Leadership

PSYCH 485 blog

Servant leadership and an example of a VMV statement for an organization that employs servant leadership

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Northouse (2016) started this week’s chapter reading on servant leadership by describing how servant leadership is paradoxical. A leader who serves others for the greater good of followers and the organization… how exactly can that be translated into a leader (Northouse, 2016)? How is it that a leader serves the followers? How do they maintain status as a leader without establishing power? Servant leadership isn’t about the bottom line, power, the establishment and maintenance of the typical hierarchical organization, or even using power to guide others towards the success needed within the organization (Northouse, 2016). What servant leadership is about, on the other hand, is encouraging followers to engage in personal development to help them realize their own potential and helping them, help themselves (Northouse, 2016).

In recent years, there has been a substantial growth of research regarding the positive effects of servant leadership on the performance of followers and the organizations which employ servant leaders (Northouse, 2016). Research has found that when followers are willing and receptive to servant leaders, the organizations they belong to tend to be healthier (Northouse, 2016). A true servant leader enhances organizational health by providing clarity to tasks and goals being asked of followers; positively affecting the likelihood of followers displaying organizational citizenship behaviors; sharing power with followers to encourage their personal development as future leaders; and by the leader’s practice of putting the needs of the followers in the forefront of the leadership process, ensuring that a positive environment is in place that fosters growth within followers (Northouse, 2016). When followers have such an environment, their urge to develop “expand[s], grow[s], [and] become[s] autonomous… in order to express and fully activate all the[ir] capabilities and talents” which they might not be aware of without a servant leader present (van ‘T Zet, 2018, p.82).

This personal growth experienced by followers being “led” by (or rather, encouraged and nurtured by) a servant leader is reinforced when the relationship between leader and follower has established trust. Trust comes about via behaviors displayed by the servant leader such as helping followers to feel safe and supported (“emotional healing”); clear communication with followers that demonstrates how the leader cares for followers and putting their needs first (“putting followers first”); leaders making the personal and career development of the followers a priority and providing support and encouragement to followers as they realize their potential (“helping followers grow and succeed”);  leaders being the voice of reason and the role model for followers, encouraging them to act with integrity (“behaving ethically”); leaders sharing power with followers to further support their realization of potential (“empowering”); and leaders “creating value for the community” by encouraging followers to volunteer their time to helping others (Northouse, 2016, pp.233-236).

While to some (such as myself) being such a leader of having such a leader sounds like a dream come true, this is why Northouse (2016) notes that a common criticism of servant leadership is its being “whimsical.” However, in my personal perspective, it takes a certain type of person to carry out servant leadership. One who believes in the greater good. Someone who has a realistic view of the world sees all the positivity, understands the cynicism, and yet still wants to help leave their organization a better place than when they entered it. Such a person would also need a firm grasp of concepts within the organization while also believing that positive psychology is a possible (and appropriate approach for the organization) approach to be used. Further, they would need to authentically behave with integrity (as described in the aforementioned servant leadership behaviors). As Northouse (2016) mentioned, these “behaviors of servant leadership are not esoteric; they are easily understood and generally applicable to a variety of leadership situations,” and I believe that I will someday have the opportunity to be a great servant leader (p.241).

I believe that every human being has the capability to learn and grow internally (focused on psychological, cognitive, and moral growth) and externally as integral components of an organization (focused on using internal growth and channeling it into learning new skills and self-efficacy in the workplace). Sometimes, providing the right environment is all a person needs in order to blossom. However, such an environment is not always desired by followers. Northouse (2016) suggests that if servant leadership is used with followers who do not wish to be led in such a way, these followers will tend to feel micromanaged and intruded upon. They don’t want a leader involved in their lives in such an intimate way and as a result, servant leadership can at best be ineffective, or at worst, deleterious to the organization’s productivity and morale (Northouse, 2016).

