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194 PART 3: THE PERSONAL SIDE OF LEADERSHIP
The Role of Followers

Followership is important in the discussion of leadership for several reasons.
First, without followers, there are no leaders. Leadership and followership are
fundamental roles that individuals shift into and out of under various conditions.
Everyone—leaders included—is a follower at one time or another. Indeed, most
individuals, even those in positions of authority, have some kind of boss or super-
visor. Individuals are more often followers than leaders. 2
Second, recall that the defi nition of a leader from Chapter 1 referred to an
infl uence relationship among leaders and followers. This means that in a posi-
tion of leadership, an individual is infl uenced by the actions and the attitudes of
followers. In fact, the contingency theories introduced in Chapter 3 are based
on how leaders adjust their behavior to fi t situations, especially their followers.
Thus, the nature of leader–follower relationships involves reciprocity, the mutual
exchange of infl uence. The followers’ infl uence upon a leader can enhance the
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leader or underscore the leader’s shortcomings. 4
Third, many of the qualities that are desirable in a leader are the same quali-
ties possessed by an effective follower. In addition to demonstrating initiative,
independence, commitment to common goals, and courage, a follower can pro-
vide enthusiastic support of a leader, but not to the extent that the follower fails
to challenge a leader who is unethical or threatens the values or objectives of
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the organization. One corporate governance consultant, for example, points out
that ineffective followers are as much to blame for the recent wave of ethical and
legal scandals as are crooked leaders. Followers have a responsibility to speak up
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when leaders do things wrong.
Both leader and follower roles are proactive; together they can achieve a
shared vision. The military often provides insight into the interaction of leader-
ship and followership. A performance study of U.S. Navy personnel found that
the outstanding ships were those staffed by followers who supported their leaders
but also took initiative and did not avoid raising issues or concerns with their
superiors. D. Michael Abrashoff, former commander of the USS Benfold, rec-
ognized as one of the best ships in the Navy, always encouraged his followers
to speak up. To Abrashoff, the highest boss should be the sailor who does the
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work—the follower—not the person with the most stripes on his or her uniform.
In any organization, leaders can help develop effective followers, just as effective
followers develop better leaders. The performance of followers, leaders, and the
organization are variables that depend on one another.

Styles of Followership
Despite the importance of followership and the critical role followers play in the
success of any endeavor, research on the topic is limited. One theory of follow-
ership was proposed by Robert E. Kelley, who conducted extensive interviews
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with leaders and followers and came up with fi ve styles of followership. These
Critical thinking
Critical thinking
thinking independently and being
thinking independently and being followership styles are categorized according to two dimensions, as illustrated in
mindful of the effects of one’s own
mindful of the effects of one’s own Exhibit 7.1. The fi rst dimension is the quality of independent, critical thinking
and other people’s behavior on versus dependent, uncritical thinking. Independent thinking recalls our discussion of
and other people’s behavior on
achieving the organization’s vision
achieving the organization’s vision
mindfulness in Chapter 5; independent critical thinkers are mindful of the effects
Uncritical thinking of people’s behavior on achieving organizational goals. They are aware of the
Uncritical thinking
failing to consider possibilities
failing to consider possibilities signifi cance of their own actions and the actions of others. They can weigh
beyond what one is told;
beyond what one is told;
accepting the leader’s ideas
accepting the leader’s ideas the impact of decisions on the vision set forth by a leader and offer constructive
without thinking criticism, creativity, and innovation. Conversely, a dependent, uncritical thinker
without thinking