At any job, there is a hierarchy of leaders and followers. More specifically, when you enter the corporate world, there are leaders and followers, and then there are leaders who are also followers, etc. Leadership in the corporate world is just these overlapping levels of leaders and followers unless you are at the tip top of the hierarch, which makes everyone below just a sea of followers following different leaders, yet also following a common leader. Many people see followership in a negative light, but it is present in so many situations in our everyday life, most of which breed positive interactions and experiences. It is first important to understand what followership is, how followers can be described in their roles, and how followership works.
Followership and leadership are synergistic. Without followers, leaders could not really thrive, and vice versa. Surrounding followership is a negative connotation, which suggests that it’s a bad thing to be a follower, or being a follower is less ideal than being a leader (Northouse, 2021 p. 352). Leadership skills are most clearly valued in our society, conditioning society to see leadership as superior to followership, focusing mainly on leaders and how their position of power results in a situation as opposed to how followers respond to their leadership or how followers assist in reaching these goals (Northouse, 2021 p. 352). Recognizing how much power is placed in the hands of followers is important, especially in the corporate world. Followers at work are typically the source of productivity. With many different factors impacting productivity, it is important to not only have leaders to support the cause, but followers that are dedicated to performing well.
There are several types of followers and several different typologies in which followers can be grouped. With the Zaleznik Typology, Kelley Typology, Kellerman Typology, etc., but the most fitting typology for followers in a corporate setting would be the Chaleff Typology. This typology explains that leaders and followers gravitate towards a common purpose (Northouse, 2021 p. 357). Chaleff outlines how followers have several responsibilities, including working towards and being responsible for a common goal, being devoted to and supporting the leader, providing constructive criticism when necessary to better the group, be courageous enough to fight for change in corrupt times, and stand against the leaders when it is necessary to encourage ethical practices (Northouse, 2021 p. 358). In the corporate world, there are supports and rights that help to ensure that leaders do not abuse the power in which they are in, allowing the followers to exercise these responsibilities.
Followership has become of more importance today. It is being acknowledged that there is a guiding force for the work that is being done through leadership, and that force is the followers (Northouse, 2021 p. 373). The success of the goal that followers work towards relies heavily on how they receive the influence of the leader they are under. It is important to understand what typology the followers fall into, as it can be valuable in understanding how the leader-follower dynamic works (Northouse 2021, p. 373). Considering this dynamic may help with understanding why toxic leadership can come about and continue over time. In the corporate world, this is just as true. If there are very passive followers, they may be less likely to speak up about concerns of abuse of power to eliminate the unethical leader. On the other hand, having followers that are outspoken and confident may result in a movement that benefits the entire office or even company to establish a healthy balance of leadership and follower power.
Being a follower has been seen with such a negative thought process. People encourage their children to be leaders. They often tell their children to aim for the stars, be the president, be a CEO, anything that puts them in a position of power. What people do not often encourage is followership and even healthy followership. When followership is done correctly, it can propel the leader and the cause and ultimately end in success. Without followers, and strong followers at that, leaders would be nothing. They would have no one to inspire and have no one to carry out the most important parts of their goals. In the corporate world, a CEO would have nothing if not for all the supervisors, managers, and office workers below them. Followership in work is a power that should be honed. Many times, followers forget that they even have power, and if they just used it for the good of the group and the good of the cause, many organizations, leaders, and communities would transcend.
References
Northouse, P. G. (2022). Leadership: Theory and practice (9th ed.). SAGE. p. 352-394.