For the followers who are receptive to servant leadership, there are multiple positive outcomes. Northouse (2016) describes these positive outcomes as being:

  • Follower growth and performance—where servant leadership helps followers to grow and to realize their full potential and in effect having the ability and encouragement to reach their full potential (Northouse, 2016). This can lead to the greater performance of the organization as followers become more effective and also have higher job satisfaction and also leads to followers desiring to help others in the same way, through servant leadership; thus, followers become leaders, and the cycle continues (Northouse, 2016).
  • Organizational Performance- Northouse (2016) notes that multiple studies have found an increase in “organizational citizenship behaviors” which are behaviors that exceed the typical job requirements for the good of the organization. This type of behavior has also been shown to increase followers’ confidence while working in teams as they believe they will be more effective with servant leadership than without (Northouse, 2016).
  • Societal impact- Northouse (2016) notes that servant leadership is a very noticeable leadership style that reverberates beyond the organization and into society in a few ways. It teaches followers to care for one another which in time will extend beyond the work environment and spill over into the followers’ personal lives and their interactions with their community (Northouse, 2016).

As an example of what an organization’s servant leadership might entail regarding the organization’s values, mission, and vision, I have provided a VMV statement I have been developing in another leadership course this semester:

Values:

  • Self-knowledge: Know yourself. Explore the areas of light and dark within your thoughts, feelings, and actions to learn who you are and why you are who you are. You need to know and understand yourself before you can know and understand others.
  • Conscientiousness: Be aware of how what you project out into the world affects outcomes of various situations. Act responsibly with your words and your actions. It’s okay to not be okay, but it’s not okay to make someone else’s experience negative because you’re feeling out of sorts. Reach out to a trusted co-worker, your superior, or the company therapist. The door is always open.
  • Tolerance: By knowing yourself and becoming aware of how you might affect others, consider others’ perspectives; open your mind and your heart to the best interests of all involved. Listen without judgment and embrace the reciprocated tolerance and understanding shown to you by others.
  • Integrity: Conduct yourself with integrity; be honest, forthcoming, and transparent in correspondence with others. Consistently acting with integrity begets effectiveness and confidence.
  • Empathy: Have the courage to listen and appreciate others’ versions of reality in all facets of rationality, emotion, and behavior. Not only will you open the doors to making some life-long connections with the people you work next to every day, but you’ll also allow positivity, trust, and comfort to flow freely into your space, thus positively enhancing our environment.

Leadership Mission (The culture within the organization): To encourage employees’ individual self-knowledge so they may learn to become conscientious of their influence as an integral member of their workplace culture. Always aspire to listen to others without judgment. Encourage the engagement of employees to participate in skill and personal development workshops and require engagement in all training opportunities to ensure all employees are able to perform their best. Always aspire to provoke inspiration, motivation, growth, and inclusion.

Organizational Mission (Holistically who we are and what we do): To always conduct ourselves with tolerance and integrity; displaying empathy, care, and concern for the needs of our clients in a transparent no-pressure sales environment in order to provide an unparalleled positive photography experience they will always remember and always trust to return to for all of their future photography needs.  

Vision: To become the premier portrait photography studio preferred by families and professionals.

With each of the values, you can see what I as a leader, believe is important for an organization both internally and externally (or rather what they convey to the general public and the contributions the organization makes to the greater good of all). The values are the ‘How’ the organization works to meet their ultimate goals (Mirvis et al., 2010). The mission statements include both a leadership statement regarding the culture within the organization and a collective organizational mission. The mission is the ‘Why,’ and explains the purpose of the organization’s existence (Mervis, et al., 2010). Finally, the vision is the ‘What’ for the organization, the long-term goal, the dream of what the organization is meant to become (Mervis et al., 2010). The ultimate goal I had for my VMV statements was to convey to all leaders, followers, and to the public, that the inveterate values of the organization provide an unwavering foundation of growth and support for all. Through servant leadership, this can be accomplished and will inevitably “transcend any individual leader” as the organization grows (Mirvis et al., 2010)

References:

Mirvis, P, Googins, B., & Kinnicutt, S. (2010). Vision, Mission, Values: Guideposts to Sustainability. ELSEVIER. Organizational Dynamics, 39. Accessed on October 25, 2018, from https://www-sciencedirect-com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/science/article/pii/S0090261610000604

Van ‘T Zet, J. (2018). Self-reflection and wonder as keys to personal growth and servant leadership. In: van Dierendonk, D., & Patterson, K. (eds) Practicing servant leadership. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. pp. 81-99.  Accessed November 2, 2018, from https://link-springer-com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-75644-8_6#citeas

Northouse, P.G. (2016). Leadership theory and practice, (7th ed.). Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE.

