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Outline.docxRunning Head: EFFECTIVE FOLLOWERSHIP AND LEADERSHIP 1
EFFECTIVE FOLLOWERSHIP AND LEADERSHIP 1
Effective Followership and Leadership in Computer Science
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Abstract
Followership is constantly determined as an essential and emergent area in the business world. Nevertheless, followers are usually linked with negative traits comprising dependence and passivity. As a result, it is not shocking that when studying leadership, the followership topic rarely arises. Predominant leadership theories also support followership inferiority and passivity to leaders. For instance, leadership theories such as LMX that identify followers as leadership's active participants have encountered criticism employing leaders' tendency to determine the leader-follower relationship's nature. If not addressed, negative follower meanings can disadvantage individuals and affect positive leadership. In this regard, this paper is a way of examining leadership and followership traits and incorporating current learning into enhanced business performance.
Introduction
Leadership plays an effective and important role in attaining organizational goals. Additionally, it involves the interaction of subordinates and leaders. A person can practice leadership by actively playing a part in a group. All members have a distinct network that branches in numerous directions. Furthermore, these shared internal relationships are the real foundation for an organization's success. Followers and leaders account for the breakdowns or breakthroughs in companies. However, leaders are usually depicted as the element that determines success or failure while the follower’s role is neglected or undervalued.
The inattention in studying followers has changed significantly, although the tendency is less evident in the business world. Followership can be termed as the capability to effectively back the leader's efforts and adhere to the directives that enhance a structured organization. Nevertheless, the term is regularly associated with demeaning and negative words such as conforming, weak, and passive. It is important to note that the leader's success relies on the followers' consent and willingness. There can be no leader without followers. Additionally, without the followers' coordination, a leader cannot function properly. Consequently, changes in the organizational hierarchy are enhancing the need to examine followership in-depth.
Relationship Between Leadership and Followership Traits and Styles
Multiple researchers have highlighted the significance of followership and followers while studying followership behavior. Additionally, the responsibilities of followers are not less significant than the leaders' roles as they both complement each other. Malakyan (2014) relates the relationship between them to that between fish and water.
Topology of Followership Patterns
After establishing the importance of followership and followers, researchers started investigating topologies of followership. Eman and Aref (2019) outlined the following topologies of followers, isolates, participants, diehard, activists, and bystanders. The isolated followers are critical thinkers, competent, and independent. However, they have no sense of belonging to an organization, probably because of a perceived feeling of underappreciation and ignorance. Alienated followers do not conceal their feelings but express them in diverse views such as dissatisfaction and resentment. Additionally, they do not have a job satisfaction of high level and may eventually lose job motivation and loyalty, leading to underperformance (Thach, Thompson, & Morris, 2006). Generally, they require to be emancipated and empowered from negative feelings and out of alienation.
The passive followers are independent and under-enthusiastic. Additionally, they lack to function on their own as they do not ambitious and innovative. They quickly feel fatigued and subdued, making them ineffective and avoiding duties that require critical acts of thinking. Passive followers do not dedicate extra time to finishing responsibilities or put extra effort into completing tasks. They neither discuss the suitability of instructions nor question them (Novikov, 2016).
The conformist followers diligently implement and appreciates the decisions of their leaders. However, they never critically participate in discussing the techniques to implement the decisions. They put in effort to satisfy and create a good relationship with their leaders. Conformist followers are contented with their jobs and uphold a conducive environment with predefined parameters. They execute orders from their leaders without quarrels and queries and perceives this as serving their personal interests. Additionally, conformists are always prepared to compromise and sacrifice personal needs to satisfy the organization and leaders. However, they have a low level of initiative, a sense of innovation, and courage.
The exemplary followers are prepared to inquire from leaders and initiate acts. They ponder all acts' consequences before undertaking them. Exemplary followers are interested in distinction and perfection, which fit well with colleagues, enlightened criticism, and offer support. Furthermore, they are not reluctant to retract support from unreliable leaders without interfering with the organization's performance. They can configure what is necessary and work extra hard to accomplish it.
Exemplary followers subscribe to the organization's mission and vision, have skills in self-evaluation and management and aims at positively impacting the organization. Pragmatic followers project the characteristics of all other followers and employ the type suitable to the situation. They prioritize their interest organization's interests. Pragmatic followers perform their tasks thoroughly but not beyond expectations. Whenever the organization experiences a dilemma, they tend to quit and not rescue the organization.
Figure 1: Kelley Followership Model
Leadership Styles
Leaders portray three styles of leadership that include the autocratic style, democratic style, and laissez-faire style (Blanken, 2013). The autocratic style enables leaders to draw from authority to trick followers into executing tasks. They set forth directions and mobilize power for all employees. Leaders using this style reflect negatively on job satisfaction, performance, and productivity. Democratic leadership style enables leaders to acquire power from followers' relationships (Martin, 2007). They give trust and freedom to followers. What is more, they make decisions through consultation and maintains open communication channels with employees from different levels. The laissez-faire style offers followers freedom to decide and choose for themselves. Leaders are categorized into four types: thought leaders, inspirational leaders, courageous leaders, and servant leaders (Thornton, 2013).
