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CHAPTER ELEVEN

FOLLOWERSHIP

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Learning Objectives

Describe followership behaviors and provide specific examples of followership behaviors.

Explain why effective followership behaviors can have positive influences on group and organizational performance.

Describe ineffective followership behaviors and the negative influences they can have on group and organizational performance.

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After reading this chapter, you should be able to do the following:

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Learning Objectives

Identify how group members can become more effective in followership behaviors by increasing their technical competence and developing social skills.

Identify follower characteristics that are helpful in carrying out followership behaviors.

Identify organizational and task characteristics where followership behaviors would be highly effective and where they would not be effective.

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After reading this chapter, you should be able to do the following:

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Followership

An interactive role individuals play which complements the leadership role and is equivalent to it in importance for achieving group and organizational performance.

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Effective Followership Behaviors

Demonstrating job knowledge and competence while working without close supervision and completing work tasks on time.

Demonstrating independent critical thinking. Showing initiative in taking on responsibilities,

participating actively, seeing tasks through to completion, and taking responsibility for one’s own career development.

Offer information, share viewpoints, or take issue with decisions or actions that may be unethical or ill-advised.

Build collaborative and supportive relationships with coworkers and the leader.

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Effective Followership Behaviors

Exert influence on the leader in a confident and unemotional manner to help the leader avoid costly mistakes.

Show up consistently when needed and accurately represent the leader’s interests and views.

Set work goals that are action-oriented, challenging, measurable, and aligned with group and organizational goals.

Demonstrate proper comportment for the organization. This may include manner of speech, dress, grammar, and etiquette.

Demonstrate a concern for performance as well as a supportive and friendly atmosphere within the work group.

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Followership Behaviors

Goal setting withconcern for group

performance

Goal setting withconcern for group

performance

Build positiverelationships with

leader & coworkers

Build positiverelationships with

leader & coworkersOffer information

& share viewpoints

Offer information& share viewpoints

Span group andorganizational

boundaries

Span group andorganizational

boundaries

Demonstrate jobcompetence &

autonomous performance

Demonstrate jobcompetence &

autonomous performance

FollowershipBehaviors

FollowershipBehaviors

Accurately representleader’s interests

Accurately representleader’s interests

Take on responsibilities,

participate &complete projects

Take on responsibilities,

participate &complete projects

Demonstrateindependent criticalthinking & creativity

Demonstrateindependent criticalthinking & creativity

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Examples of Ineffective Followership

Conformist followers are intellectually lazy because they allow the leader to make moral decisions for which they are responsible.

Passive followers act morally only under someone else’s prodding.

Apathetic, passive, or cynical followers exhibit a spectator-like noninvolvement that invites abuse by unethical leaders.

Pragmatic followers are unwilling to disturb the status quo to do something worthwhile.

Ineffective followers expect training and development to be served to them.

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Traits and Skills

A high degree of expertise or technical competence extensive education and/or relevant work experience

Good social skills builds cooperative relationships with leaders and

coworkers forms effective relationships with important outsiders has sense of humor

Shares attitudes and values with their leader Flexible—can adapt to changing demands and

environments Maturity, a sense of confidence and self-esteem.

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Sources of power

Expert power intelligence, competence, and critical

thinking skills Referent power

sociability, flexibility, and ability to handle stress

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Effects of Followership

Followership behaviors resulted in higher performance ratings by superiors.

Followership behaviors may result in increased motivation, satisfaction, feelings of empowerment, and group cohesion.

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Situational Factors and FollowershipFactors that Enhance Followership The leader is frequently absent or distant from

followers. task competence, taking initiative, actively

participating, and thinking independently may be especially critical for team performance

Followers' work tasks are highly complex or interdependent. task competence and activities which build

cooperation with co-workers are probably especially important for group performance

Followers' group faces frequent emergencies, high risk situations, or rapid change. speaking up, task competence, proactive

initiative, and concern for performance are probably especially important

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Situational Factors and Followership

Factors that Substitute for Effective Followership

The leader is very active in external boundary-spanning by gaining resources for the unit, building and maintaining networks with key outsiders, and facilitating important exchanges for the group.

A leader that is unusually adept at critical thinking, creativity, and inventiveness.

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Situational Factors and Followership

Factors that Decrease the

Effectiveness of Followership A domineering, autocratic and self-

centered leader.

A leader that does not value followers who show initiative and who think for themselves

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Applying the Tentative Model of Followership

Is the leader often physically distant from followers? Are followers’ tasks highly complex and/or interdependent? Does followers’ group face frequent emergencies, high risk, or rapid change?

If “yes” to one or more of these questions, then leaders will probably respond favorably to followership behaviors.

1. DIAGNOSING THE SITUATION

Create neutralizers for dominant self-centered leaders (such as increasing physical distance from leader)

Create interdependent projects with other individuals or groups

Identify rapidly changing environmental factors

3. MODIFYING FOLLOWERS AND SITUATIONS Followers demonstrate:

Job competence & autonomy Independent critical thinking & creativity Proactively taking responsibility, participating &

completing projects Speaking up to offer information & views Building positive relationships with leader &

coworkers Exerting influence on the leader Spanning group & organizational boundaries Goal setting with concern for group performance Accurately representing leader’s interests Demonstrating proper comportment by interacting

in a considerate manner

2. PROVIDING FOLLOWERSHIP BEHAVIORS

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