Leader-Follower Relationships
Leader-Follower Relationships
Leader-Follower Relationships
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LEADER-FOLLOWER RELATIONSHIPS
Overview of Leader-Follower Relationships.
social setup. It occurs either by design or naturally by default. History is flooded by stories of
individuals who assumed leadership roles within societies or military setups that overcame
obstacles and lead their followers to victory or prosperity. Van Vugt (2006), instances of
leadership spring up within societies or groups that have, by unanimous decision or structure,
decided to be leaderless. Van Vugt further explains that leadership is a trait that exists in
every individual with the only separating factor being the propensity to lead. Therefore, with
the right condition, any individual can rise to a leadership position. With such a rise, a
Followers rely on leaders to provide direction and safeguard the aspects of their lives.
Transformative generate positive changes in the overall behaviors of their followers (Valcea,
2011). They positively transform the performance of their follower, mostly through
personal change and development through four facets of constructive development namely:
the surrounding environment. This understanding grows through stages defined as the
constructive development process dictated by the four facets. Therefore, one’s ability to be a
development process.
plays a significant role. The follower positions in most cases are created automatically the
leadership positions are assumed. Followers are expected to depend wholesomely on the
directions provided by their respective leaders. However, a follower also has the potential to
assume a leadership role. In leadership structures, I leader can also be a follower of a leader
relationship.
understanding of the traits and attributes of the followers. If well manages these attributes
have the potential to generate success in the leadership process. For example, positive work
relationships. A good followership support system also furthers the leader’s success rate. The
follower has the responsibility to diligently play their role in the group to ensure the
if they are highly motivated (Delbecq et al, 2013). Organizations in the current world work
environment setup work to boost employee motivation both intrinsically and extrinsically.
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Follower’s motivation is directly linked to the overall performance of organizations and
Organizations have two systems namely technical and people. Within people there
exist groups. Leader-follower is a special kind of group found within an organization. This
The leadership and followership roles are interconnected and interdependent. The symbiotic
nature of the relationship earned it the name “managerial couple”. A function superior-
subordinate relationship improves the quality of work, unifies work groups, and improves the
In recent years, depression and drug addiction are on the rise with work-related stress
quoted as the main source. Specifically, researchers associate the correlation between leader-
follower dysfunction in the workplace with addiction and depression. Both the leader and the
follower play a role in this relationship. However, leaders hold a greater responsibility of
ensuring the relationship works in addition to holding other responsibilities within the
organization. They need to identify the overall state of their relationship with the follower
and make the decision to either foster the relationship or terminate it. The follower holds the
responsibility to provide the information and feedback necessary for the leader to make such
decisions. They are also responsible to make necessary changes to accommodate such
On the other hand, the authority wielded by the leader can have damaging
repercussions on the leader and the relationship. Many leaders lack an understanding of the
dark side of leadership. They are unable to understand how their weaknesses and traits can
negatively affect the organization. The psychological pressures such as addiction to power,
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fear of envy, and loneliness of command among others all contribute to dysfunctional
dysfunctionalities.
Our perception of leadership shrouds our minds to an extent we forget the other half
of the leader-follower relationship: the follower. Leaders occupy the limelight and often we
forget the major role played by the follower in this setup. Organizations focus often on the
growth of the leader and not the follower. A good leader focuses on improving the follower’s
morale by first understanding their position in this relationship and secondly understanding
the personality traits of the follower and incorporating it into the leadership process for
employees. The following breakdown aligns my leadership styles and skills to the effective
characteristics of followers.
states the symbiotic nature of their association. It is vivid that the leader cannot exist without
the follower and vice versa. Both play separate but mutually dependent roles in this
relationship. Effective leadership requires knowledge of this fact. I, therefore, noticed that the
best approach to the leadership process is incorporating the follower in all key aspects of the
The main objective of this approach is to foster the skill of independent thinking and
teamwork in the followers. Enable the followers to understand the role they play in the
relationship and the group of peers. My leadership will also focus on building self-awareness
creativity and identity among my followers. This approach solves not only the current
build effective leadership and improve the overall performance outcome of the organization.