Followership and Leadership Relationship
Multiple researchers have investigated the relationship between followership and leadership based on paradigms such as organizational engagement and commitment and job satisfaction. Other researchers, such as Yilun Shang (2017) related followership with leadership theories of servant and transformational. Based on the LXM model of the social exchange theory, there is a conceptualized relationship between followers and supervisors that influence the organization's performance. Additionally, the followers' influence in the form of impression management methods and upward influence denotes tasks undertaken by a follower to advance organizations and personal goals in affecting the leaders (Khan, Busari, & Abdullah, 2018).
Leadership and Followership Expectation in Computer Science
A project leader plays a crucial role in an information system implementation’s success. Handling and integrating subprojects intensify the leader's mental burden. Furthermore, numerous unexpected challenges usually arise during the project management activities. Managing these situations necessitates a mature and experienced leader who will solve the issue. Moreover, solving complex issues and problems does not necessitate the leader to think in a complicated manner. On the contrary, handling complicated issues in an ideal manner and discovering a suitable solution can be attained through simple thinking (Pandya, 2014). Consequently, both researchers and practitioners must comprehend the leadership traits and factors that play a role in a project leader's effectiveness.
Besides adopting simple thinking, a good project leader requires other traits. For instance, trust has a significant effect on followers. It creates confidence and motivates the team members. Establishing trust necessitates a leader to be frank and honest (Blanken, 2013). Else, the members will not trust the leader or each other. It is also likely that the followers will be uncomfortable if the leader is not frank. Team members will question the leader's honesty, which can result in paranoia among members. When members lose confidence in the leader, they will begin to question the leader's capabilities.
A successful leader should also offer confidence among team members. Each member’s confidence and the certainty that the team can finish tasks successfully and handle the challenges have a critical role in an implementation project. After organizing and putting in place all such values, the team spirit's will be nurtured (Thornton, 2013). The team leader should be attentive to notice if anything is lacking in the team spirit since such issues can affect the team members' ego which is worsened by fear and the absence of self-confidence.
If trust is strong among team members, competency is not required. A competitive environment can destroy each value that has been established previously. Members may want to be appreciated more by the leader and thus become dishonest. In the end, team members may lose their self-confidence and trust. Instead, a strong mentality is required for members to employ, demonstrate, and nurture their skills. As a result, team members should prefer functioning in solidarity than the competition (Thach, Thompson, & Morris, 2006). In competition, there are distinct individual strengths. On the other hand, solidarity offers a union of powers.
Developing the skills of every member necessitates a proper learning environment. Leaders should motivate individuals to foster their skills. In this regard, they can offer a link between the upper management and the members to get credit for their current achievement, and therefore, develop self-confidence for future success (Martin, 2007). The leader should also credit each member's achievements regardless of the input's weight. When a member fails to complete their task, it is important for the team leader to follow up and know that there is success in all failures. By moderate praising, the team leader can show this success to the individuals and such actions will enhance team performance.
When motivating team members, a team leader should demonstrate the significance of the members' tasks. These tasks should be clear so that every member avoids misunderstandings and doubts. Hierarchy is also a crucial element for leadership. The leader should introduce each member to all staff members to promote order in the organization. In general, a computer science project manager should function as a mediator, function as a missionary, classify and summarize issues, function as a delegator, and manage people. In the present organizational environment of improvements and rapid development, specifically in systems and technology, successful project leaders should also be flexible to manage the changes.
Followership and Leadership Assessment
The results from the assessment classify me as an exemplary follower. Although there are many followership definitions, scholars agree that exemplary followers possess common traits (Walia, 2017). They are usually categorized as engaged employees who safeguard, promote, and build their organization. Most of the skills observed in exemplary followers align with my followership and leadership assessment results. I usually portray effective job skills through comprehending commitments to the organization and teams. Furthermore, I am constantly enhancing value to my current position through performance and competence. The individual support backs Kelly's assertions regarding exemplary followership. In this regard, the independent thinkers employ their effort at will to boost the team.
I show organizational skills by creating relationships with the leaders and teams. I also comprehend my role's impact on the organization and the network's depth. This exemplary followership trait demonstrates a link between the LMX Theory and Kelly's importance perception in leader-follower relationships (Lindsey Hall et al., 2016). Through my willingness to challenge both my leaders and my team in a constructive manner, I show value components. Although I do not compromise my values and principles, I also do not expect the leader or the team members to compromise theirs.
Willson (2012) suggested that good leaders and exemplary followers are trustworthy, show trust, and comprehend the member's needs. They are also effective listeners, optimistic, and prioritize team goals ahead of personal goals. These traits outlined by Willson expanded the interdependent relationship's parameters between follower and leader to also encompass followers to one another. Exemplary followership incorporates the recognition of distinct individual strengths among team members to increase diversity in skillsets.