Effective leadership in virtual teamwork

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Given that in this course we are charged with 2 team assignments, one that we’ve already completed earlier in the course (and the other which will be due at the end of next week), I’ve focused on this week’s lesson of team leadership for the purpose of this blog entry. To begin, it is important to reflect upon the previous team assignment to identify areas of possible needs for change to achieve the team goal of an excellent performance evaluation. A few possible areas of needed improvement might be with communication, commitment, and power struggles, but how do we address these? This course is a virtual course and the teams are virtually based—with each member of the team(s) dispersed geographically throughout the United States (and in some instances, dispersing them globally. The very nature of virtual teams creates barriers to effective teamwork that are not well examined empirically (Northouse, 2016). Therefore, finding solutions to possible conflicts in a virtual team may not be easy.

Northouse (2016) notes that virtual teams tend to have faster response rates due to “flatter organizational structures” in comparison to the typical hierarchical leadership environments (p.363). This is due to virtual teams’ need to rely on instantaneous communication technology such as e-mail, messaging applications, telephone calls, video conferences, text messages, and text messages to keep in touch with one another (Northouse, 2016). Our teams in this coursework collaboratively for each team assignment over a week’s time. To build cohesive teams, we need to communicate often during the week of our assignments, communicate during the ‘off-time’ that we are not working on our team assignments, or attempt to speedily regain our bearings as a group once the team assignments come around. The latter can lead teams to rush through the group stages after reforming (PSU, 2018), leave very little time to focus on performing tasks for the assignment itself, and may increase anxieties about team performance (Hoch & Kozlowski, 2014).

To give our team(s) a chance to get ahead of any potential problems arising from rushing the group stages, I’ve done a little research to help us all achieve the best results our teams can within next week’s team assignment. My first thoughts when considering where to start with my research was our purpose in this course and how it may affect our teams. It is likely that each of us chose to take this course in order to brush up on our leadership skills. Would it be safe to say that each of us recognizes within ourselves the ability to lead? Can it be assumed that we all want to learn how to become better leaders? And is it appropriate to presume that on some level (whether it be a novice or an expert level), we find enjoyment in leading?

I answered yes to each of the above questions. I, of course, have no evidence to back up these assumptions aside from the fact that we’re all here in this course for a reason, to learn about and enhance our skills in leadership… but please bear with me here. So, assuming we’re all here because we know it’s likely that at some point in our future, it will help our careers to have a good foundation of leadership skills, but we also recognize we need practice. This assumption gives us a decent base perspective to build upon. Now, take the fact that we’re all in a leadership course… apply this to our teams. Likely, each one of us has some area of leadership we currently exceed within. Not to mention, while completing our first assignment, it’s likely that each of us attempted to practice our newly learned leadership skills during our team assignments. By doing this, we’ve attempted to practice our leadership skills on one another… without being directed to handle the situation in any particular way. Is this a recipe for disaster? Possibly. We’re all taking what we’re learning and attempting trial and error to figure out what works best. Luckily, the team I am working with didn’t have any issues with conflict, but I’m guessing there may have been some developments of conflict on other teams during the previous team assignment. Or, maybe you’ve only noticed the lack of cohesion that is common in virtual teams but had an amicable encounter with your teammates.

The trouble is, the previous experiences many of us have had while working on virtual teams through World Campus did not focus on applying empirically supported approaches of leadership to virtual teams. From my experience, much of the teamwork completed prior to this course occurred in the same ways the team I belong to now completed our first assignment: we were assigned to a group, met to discuss how to divvy up portions of the assignment, reconvened later in the week to review our progress, edited the assignment, then submitted the assignment. The typical group stages, rules, and norms we use while working on teams in real life don’t seem to apply in the virtual world. So, to address the virtual issue, what if I told you to share leadership with your teammates next time around? According to the little research that has been done on virtual teams regarding leadership, it may be worth your time and effort as it’s been found to be highly effective to share leadership responsibility (Hoch & Kozlowski, 2014).