Organizational Culture.
The environment affects both the leader and the follower. For the follower to function
environment should also foster effective individual and group values. The values apply to all
actors within the relationship despite the position held. The approach I prefer to take is the
The official approach is to formulate policies that engrave teamwork and other values
in the strategic policies. This entails incorporating the company's hierarchy of leadership, job
descriptions, and communication flow in the policy document. Additionally, I would include
the disciplinary action consequential to infringement of the laid policies. This tames the
destructive individual traits and fosters discipline and respect for authority in the followers. It
also sets boundaries for me as a leader. It is also my responsibility to adhere to these rules as
effective, they must lead by the same principles they expect of their followers. It also follows
that in the policy, an anonymous feedback process is put in place to address any grievances
The unofficial approach entails leveling the playground for both the leader (myself)
and the follower. I would organize non-work-related group activities and assign leadership
roles to different employees in every activity. This allows the employees to understand the
role played by the leaders to appreciate them. This also fosters communication within the
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organization. Additionally, the follower develops independent thinking attributes. Team
building activities enhance the follower’s confidence and creativity. This approach also leads
to personal understanding and opens doors to understanding each other’s professional and
personal lives. With that knowledge, the leader and the follower can accommodate each
other’s weaknesses and appreciate their strengths thereby enabling an effective leader-
follower relationship.
Transformational leadership.
involves the use of language, symbols, and imagery to create the transformation. It also
approach would be to create a collective social identity whereby all members of the group
identify with being part of a group that is chained to the superior. A charismatic approach
entails using courageous, independent, and active behaviors, and acting as a role model to the
followers. Such behavior provides the followers with traits to admire, identify with and create
attributes to inspire a joint understanding and transform the follower attributes into a positive
point of view. In addition, the leader provides direction to the followers t form joint and
individual goals. The motivation from the leader creates intrinsic and extrinsic inspiration,
creating focus among the followers to achieve the set objectives. With a set goal, the
task is to merge both the overall group objectives and the individual goals to achieve the best
possible outcome. I would also create intellectually stimulating activities to further inspire
positive and independent thinking as part of building confidence among the followers.
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Charismatic leadership provides the opportunity for followers to interact with the
leader closely. I believe a leader should be accessible and accommodate ideas and some
decisions from the followers. According to Valcea et al. (2011), followers closely related to
the leader tend to receive more information and attention from the leader, leading to better
assigned to an effective follower just to be within the inner circles of the leader. The
Communication
Better communication between the follower and the leader leads to high work output.
According to Fan (2018), the work throughput is at its peak when the communication styles
of the leader and the follower match. As a leader, I’m obliged to communicate with my
Being mindful allows the leader and the follower to analyze the effect of their
messages before delivery. Therefore, the chances of passing messages that can create a
communication barrier in the relationship are eliminated. Communication barriers are often
created by offensive statements. These statements create a preformed opinion about future
messages and interfere with their interpretation. They also eliminate the willingness to obtain
any communication from either party, thus destroying the dyad relationship.
and initiative from both parties. For such a relationship to develop and succeed knowledge is
Delbecq, A., House, R. J., de Luque, M. S., & Quigley, N. R. (2013). Implicit motives,
leadership, and follower outcomes: An empirical test of CEOs. Journal of Leadership
& Organizational Studies, 20(1), 7-24.
Fan, H., & Han, B. (2018). How Does Leader‐Follower Fit or Misfit in Communication Style
Matter for Work Outcomes?. Social Behavior and Personality: an international
journal, 46(7), 1083-1100.
Finegan, T. H. O. M. A. S. (2021). AMPLIFIERS. S.l.: JOHN WILEY & SONS.
Valcea, S., Hamdani, M. R., Buckley, M. R., & Novicevic, M. M. (2011). Exploring the
developmental potential of leader–follower interactions: A constructive-
developmental approach. The Leadership Quarterly, 22(4), 604-615.
Van Vugt, M. (2006). Evolutionary origins of leadership and followership. Personality and
Social Psychology Review, 10(4), 354-371.