Also backing the interdependent followership relationship is the enhanced decision-making inclusion and control over personal responsibilities. Ohrberg (2014) discovered that people who were offered increased autonomy to play a role in making decisions in their roles developed enhanced trust levels among the organization, leaders, and peers. Additionally, the interdependence among staff and leaders is the link to prosocial motivation (Grant & Berry, 2011).
My leadership traits are founded upon collective failures, successes, observations, and life experiences. Regardless, I need to improve on my planning and communication to become a better leader. Planning is important since the developed map helps ensure there is an effective team in place. It will also ensure that the team has the proper resources to carry out a software development project. Most importantly, communicating the plan to the team members is equally important as creating it. Consequently, effective leaders should continuously revise their plans and constantly communicate the plan to team members.
Since my professional field is information system’s project management, my leadership approach is primarily focused on consultation and collaboration. To lead any project to its completion, I must establish priorities and utilize the team members' distinct skillsets, creativity, and resources. I also need to motivate the team members to rise above their current potential. Furthermore, as a good leader, I assist followers to unleash their potential since it is the leadership's success lasting measurement. When working on a project, problems such as temporary failures, disruptions, poor decisions, and faulty systems may arise. As a leader, it is important to discover ways to handle the issues and proceed with the project regardless of the problems encountered.
Followership and Leadership Development Plan
Leadership Strengths
A major leadership strength that I possess is the combination of trust and responsibility. Responsibility is a core value in project management, while trust fosters the relationship among team members. Determining a project's requirements necessitates collaboration to develop customized outcomes and solutions (Yang, Chen, & Huang, 2012). Accountability, responsibility, and competency are other core leadership strengths that necessitate making proper decisions and choices.
Leadership Weakness
My weaknesses as a leader are of affective and personality nature, particularly non-intellective traits, namely emotional intelligence. This conduct is partly because of my preference for more formal communication channels and formal scenarios. Additionally, I usually tend to avoid informal or casual interactions. Nonetheless, Aguas, Zapata, and Arellano (2017) suggest that informal communication is beneficial, particularly in situations that include unexpected outcomes, new information, and new experiences. Affective issues are also a concern since they make it challenging to solve issues and comprehend unexpected situations.
Followership Strengths
A major followership strength is organizational commitment. Commitment involves the spontaneous identification of a person with the work environment and the organization (Ghazinejad, Hussein, & Zidane, 2018). The executive usually shares a positive attitude with their managers, who attempt to convey it to their followers. By identifying with the organizational mission and objectives, I strive to maintain a personal connection with the organization.
Followership Weaknesses
The effective use of referent personal power, comprising referent and expert power that is founded upon respect and admiration, are soft skills that are my major followership weakness. The capability to utilize this power is crucial in followership since it assists in attaining the desired outcomes. Additionally, increasing soft skills knowledge is crucial to evade the problem of being overly certain.
Continuously Developing Strengths and Correcting Weaknesses
Fostering strengths and minimizing or overcoming the shortcomings requires individuals to design a plan for correcting the weaknesses and utilizing the current strengths (Mulla & Krishnan, 2011). Particular plans for strengthening positive traits such as accountability, responsibility, and competency are of massive importance. The key to successful projects is to maintain and earn others' respect and trust (Ghazinejad, Hussein, & Zidane, 2018). Building trust requires maintaining a high level of integrity which is a major leadership strength. One way to cope with avoiding information communication channels is allocating time for using oral language and face-to-face communication. This can take place right away with incremental changes in the time allocated every week or month.
Enhancing personal power could be attained by seeking assistance from a coach and increasing organization transparency. Organizational transparency is a five-year goal and is aimed at fostering trust, enhancing capability and opening up chances for innovation and change. Seeking guidance from a coach for sessions can help me make better decisions when consensus is challenging to reach. These coaching sessions can take place within the next two years. Raising the utilization of emotional intelligence can rectify the issues raised in followership weaknesses such as soft skills knowledge. Emotional intelligence encompasses the capability to determine one's own and others' feelings (Doe & Phipps, 2015). Nurturing it should be a continuous process. Furthermore, since developing leadership is an ongoing process, a specific timeline for every action is unnecessary.
Conclusion
Leadership is the most crucial component in project management. Various theories have been suggested to explain the leadership concept. Leadership styles have also been discovered to impact the project's success. Nevertheless, there is no particular style or theory that can fit all projects. As a result, leaders should adapt themselves to inspire followers and motivate them to achieve the project's success in all phases ultimately. The member's needs may also vary. Therefore, the leaders must determine each individual's needs and meet their respective expectations. The leader’s massive scope makes it challenging for scholars to employ their leadership skills in their current professional field. Therefore, developing this Followership and Leadership Development Plan is an effective way of enhancing professional performance by incorporating current learning.
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