Northouse (2016) noted that sharing team leadership allows each member to influence the team using the skills they’re best at for the best results of the team. Though risks of such an approach involve “courage from the member who steps forward to provide leadership outside the formal role,” the benefits such as “less conflict, more consensus, more trust, and more cohesion,” can easily outweigh the risks (Northouse, 2016, p.365) In addition, shared leadership also tends to lead to greater successes within virtual teams than attempting to assign a single leader to a team (Hoch & Kozlowski, 2014). According to Hoch & Kozlowski (2014), within a typical hierarchical leadership situation, transformational leadership and Leader-Member-Exchange (LMX) are two of the best leadership approaches for success. However, with a virtual team, it’s harder to establish a typical hierarchical leadership situation, so there needs to be a substitution(s) to take the place of an identified single leader (Hoch & Kozlowski, 2014).  The geographical dispersion and troubles virtual teams face with creating cohesion and trust between one another leads to more time being spent on getting to know one another, requires more time for a leader to emerge (if not assigned)—which  leads to less time to focus on the actual tasks the team is to be performing, and as a result, anxieties about performance increase and satisfaction of the team members tends to decrease substantially (Hoch & Kozlowski, 2014). Thus, shared leadership in virtual teams provides a potent substitution for hierarchical leadership situations and has the research findings to back it up (Hoch & Kozlowski, 2014).

In addition to shared leadership in our virtual teams, Hoch & Kozlowski (2014) also found in their study that another factor of successful and effective teams is structural supports. Again, because our virtual teams have such a short time constraint for the completion of assignments and team members are geographically dispersed, we need a substitution for typical hierarchical leadership situations in order to be effective (Hoch & Kozlowski, 2014). Structural supports provide an additional substitution for the virtual team environment via task structure, information and resource management, coordination of communication, and the creation of routines (Hoch & Kozlowski, 2014). The problems of keeping team members motivated to complete tasks, coordinating communication, and clarifying roles and tasks within a virtual team can be overcome by equally distributing responsibilities to each member which leads to empowerment of team members through self-management (Hoch & Kozlowski, 2014). As Hoch & Kozlowski (2014) cited, “Team process researchers have distinguished cognitive, affective-motivational, and behavioral functions as keys to team effectiveness,” and these functions should be carried out using shared leadership to ensure each key function is attended to (Kozlowski & Bell, 2003; Kozlowski & Ilgen, 2006).

We now have two ways that have been found to increase the effectiveness of virtual teams–shared leadership and structural supports, to help us during next week’s team assignment (Hoch & Kozlowski, 2014). Each were found by Hoch & Kozlowski (2014) to positively influence team performance in a virtual environment, but it’s important to note that there is still a need for team members to take the time to communicate with your teammates. The only way we can implement shared leadership and structural supports is by taking the time to communicate because often, it seems a week is not enough. A suggestion that I can give (and one that I am hoping the other team members I am working with will agree to) is to try to coordinate more synchronous work. Whether it be scheduling a half hour to work together each day, or an hour every other day, the more time spent working together the better the communication. The better the communication, the better the chances for effective teamwork during the asynchronous work periods in between, and a more effective team equates to a better performance evaluation.

 

 

References:

 

Hoch, J.E., & Kozlowski, S.W.J. (2014). Leading virtual teams: Hierarchical leadership, structural supports, and shared team leadership. Journal of Applied Psychology. Vol. 99, No. 3, 390-403. Accessed October 17, 2018, from https://search-proquest-com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/docview/1221844262/fulltextPDF/88C4E8333CB248DFPQ/1?accountid=13158

 

Kozlowski, S.W.J., & Bell, B.S. (2003). Workgroups and teams in organizations. In W.C. Borman, D.R. Ilgen, & R.J. Klimoski (Eds.), Comprehensive handbook of psychology: Industrial and organizational psychology. (pp.333-375). New York, NY: Wiley. As cited in Hoch & Kozlowski, (2014).

