Minor Project

Leadership and Followership

In his award-winning and influential book, James McGregor Burns wrote that leadership is one of the least understood and most observed phenomena. According to a social and psychosocial study, a leader-follower framework establishes spontaneously when the groups are supposed to be leaderless (Edge, 2020). Whenever there is a group of people, a leader-follower relationship develops naturally. As a result, multiple experts have concluded that leadership is universal human behavior (Van Vugt, 2006). On the other hand, evolutionary scientists have also had a standing interest in leadership (Winston & Patterson, 2006). To Zoologists, leadership is the simple act of leading other group members while locomoting from one point to another (Northouse, 2021). Several evolutionary researchers consider group movement, for instance, towards new feeding grounds or waterholes as a classic leadership challenge. Within society, leadership is usually considered an individuals inherent phenomenon (Bennis, 2001).

Definition, Assumptions, and Outline of leadership and followership

Various psychological pieces of literature have defined leadership in several significant ways. Leadership can be defined broadly as the influence processes toward achieving a mutual target (Van Vugt, 2006). Also, leadership can be considered a social process where interacting persons coordinate their activities to attain common goals (Edge, 2020). According to this perspective, leadership cannot be studied without evaluating the desires and needs of the followers (Northouse, 2021). Within psychological literature, questions concerning the origins of followership are not commonly asked (Winston & Patterson, 2006). However, they are vital in evolutionary analysis (Winston & Patterson, 2006). Equally, even though psychological literature usually presumes that followers and leaders goals are the same, an evolutionary notion argues it is an unwanted assumption (Van Vugt, 2006). For instance, even humans who are members of highly social species repeatedly undergo conflicts of interest to pursue their aims.

Besides, leadership can also be described as a quantitative trait. Everyone can lead up to some level, but personal differences exist in the propensity to lead (Van Vugt, 2006). Some research studies have also claimed that leadership is a function of the situation. Everyone could be a leader (Winston & Patterson, 2006). When leadership is considered as a social influence strategy, an evolutionary analysis is in tandem with either state or trait explanations of leadership.

A leader has to recognize the importance and impact of audiences outside the organizations systems and present the organization to the audiences outside so that the audiences have a precise image of the goals and purpose of the organization (Winston & Patterson, 2006). Besides, through every leader-follower-audience socialization, any leader shows their commitment to values of concern for others, controlled discipline, humility, showing mercy, looking for what is suitable for the organization, and maintaining and creating peace within the organization amongst others (Winston & Patterson, 2006).

Alternatively, a leader is one or more people who influence, select, train, and equip followers with dynamic skills, abilities, and gifts (Winston & Patterson, 2006). A leader also shifts the followers focus to the organizations objective and mission, triggering followers to enthusiastically and willingly expend emotional, physical, and spiritual energy in a combined effort to attain organizational objectives and mission (Van Vugt, 2006). A leader can attain such influence through effective and humble communication to the followers of the prophetic vision of tomorrow in terms that resonate with the values and beliefs of their followers in such a manner that followers can quickly internalize and interpret the future into current period activities.

Besides, during this process, a leader conveys a prophetic vision dissimilar to the organizations current status through intuition, insight, critical thinking skills, persuasive rhetoric, and interpersonal communication (Winston & Patterson, 2006). A leader can attain this through ethical ways and strive for the greater good of the followers in the process of activity process in a manner that followers are better off due to interaction with the leader (Van Vugt, 2006). Moreover, a leader can attain this same state for herself as they look for personal renewal, growth, increased stamina-mental, regeneration spiritual and emotional, and physical through the follower-leader interactions.

Anthropological and Nonhuman Evidence for Leadership and followership

The evolutionary claim is based on the assumption that followership and leadership evolved together in humans and other social species since assuming such roles under appropriate situations would have been adaptive (Edge, 2020). As a result, leadership examples would be found everywhere across cultures and human history (Van Vugt, 2006)....

…Contrary to most leadership theories, this theory appreciates the value of the role of followers in the leadership process and reiterates that both follower and leader mutually devalue the relationship quality (Van Vugt, 2006). According to the relationship-based approach, proper leadership processes occur when followers and leaders can develop mature leadership partnerships or relationships, hence obtaining access to several benefits that come with such relationships.

Followership: A Prerequisite to Leadership

Establishing an organization of influential leaders and followers begins with the selection and recruitment process that brings qualified applicants and picks the qualities of influential leaders relayed in Kelleys study (Edge, 2020). The strategy involves engaging candidates in situational interviewing and role-playing that allows organizational members to hire based on the expressed behavior that mirrors initiative, going past what is anticipated, ability to manage priorities, creativity, and critical thinking (Van Vugt, 2006). Efficient followers do hold higher standards of performance than anticipated in the work environment (Winston & Patterson, 2006). They also embrace continuous learning to enhance their professional experience.

Hoever, followers who are not efficient anticipate development and training to come to them and only have required training. The recent demonstrations plus Instances of past behavior in role-playing have demonstrated to be good determinants of future potential (Winston & Patterson, 2006). Moreover, not every boss is a good leader, and not every subordinate is an efficient follower. Several bosses could not lead a horse to water, while several subordinates could not follow a parade (Winston & Patterson, 2006). Some individuals avoid either of the roles (Van Vugt, 2006). Subsequently, whenever you have the opportunity, be selective about the crew of your vessel.

Future Success Needs Effective Followers

In a nutshell, as organizational frameworks flatten, the quality of the followers becomes more and more critical. There is a claim that good followership enhances and precedes good leadership. For instance, Christians must begin by being followers of Christ before leading others to him (Bennis, 2001). Perhaps the future organizational success is attributed to the number of efficient followers (e.g., pilot) retained, acquired, and developed within an organization than leadership (Winston & Patterson, 2006). Before determining how good a leader is, one must first evaluate what type of a…