...Leaders, Followers and Situations Leadership can be defined as the process of influencing an organized group toward accomplishing its goals. It is a complex phenomenon involving interactions between the leader, the followers, and the situation. A thorough understanding of this interaction is a critical success factor for the effective High Performance Leader. In this interaction, the first element is the Leader. This includes concepts like personality, position, and expertise. The second element of the interactional framework is the follower. This includes concepts like values, norms, and cohesiveness. The third element is the situation. This includes concepts like the task, the environment, stress, and crisis. Leader-Member Exchange Theory describes two kinds of relationships that occur among leaders and followers: the In-group members and the Out-group members. LMX theory has broadened to include entire continuum of relationships that leaders may have with members. The theory looks at the nature of the relationship between the leader and the followers. The leader has unique personal history, which includes unique interests, character traits, and motivation. Effective leaders differ from their followers, and from ineffective leaders on elements such as personality traits, cognitive abilities, Skills, values. Another way personality can affect leadership is through temperament. Leaders appointed by superiors may have less credibility and may get less loyalty. Leaders elected...
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...Naturally, I am a follower. I am a follower because I believe I do not have the qualities of a leader. The qualities of the leader I lack include the ability to speak clearly, control of my emotions, and charisma. I grew up in English as a second language household that affected my ability to speak clearly. I have a bad habit of stuttering, speaking too fast, and not speaking what I practiced what I would have said. Being able to speak clearly is an ability that a leader needs because clear instructions and messages are very important to followers. An unclear instruction can lead a business to have a failed contract negotiation. The control of emotions is important to a leader as it shows that the leader is able to keep calm and clear-headed. I do not have the full control of my emotions. I do not like to have a room-filled people's attention, as I get flustered. When I get flustered, I start to sweat, be unable to stay still, lose track of what I am about to say, and unable to maintain focus. When those demeanor shows up, to my mind, I look like a guilty person who committed a crime in a police interrogation. A good leader would be able to stay and maintain the calmness during any time of crisis. Calmness is very crucial to make rational decisions that can affect the business' seamless operation. Another quality in a leader I lack is charisma. I do not have the charm to keep people in focus nor attention. Being able to attract and keep people's attention is...
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...benefit the whole organization. To be an effective leader, several steps are necessary to follow. Leaders should identify themselves and as well as their followers’ characteristics; they should clearly set objectives and goals for the followers; they should choose the most appropriate approach to motivate their followers; and help their followers to better themselves. A good leader is often a good follower as well. Leaders are following other leaders in higher positions. They need to identify themselves what role they are playing, what outcomes they are expected to achieve, and what outcomes they expect their followers to achieve. It is important for followers to know that they have a successful leader, so that they believe the leader will lead them to success. Leaders do not necessarily gain willing followers, by identifying their followers’ characteristics and providing good dyad between each follower, they highly increase the willingness of the followers. When they recognize that the followers are hard workers and trust worthy, they can assign important works to the followers. As a leader, the ultimate goal is maximize the outcomes of the followers. When leader and followers have a trustful relationship, the group will have better performances and greater outcomes. When leader clearly states the objectives and goals for the followers, the efficiency of the group would be significantly enhanced. Because when the followers are doing tasks without the objectives and goals...
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...years ago, after many years serving as a director of various nurse-midwifery services, I had the disconcerting but ultimately rewarding revelation that I was not a very good boss. Sure, I was good at negotiating the budget, and getting the midwives decent working conditions, but I was autocratic and aggressive, not very desirable characteristics of a leader. I decided to shift into teaching, something I enjoyed and did not require that I be “in charge” of anyone but myself. To keep clinically active, I took a per diem position as a nurse-midwife at a local hospital. It is a position which I still hold today and one that gives me great pleasure. And it is in part because my current boss is such a skilled leader, a leader that I am proud to follow, that I became interested in the concept of followership. | | It seems that a lot gets written about leadership in both business and healthcare. And, certainly we can all agree that leadership is critical to successful teamwork. In fact, teamwork seems to be the topic du jour in many healthcare organizations striving to become models of patient safety. But leaders need followers, so what about the issue of followership? After giving the concept of followership some serious thought and doing a bit of reading on the subject, I've concluded...