 

Kozlowski, S.W.J., & Ilgen, D.R. (2006). Enhancing the effectiveness of work groups and teams. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 7, 77-124. As cited in Hoch & Kozlowski, (2014).

 

Northouse, P.G. (2016). Leadership theory and practice, (7th ed.). Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE.

 

Pennsylvania State University (PSU). (2018). Lesson 9: Team leadership. PSYCH485: Leadership in Work Settings. Online course. Accessed October 17, 2018, from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1942231/modules/items/25010865

Entrepreneurial Leadership (EL)

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An entrepreneur is an individual who creates a business and runs it while taking all the financial risk. It is imperative that an entrepreneur have leadership skills for his or her venture to be successful. Leadership must be implemented by the founder with employees and others involved in the startup and life of the business. Entrepreneurial Leadership (EL) is a redundant term because to be a successful entrepreneur, you must be a leader, but a leader is not an entrepreneur. In this discussion I will explain EL, discuss my own experience in EL, and explain why effective leadership is one of the most important factors for entrepreneurial success.

Why is the topic of entrepreneurship important? It’s important to me because I’ve started my own business and I run it myself. I am an entrepreneur. But more importantly, “Almost half of the working population in the United States will try to become an entrepreneur during their working career” (Lidow, 2014, pg. 5). To some, “Entrepreneurship is the New American Dream, and millennials are hearing its call loud and clear” (Dennis, 2015, Abstract). The “United States, are more likely to have a thriving entrepreneurial culture, where individuals are willing to take risks and make quick business decisions (Northouse, 2016, pg. 432). There are many risks involved in a business startup, but if the business proves successful, many rewards.

It is easy to understand why entrepreneurs are leaders when you consider the leader/follower relationship. Followers, by definition, follow. In the work world, followers have a boss or supervisor. Entrepreneurs are the boss, and a boss is a leader. This is not to say that followers are any less important to the business because, “from their joint participation emerges the success or failure of their enterprise” (Heller, 1983, pg. 406). And to run a successful business, an entrepreneur needs the help of others. “Others (a group) are required for leadership to occur” (Northouse, 2016, pg. 6). In short, an entrepreneur has a business mission, needs help to build the business, and must have the ability to lead to be successful. “Entrepreneurial leaders have visions that require innovation and creativity. Their visions could change the rules of the game forever” (Clark, 2002, pg. 14). But innovation and creativity are not enough—there must be a group working toward the common goal to implement those ideas. The term “EL” simply emphasizes the importance of leadership for the entrepreneur.

Leading an enterprise all the way from conception to the point where it is producing value and is self-sustaining— which means you are succeeding as an EL— is much more challenging than starting a company. If you want to see your idea reach its full potential, if you want to enjoy the fulfillment that comes from having made a tangible difference in the world, if you want to achieve financial success, then you must aspire to be an entrepreneurial leader. –Lidow, 2014, pg.6

For example, I will briefly offer my own experience in running a business. When I was 16 years old I started a business of buying and selling cars. I worked alone and there was only so much I could do without assistance. Buying one lemon (a mechanically defected vehicle) would take me months to recover from financially. There was no EL because there was no leadership. I was an entrepreneur but not successful. The business lost money. Today, as an adult, I have employees. I have a mechanic who inspects vehicles before purchase, I have a detailer, a porter, an accountant. I employ followers who specialize in certain tasks. The business is profitable. My vision and leadership (including employing the right followers) are what I attribute to this financial success. From experience I feel confident insisting that entrepreneurship requires leadership. I make this claim because when my EL falters in leadership, it follows that my business falters correspondingly.

