| dc.description.abstract | In a society infatuated with leadership, individuals aim to become exemplary leaders, not exemplary followers. Although Follower is not a role that is sought out, the majority of the population will spend the bulk of their careers, and life, in a followership role. Followership is an imperative skill for people to learn, because for any organization or leader to succeed, there must be individuals who are willing to effectively follow. Furthermore, is important for leaders to understand their followers so they can create dynamic partnerships, lead effectively, and enable the organization and followers to prosper. This raises questions around what followership is, what traits, skills, and behaviors exemplary followers need to possess, and how leaders can develop exemplary followers.
Using a Delphi approach, this research sought to define followership and identify followership traits, behaviors, and skills from the perspectives of middle-level managers. An expert panel of 13 middle-level managers from the largest agricultural for-profit organization in the United States was used in this study. Followership definition findings were categorized into three groups: Devotion to the Leader, Takes Direction, and I’ve Never Heard of the Term Follower. Additionally, the data revealed middle-level managers perceive 27 traits, 17 skills, and 25 behaviors as necessary for exemplary followers to possess. Traits were categorized into five categories: Self-Cultivation, Ethical Action, Personality, Effective Communication, and Hirability Traits. Skills into three categories: Technical, Human, and Conceptual. And the 25 behaviors fell into three categories: Task-Oriented, Relationship-Oriented, and Team-Oriented.
These findings support previous calls for further followership education and research to aid in our society redefining followership and creating environments that cultivate effective followers. The recommendations include insight for leadership educators on how better incorporate followership into leadership curriculum. Additionally, both for-profit and non-profit industry leaders will find recommendations on how to cultivate exemplary followers that will contribute to the organizational culture. | |