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...What specific actions can followers take, both individually and in a group, so as not to be complicit in supporting the actions and activities of “bad” leaders? In today’s fast paced world, leader-follower relations are more dynamic than ever, whereby individuals that were once leaders are becoming followers and followers are becoming the new leaders. Power, authority, and influence are some of the characteristics which distinguish leaders from follower. As described by Barbara Kellerman, followers are subordinates who have less power, authority and influence compared to their superiors and who therefore usually, but not invariably, fall into line. However, these elements which define leader and followers are constantly changing based on situational context. As a result, any follower can be a leader and any leader can be a follower depending on situation and personal characteristics. Leaders are often assumed to be powerful and independent. On the other hand, it is impossible to be a leader without followers. Leaders do not act alone and leadership cannot exist in isolation. Leaders and followers are like two side of a coin: one is unable to exist without other. As explained by Malcolm Stubblefield, leaders exist because of followers. Traditionally “leadership” has become synonymous with good leadership. However when the concept of leadership is considered broadly it becomes evident that leadership has both a good and a dark side. Bad leadership (or dark side) is characterized...
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...leadership styles are more task oriented. Transformational and charismatic leaders must be careful to keep their focus people oriented or they may be subject to fall in to narcissism. Transactional and instrumental leaders must not be so task focus that they become autocratic and lose their followers. Transactional Leadership is defined as leadership that occurs when one person takes the initiative in making contact with others for the purpose of an exchange of valued things (Burns, Wern 1995) However, further research into this type of leadership according to Bass (1981) transactional leadership is based on the hypothesis that followers are motivated through a system of rewards and punishment.' While transactional leadership is based on a quid pro quo (something for something) relationship, transformational leadership is need based. Kark & Shamir (n.d., p.69) found that transactional leaders address the self –interest concerns of followers by exchanging rewards or recognitions for cooperation and compliance behaviors consistent with task requirements. In the current economy, it is easy to state that both transformation and transactional leadership are widely used in organizations, however transactional leadership will rule out. This is because the employer (leader) now has the bargaining power for the follower (employee) to meet the leaders expectation for the follower to be rewarded, if the follower fails the punishment ensues. Many employees across the country have had...
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...Followership is important in order for a corporation to be successful. While the leader of an organization is an important role, a leader has to have followers to lead. This paper will look at what followership is defined as. It will also explore some of the demands on the effective follower and why effective followers are a critical resource for a leader. Followership One of the most important roles in an organization is followership. However, followership would not exist without trust and leadership. A leader is defined as one who “influences relationships among leaders and followers and who intend real changes and outcomes that reflect their shared purposes” (Daft, 2008). The two positions are entwined. Followers can shape a leaders behavior just like a leader can develop good followers. These roles are proactive and can work together to achieve the vision of the organization. In a time, not too long ago, followership meant to do as you were told and be quiet about it. Followers kept their heads down and did their job and did not ask questions. Recently, an employer’s expectations has changed for followers, and leaders are asking more from their subordinates than before. Everyone is or has been a follower at some time in their life. Even leaders have to have a followership role. For example, a supervisor on a production line has followers reporting to him/her. They in turn have to report to their leader. Followership should be looked at as a role in life and not a position...