In conclusion, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 50.2% of private sector businesses survive past 5 years (BLS Gov., 2017, table). Why do so many businesses fail? Again, it is my assertion that they fail due to inept leadership. Of course, some of these tasks may be delegated to managers; nonetheless, juggling these responsibilities correctly is crucial to the survival of the business. The entrepreneur has many responsibilities: business design, financial obligations, competition, hiring the right followers, and human resources, etc. This takes a leader. It is not enough to simply be an entrepreneur or business starter. Success requires the next level of entrepreneurship. Success requires EL. Leadership is crucial.

 

References

Bureau of Labor Staistics. 2017, March. U.S. Government [table]. Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/bdm/us_age_naics_00_table7.txt

Clark, G. (2002, Apr 01). So just what is an entrepreneur?: And why it actually matters. Profit, 21, 14. Retrieved from http://ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/docview/219310255?accountid=13158

Dennis, D. (2015). If the new american dream is entrepreneurship, why are so many black millennials Missing Out? [abstract] Techcrunch

Heller, T., & Van Til, J. (1983). Leadership and followership: Some summary propositions. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 18, 405–414.

Lidow, Derek. Startup Leadership : How Savvy Entrepreneurs Turn Their Ideas into Successful Enterprises, John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Central. Retrieved from http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/pensu/detail.action?docID=1637066.

Northouse, Peter. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.

Women and Leadership

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As we know it, even today we can safely assume that majority of leadership positions in companies across the nation and even globally are held by men rather then women. According to the lesson there are only 6 women CEOs in fortune 500 companies. Bias in sex stereotypes created problems for women in a way that any managerial positions were defined by characteristics of masculinity and therefore filled by men. According to different type of studies on women in leadership, it has been recognized that women and men have distinctive style of leadership. While women tend to have a democratic type of leadership, men usually have a more directive style of leadership (PSU, 2018)

Also, the studies revealed that females were seen negatively in a male-dominated leadership role. It has also been recognized that women who use the autocratic style of leadership are much less effective in their leadership role. According Northouse, women earn 57% of the bachelor’s degree, 60% of master’s degree and more than half of doctoral degree, but still men are the prominent group in the America’s corporations and political system. There are several reasons why only a few number of women reach top executive positions (PSU, 2018)

According to Glass Ceiling theory, women haven’t been in managerial positions long enough unlike their counterpart to reach the top of the organizations. Secondly, women lack management position. Third, women lack self confidence and are less suited for these top executive positions. To understand why women are underrepresented in high-level positions revolve around; differences in women’s and men’s backing in human capital, next category is understanding gender differences and finally the focus goes on prejudice and discrimination against female leaders (Northouse, 2016).

There are also other disadvantages such as organizational barriers. For example, higher standard of performance which means that women are expected to perform higher and achieve more to overcome the stereotype. There is also, inhospitable corporate culture where discourages balance of work and family. Also, preference in gender similarity in promotion decisions and ignorance by male CEOs and male peers along with lack of developmental opportunities. All of these are barriers against women reaching the top executive positions. There are also personal barriers as well (PSU, 2018).

In conclusion we understand that women in leadership positions are slightly at a disadvantage. We understand that women should not act like men since it is not perceived by men favorably. Also, women shouldn’t be too passive either, since it would make them look less effective. We should keep in mind in addition to personal, and interpersonal barriers, there are organizational and even cultural barriers as well. However, we all know that things are not as bad as they used to be for women. Even though women and leadership stereotype might still exist, women now have the same equal opportunities as men and I am sure soon they’ll be more positive changes for women looking for leadership opportunities and positions.

References:

 

Northouse, P.G., (2016). Psychology 485: Leadership: Theory and Practice. Lesson 13: Gender and Leadership. Los Angeles: Sage Publications

 

Penn State University, (2018). Psychology 485: Leadership: Theory and Practice. Lesson 13: Leadership and Diversity.

