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CHAPTER 7: FOLLOWERSHIP 197

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rigid rules and authoritarian environments in which leaders perceive subordinate rec-
ommendations as a challenge or threat. When Kelley, the author who devel-
oped the two dimensions of followership, was consulted about how
to improve employee creativity and innovation for an oil company, Action Memo
he discovered that each office was virtually identical, owing to strict Complete the questionnaire in Leader’s

company policies that prohibited individual expression. This is specifi - Self-Insight 7.1 to evaluate how well you
cally the kind of environment that suppresses effective followership and carry out a followership role.
creates conformists. 10
The pragmatic survivor has qualities of all four extremes—depending Pragmatic survivor
Pragmatic survivor
a follower who has qualities

on which style fits with the prevalent situation. This type of follower a follower who has qualities
of all four extremes (alienated,
of all four extremes (alienated,
uses whatever style best benefits his or her own position and minimizes risk. Prag-

effective, passive, conformist),
effective, passive, conformist),
matic survivors often emerge when an organization is going through desperate depending on which style fi ts
depending on which style fi ts
with the prevalent situation
times, and followers fi nd themselves doing whatever is needed to get themselves with the prevalent situation
through the difficulty. Within any given company, some 25 to 35 percent of fol-

lowers tend to be pragmatic survivors, avoiding risks and fostering the status
quo, often for political reasons. Government appointees often demonstrate this
followership style because they have their own agendas and a short period of time
in which to implement them. They may appeal to the necessary individuals, who
themselves have a limited time to accomplish goals, and are therefore willing to
do whatever is necessary to survive in the short run. 11
The passive follower exhibits neither critical, independent thinking nor active Passive follower
Passive follower
participation. Being passive and uncritical, these followers display neither initiative a person in an organization
a person in an organization
who exhibits neither critical,
who exhibits neither critical,
nor a sense of responsibility. Their activity is limited to what they are told to do,
independent thinking nor active
independent thinking nor active
and they accomplish things only with a great deal of supervision. Passive follow- participation
participation
ers leave the thinking to their leaders. Often, however, this style is the result of a
leader who expects and encourages passive behavior. Followers learn that to show
initiative, accept responsibility, or think creatively is not rewarded, and may even
be punished by the leader, so they grow increasingly passive. Passive followers
are often the result of leaders who are overcontrolling of others and who punish
Effective follower
mistakes. 12 Effective follower
a critical, independent thinker
a critical, independent thinker
The effective follower is both a critical, independent thinker and active in the who actively participates in the
who actively participates in the
organization. Effective followers behave the same toward everyone, regardless organization
organization