MSL 20 XX

In this unit, we will examine the nature and role of followership and leading a collaborative, high-performance team. Many theorists state that leadership and followership are synonyms; at the minimum, they each have many similarities and attributes that complement one another. We have all been followers at one time or another in our lives. You may not have realized it, but, regardless of your role, you have willingly followed another’s path, walked alongside others, or even led without fully acknowledging this hidden entwinement.

Hopefully, more of the paths have been positive (career) paths and have resulted in successful outcomes. The author of your textbook writes:

For any group or organization to succeed, there must be people who willingly and effectively follow just as there must be those who willingly and effectively lead. Followership is the testing ground, a place to learn skills valuable for leadership. (Daft, 2015, p. 196)

Throughout your career, you will exchange these roles. Therefore, an in-depth understanding of leadership and followership is warranted.

There are five styles of followership categorized by two dimensions: dimension 1 (critical thinking and uncritical thinking) and dimension 2 (active behavior, passive behavior and alienated follower). We will take a look at the first dimension. Critical thinkers are typically more independent; they “approach subjects, situations, and problems with thoughtful questions and in an unbiased way” (Daft, 2015, p. 199). Critical thinkers have often been referred to as independent thinkers. Uncritical thinkers do “not consider possibilities beyond what he or she is told, [do] not contribute to the cultivation of the organization, and [accept] the leader’s ideas without assessing or evaluating them” (Daft, 2015, p. 199). Uncritical thinkers have often been referred to as a dependent thinkers. It is important to note that one’s thinking style critically affects, enables, or disenables a follower’s level of engagement.

One may ask the question: What does a leader want from a follower? Also, what does a follower want from a leader? Daft (2015) examines the important role of each and shares that a leader typically wants a follower to have the traits outlined below.

 Make-it-happen attitude

o Optimize results

o Make no excuses

o Accept responsibility

o Be the first to initiate ideas and action

 Be a Collaborator

o Work with others to benefit the organization

 Motivation to stay up-to-date

o Knowledgeable in their field

o Anticipate and communicate change that affects the organization

The passion to drive your own growth

o Be a self-initiator instead of relying on the leader to do it

o Accept the more challenging assignments

o Be open-minded

o Willingness to be a continuous learner

On the other side of this coin is the following question: What does a follower want from a leader? “Followers

want their leaders to be honest, forward-thinking, inspiring, and competent” (Daft, 2015, p. 211).

Coincidentally, both the leader and the follower expect one another to be honest and competent with the

leader carrying the primary responsibility to foster the vision.

The match of a visionary leader with a competent follower will, in all likelihood, result in a valuable team.

Leaders heavily influence the dynamics of the team. Typically, teams develop over many stages, but there

are five primary stages developed by Dr. Bruce Tuckman in 1965 and 1970. Tuckman’s stages are: forming,

storming, norming, performing, and adjourning (Heathfield, n.d.).



Forming : A group of people come together to accomplish a shared purpose.

 Storming : Disagreement about mission, vision, and approaches combined with the fact that team

members are getting to know each other can cause strained relationships and conflict.

 Norming : The team has consciously or unconsciously formed working relationships that are enabling

progress on the team’s objectives.

 Performing : Relationships, team processes, and the team’s effectiveness in working on its objectives

are synching to bring about a successfully functioning team.

 Adjourning : The team has completed its mission or purpose, and it is time for team members to

pursue other goals or projects (Heathfield, n.d., para. 5-10).

It is important to note that “the behavior of the leader must be adapted to the changing and developing needs

of the group” (Heathfield, n.d., para. 3). Regardless of the stage a team is in, the outcome that distinguishes

leaders and followers is the dynamics of the team. High performance teams typically reflect the team

members’ basic characteristics and share correlated, common purposes.

Authors Jon Katzenbach and Douglas Smith share the qualities that distinguish a high performance team

from other ordinary teams. High performance teams have

 a strong sense of purpose,

 performance goals that are more ambitious than those of a regular team,

 work approaches that are exceptional,

 mutual accountability that is shared amongst team members, and

 skills that are interchangeable and complimentary (Katzenberg & Smith, 2009).

High performance teams are led by high performance leaders and followers who act as leaders. Both leaders

and followers should abide by protocol. Having a supportive management system that rewards expectations

being met drives the team to achieve more and reduces complacency. High performance teams must

distribute the work and hold one another accountable and responsible to generate and achieve goals,

outcomes, and success (Musselwhite, 2007).