter(1996, 97, 98) • Partnering • Focus is on Quality of Relationships • 2 Dimensions: • Performance Initiative • Relationship Initiative

  29. 4 Types of Followers • 1. Subordinate (like Kelley’s passive follower) • Low on both dimensions • 2. Valued Contributor (somewhat like Kelley’s exemplary follower) • High on performance, low on relationship dimension • 3. Politician • Low on performance, high on relationships • 4. The Partner (similar to Kelley’s Exemplary Follower) • High on both dimensions

  30. Robert Bales SYMLOG • SYMLOG (SYstematic Multiple Level Observation of Groups) • A method for rating and graphing follower behavior

  31. Bales (Robert F. Bales) • Older Research—late 50’s, early 60’s • SYMLOG • Bales model of Systematic Multiple Observation of Groups integrates personality theory and group dynamics in analyzing and understanding the performance of groups (i.e., followers)

  32. SYMLOG Field Diagram • Group members are charted as circles in a network based on 3 bipolar dimensions • Friendliness-Unfriendliness • Acceptance-Nonacceptance • Dominance-Submissiveness • Most effective followers are friendly, accepting, and somewhat more dominant than neutral

  33. Peter Block --- 1993  • Leaders as Stewards & Servants • Stewardship • Servant Leadership • Notion that leaders serve their followers • Bolman & Deal • Dorothy Marcic • Peter Senge

  34. “Do those served grow as persons; do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants?”- Robert Greenleaf

  35. Can you teach someone to be a good follower? • Maybe, maybe not • Probably not---Personality Issues • But you can use guidelines in HRD, MDE, T&D Programs to emphasize ways to improve followership • Yukl • Chaleff • Whetton & Cameron

  36. Changing Roles for Followers • The leader-follower relationship is in a period of dynamic change. • Increased pressure to function with reduced resources. • Trend toward greater power sharing and decentralized authority in organizations. • Increase in complex problems. • Followers can become much more proactive in their stance toward organizational problems. • Followers can better contribute to the leadership process by becoming better skilled at “influencing upward.”

  37. Applications: Guidelines for Followers • Support leader efforts to make necessary changes. • Find out what you are expected to do. • Take the initiative to deal with problems. • Keep the boss informed about your decisions. • Verify the accuracy of information you give the boss. • Encourage the boss to provide honest feedback to you.

  38. Applications: Guidelines for Followers • Show appreciation and provide recognition when appropriate. • Challenge flawed plans and proposals made by leaders. • Resist inappropriate influence attempts by the boss. • Provide upward coaching and counseling when appropriate.

  39. Developing Followership • It is not an easy task; and a canned, one size fits all solution will not work. Each organization is unique as are its leaders and followers. The individual situation must be addressed. First, find out where the followers are in their development. Some may already be great performers and need only encouragement and motivation to keep up the good work, while others may be stuck in the obedience mode and need a great deal of nurturing to reach their greatest potential.

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