A HEAD SEPARATED FROM ITS BODY CANNOT SURVIVE

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In consideration of the infinitely interesting topic of leadership there are a multitude of definitions, in fact according to Northhouse (2016), there have been over 200 definitions over the last century and over 65 different classification systems of leadership within the past 60 years. Clearly, the topic of leadership has our attention and it is no surprise. According to Hedges (2014), over 14 billion dollars are spent each year by American companies on leadership development training and the reason for this is simple, good leadership is important. However, with all of this focus on producing good leaders and what defines a leader, have we missed the other half of leadership, the follower? If a doctor graduated medical school and had only studied the head and not the body, would you entrust them as your family physician? We know that separated from the body, a head cannot survive, thousands of years of historical executions attest to that. With this in mind, it is incredible how so little attention is placed on the other half of leadership, the follower. It is important that we understand the importance of the follower within the leader-follower dynamic in order to truly understand leadership.

In order for there to be a leader and leadership, there must be followers and followership. Long gone are the days of the early 20th century where leadership was viewed as having control and centralization of power, with the central theme being domination, (Northouse, 2017, pg. 2). As time has progressed so to has leadership and that change has focused in many ways on the follower. The idea of influence began to emerge along with the relationship between the leader and the group/ followers during the 1930’s and has continued to today (Northouse, 2017, p.3-5). Members of a group must be considered for effective leadership, as leadership is an “interactive event” (Northouse, 2016, p. 6). Nearly every concept about leadership, when considered, directly involves the follower, how they perceive leaders and how leaders are able to influence that perception and motivate followers to achieve common goals.

There are four components central to leadership; leadership is a process, it involves influence, it occurs within a group context, and it involves goal attainment (PSU WC, L.1, 2017). Within each of these central components, the follower is at least half of the equation if not more. Understanding leadership as process, means it is a transactional event where the leader affects and is affected by the followers of the group (Northouse, 2016). There is a two-way interaction that occurs in leadership, without the follower, the interaction would be a one-way street. Leadership as it involves influence is again significantly intertwined with the follower and is so critical that Northouse (2016), put it simply, “without influence leadership does not exist” (p. 6). Leadership can only occur in groups; without people or the “group/followers” to influence and achieve a common goal, leadership would not exist (Northouse, 2016). Furthermore, considering the definition of leadership, there must be a common goal that is to be achieved, however without followers there is no group to have a common goal with.

A great deal of research has been conducted on the traits of leaders, what separates leaders from followers and how those traits influence the interaction between leaders and followers. (Northouse, 2016). With this in mind, it is important to consider why over 50 of the top traits listed in research from Stogdill, 1948 & 1974, Mann 1959, Lord DeVader, and Alliger 1986, Kirkpatrick and Locke 1991, and Zaccaro, Kemp, and Bader 2004 (as cited in Northouse, 2016) are given. What caused the various “top” traits to emerge such as self-confidence, sociability, intelligence, extraversion, motivation, conscientiousness, and emotional intelligence? I suggest the reason is that it is the reaction of followers to leaders who posses certain traits that result in successful leadership, which propelled these various “top” traits to the forefront of research on the trait approach. Considering the definition of leadership to influence a group of individuals to achieve a common goal (Northouse 2016), we must understand that there is a connection between successful leadership traits and successful leadership, recognizing that positive correlation is a result of the reaction of followers, in part, to their leader’s traits.

Overall, the idea that leadership is not solely a result of a leader but also the followers is nothing new. What is interesting however is the abundance of information on leadership that focuses so greatly on leaders but seems to put followers in the background. Simply Google leadership and you will get about 355M results; Google followership and you will get approximately 764K results. We have seen how history has developed the concept and even definition of leadership from one of domination to one of harmony and it is evident that followership and those who are being led are important, however we still have a long way to go. Understanding that leadership and followership are two sides of the same equation is key and that without one you cannot have the other. Without the body a head cannot survive and so to, without followers, leadership cannot survive.

 

Resources:

Hedges, K. (2014, Sep 23). If you think leadership development is a waste of time you may be right. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2014/09/23/if-you-think-leadership-development-is-a-waste-of-time-you-may-be-right/#7aa7b5165bf4

Northouse, P. G. (2016).  Leadership: Theory and Practice (7th ed.). Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications Ltd.

The Pennsylvania State University World Campus.  (2017). Lesson 1: Introduction to Leadership. Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1867456/modules/items/22975618

 

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