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...INTRODUCTION [pic] There is no leader without at least one follower. Yet the modern leadership industry, now a quarter-century old, is built on the proposition that leaders matter a great deal and followers hardly at all. Good leadership is the stuff of countless courses, workshops, books, and articles. Everyone wants to understand just what makes leaders tick—the charismatic ones, the retiring ones, and even the crooked ones. Good followership, by contrast, is the stuff of nearly nothing. Most of the limited research and writing on subordinates has tended to either explain their behavior in the context of leaders’ development rather than followers’ or mistakenly assume that followers are amorphous, all one and the same. As a result, we hardly notice, for example, that followers who tag along mindlessly are altogether different from those who are deeply devoted. In reality, the distinctions among followers in groups and organizations are every bit as consequential as those among leaders. This is particularly true in business: In an era of flatter, networked organizations and cross-cutting teams of knowledge workers, it’s not always obvious who exactly is following (or, for that matter, who exactly is leading) and how they are going about it. Reporting relationships are shifting, and new talent-management tools and approaches are constantly emerging. A confluence of changes—cultural and technological ones in particular—have influenced what subordinates want and how they...
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...of building relationships. Followers and leaders need to have a process that helps refine who he or she is and what the objective is. The follower and leader could obtain a positive relationship by understanding his or her self and the behaviors of others (Chaleff, 2009). Organizations need the follower and leader to get along and work together for the wellness of the overall goals. Followers and leaders that cannot get along could potentially hurt the organization and other relationships that have been formed. Motives are used to help build relationships such as trust and loyalty. Trust and loyalty are motives to form relationships to see who the follower and leader can trust and who are loyal. Followers and leaders do not need issues that arise often with others due to people not getting along especially between...
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...Supervisor-Subordinate Relationships Both transformational leadership and leader-member exchange leadership theories have been an issue of discussion for many scholars. The majority of authors agree that transformational leaders ‘have qualitatively different and quantitatively greater effects on their followers than the effects of exchange leaders’ (Gupta & Krishnan 2004, p.7). This essay builds on the existing literature about these two theories and will try to draw a parallel between LMX and transformational leadership, i.e. it will reveal the different and similar qualities of supervisor-subordinate relationships. Specifically, the essay focuses on the mechanism that each style of leadership uses in developing these relationships. That will actually help to find out some differences and similarities. This paper initially revisits the main aspects of transformational leadership and LMX leadership theories and then discusses them in relation to their capacity to develop differing qualities of supervisor-subordinate relationships. In ‘Leader-Member Exchange, Transformational Leadership, and Value System’ Krishnan (2005) noted that according to Burns, ‘the result of transforming leadership is a relationship of mutual stimulation and elevation that converts followers into leaders and convert leaders into moral agent’, which means that both leaders and team members offer one another. In this case, leaders serve their followers, create conditions for their further development, and make them...
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...understanding how leaders impact organizational success, follower success, and even their own success has been a much sought after and controversial concept. While there are varying leadership models and theories, four leadership models include: transformational leadership model, transactional leadership model, charismatic leadership model, and situational theory of leadership. Four Leadership Models Transformational Leadership According to Avolio and Yammarino (2002), leader-follower interaction can be based on either transactional or transforming. Transactional leader-follower relationship is contingent upon the “exchange of valued items, whether political, economic, or emotional” (Avolio & Yammarino, 2002, p. 7). By contrast, transformational leader-follower relationship is “where the motivation, morality, and ethical aspirations of the leader and followers are raised” (Avolio & Yammarino, 202, p. 7). Transformational leaders, according to Avolio and Yammarino (2002), “act as agents of change by transforming followers’ attitudes, beliefs, and motives from a lower to a higher level of arousal” (p. 8). Additionally, transformational leaders provide to their followers vision, develop emotional relationships, and create an organizational culture that goes beyond self-interest (Avolio & Yammarino, 2002). Transactional leaders differ from transformational leaders in the way that goals and task requirements are clarified, and successful performance by followers is...
