ADOPTION OF FOLLOWERSHIP AS A MANAGEMENT STYLE

Hersey, Blanchard and Johnson (1996) write a great deal about the concept of "followership" in which the terms "leader" and "follower" are not diametrically opposed concepts, but both exist as points along a continuum, and that the roles shift as the situation develops. In a way, this confirms the old Confucian analect that "As a teacher, by your students you are taught." Some management schools, discussing the concept of situational leadership make use of an organizational model called "path-goal."

The path-goal theory of management suggests that it is the manager's primary task to both lead and guide, helping the workers achieve goals through the clear establishment of what is expected of them.

As explained by Stewart, "The directive leader lets subordinates know what is expected of them...the supportive leader is friendly and shows concern for the needs...the participative leader consults with subordinates...the achievement oriented leader sets challenging goals" (Stewart, 1993, 112).

Applying the theories proposed by Stewart that there is a difference between a successful manager and an effective manager adds a new dimension to this path-goal theory. "Through the years, management has been described...[as] planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating and controlling" (Stewart, 1993, 23). Stewart also suggests that this has created a schism between "effective" managers (those that get the job done) a

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eadership styles. Chaleff (1996) addresses the criticism that most "leaders" hate thinking of themselves as followers. In our culture being a follower connotes weakness, passivity or mindlessness. But this need not be the case. Leaders can empower followers, and followers can empower themselves! Leading isn't strong and good, and following weak and bad; leadership and followership are two sides of the same process. One can't exist without the other. You can lead in many ways, and you can follow in many ways. I don't believe that followers are passive; I contend that followers don't exist to serve leaders. In healthy organizations, both leaders and followers serve a common purpose. Ultimately, a follower doesn't draw power or authority from a leader, but from the organization's purpose and from the commitment and skills he or she brings to that purpose. An effective follower is supportive, not passive! (Chaleff, 1996, 16). One valid benefit that "followership" brings to a company is that it creates a system of open-book management, which, as the name implies, means opening the financial and operational statements to all employees. Many of today's most successful companies -- Yahoo! Dell Computers, America Online -- adopt a po

Category: Business - A