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...short) originated in an interest in learning more about how leaders get followers to make self-sacrifices and put the needs of their organization above their own material self-interests. This chapter describes the major theories of charismatic and TL, provides an evaluation of these theories, and then offers guidelines for TL. TWO EARLY THEORIES Charisma. Charisma is a Greek word that means ""divinely inspired gift". A sociologist, Max Weber, used the term to describe a form of influence based not on tradition or formal authority, but rather on follower perceptions that the leader has exceptional qualities. According to Weber, perceptions of a leader as charismatic usually occur when there is a social crisis. A leader who is seen during such a crisis as providing a "radical" vision, with a convincing and achievable solution to the crisis, is seen as charismatic. A key aspect of this leadership influence is getting followers to believe in, and passionately embrace, the vision. Newer versions of this theory have developed. They are called "neocharismatic" theories. Transforming Leadership. This theory originated from a political scientist, James McGregor Burns. As originally conceived, TL engages the moral values of followers, raises their consciousness about ethical issues, and mobilizes their energy and resources to change institutions. Burns contrasted this TL with transacting leadership, which motivates followers, not by appealing to a "higher" morale cause, but rather...
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...Introduction There are many people believe leader just is a people who set goals and achieve the goals with their follower. In fact, it is because they have leadership. Whether he or she is a leader or employee has leadership who can be a leader. Since leadership is a process and it include influence (Northouse 2012). Different approaches define different style of leadership. There is no any perfect leader in the world. The so-called gains will lose, every approach of leadership have their pro and con. Actually, every approach of leadership may have some same point in it. Observation carefully, you will know each leadership has their special thing and it influence themselves and their follower directly or indirectly. Definition of three theories Trait approach In the leadership research history, trait approach is the oldest approach and is a first leadership approach attempts to study. Until 1940, people believe leader’s ability is born, so they can be a leader, instead of train by acquired. Therefore, many researches focus on internal. Stogdill (1974) list 10 traits that leader should have. For the reason that you want to find a leader, it just to find the people whose trait can fit your job require. However, it hard to define trait and there must have more than 10 traits can act in concert with leader. In addition, it is hard to train or develop a people who do not have those trait that they to be a people who having those trait. Different people hold...
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...WHAT ARE THE PRINCIPAL DISTINCTION BETWEEN TRANSACTIONAL AND TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP. Every Leader has a style that is adopted based on prevailing situation and their end focus in mind. However, it is pertinent to give some basic highlights on the various differences that are inherent in their various approach. For leadership concept to be complete and fully adopted there must always be a corresponding Followership. Burns define Leadership as, “ leaders inducing followers to act for certain goals that represent the values and the motivations-the wants and needs, the aspirations and expectations-of both leaders and followers.” Leadership is all about influencing the followers to achieve a desired goal. Over the years there have been ‘generation’ theories which are Trait theory, Behavioural Theory, Contingency theories and Transformational. The 1st question that comes to mind is what Transactional Leadership is. Transactional Leader: approaches followers with an eye to exchanging one thing for another … Burns pursues a cost benefit, economic exchange to met subordinates current material and psychic needs in return for “contracted” services rendered by the subordinate …. Bass Transactional Leadership is a style of leadership that uses the bases of conditions between a leader and follower. In essence, it is a form of conditional relationship in every facet of life, superiors’ sets target to the subordinates and expects the subordinate to perform and be rewarded. In an...
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...Leadership and followership Viewing follower as an imitator of the leader, followership often viewed as trait of a weak personality- which is not true. “Followers are more important to leaders than leaders are to followers.”- Barbara Kellerman. Leadership and followership are two distinct but interdependent concepts. The world viewing the leader as the power holder, mostly preaches everyone to be a leader. Everyone needs to be a leader and a follower too. Power is not centralized with the leader but it is shared with the follower. Any leader will grow as he knows his community more and a follower grows with the leader too. In a given organization a person either by promotion or by recruitment will start as a positional leader and the team members will follow him because of the positional authority he holds, the involvement of the follower is at the basic level. Once the leader starts to know his community by being an active listener, the followers will be liking him more and will choose to follow him. By building this relation followers will be willing to participate in goal setting. Following the leader’s policy followers will have a vision about the results they are going to achieve collectively which will take their involvement to the next level. Seeing the personal gain in the collective goal, a follower will connect to the leader at a personal level which will make them more active followers. As the leader and the followers grow together they can make a successful team...
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