Anjaih Clemons Followership: Creating Change…Scholarly Review-8

Barbara Kellerman’s Followership: How Followers Are Creating Change and Changing Leaders
A Scholarly Book Review
By: Anjaih Clemons
Lead 566: Leaders, Followers and Shared Vision
Instructor: Heidi Hill
July 23, 2011

Abstract

This essay assesses Barbara Kellerman’s book, Followership: How Followers Are Creating Change and Changing Leaders by examining how individuals that relatively have less authority are in fact important. Through conceptual analysis, Kellerman brings followers to the forefront in the eyes of leaders to convey the message that followers do matter rather they initialize change or do nothing at all.

Introduction

Barbara Kellerman, Public Leadership Lecturer at Harvard University’ John F. Kennedy School of Government, has captured the thoughts of leaders all over the world for over a decade. Writing books referencing global leaders from scholars, historians, and psychologists, Kellerman invites you into the world of developmental leadership and the promotion of good leaders within the public and corporate sector. However, a new concept was formed in the mind of Kellerman through a recent book entitled; Followership: How Followers Are Creating Change and Changing Leaders. For years, authors, psychologists’ historians, and leadership scholars have pushed the “leader-centric” approach, which has dominated the minds of people about how power, authority and influence are implemented. Kellerman’s (2008) hope of writing this book will allow the realization to set in that followers, in their own right, are just as important as leaders if not more.

Thesis

Kellerman (2008) staked a claim stating that “followers are important; every bit as important as are leaders” (p. xvii). Followership has rarely been defined, unless it was through ranking or personal perspective. Through conventional theory and thoughts, followers have been viewed as being less important, much less important than leaders. Kellerman (2008) defines followers and followership by ranking and behavior; “they are subordinates who have less power, authority and influence than their superiors. They go along with what someone else wants and intend (p. xix). She goes on to explain that followership is the” response of those in subordinate positions (followers) to those in superior ones (leader) (p. xx). Kellerman’s focus within this book is to let us see the parts followers play whether they do little or nothing. Kellerman (2008) made it clear that her main purpose for writing Followership…was not only for leaders but every bit for followers as well. One reason is that there’s a line that separates superiors from subordinates, which is often blurred. Sometimes leaders follow, sometimes followers lead (Kellerman, p.xxi). The second reason that leaders and followers are referenced is that all of us are followers first. From infancy through childhood and even to adulthood, we depend on someone to lead us so that we lead followers in the future. One particular author and theory that can be referenced through her definition is Robert Greenleaf’s Servant as Leader. Greenleaf (1977) begins this work with an excerpt from Hermann Hesse’s Journey of the East, a story of a servant Leo, who disappeared from a journey and was later found to be a leader of the order who sponsored the original journey. The point Greenleaf made was “in order to lead, one must have the natural feeling to serve willingly” (Greenleaf, p.6). This coincides with Kellerman’s main thesis that followers are just as important as the leader, because eventually they will lead.

Main Points

Kellerman (2008) continuously stated throughout her book that followers are considerably important. She clarified:

My intention is not to diminish the leadership literature or the leadership schools, institutes, centers, courses, seminars, workshops and programs this literature sustains. Rather, it is to point out that the canvas on which we paint is simply too small. It should hold more than a single looming figure, the leader. It should be enlarged to accommodate followers as well. (p.14)

Followership…is divided into three distinct parts. Part I deals with ‘Seeing Followers’ through Fictions, Facts, Relationships and Types. In this particular section, Kellerman’s clear focus is on how followers are within an organization and how they can help create change (fact, fiction portions). Barbara draws insight from theoretical and psychological fields through concepts of Freud, Milgrams Theory on Obedience and Historical accounts that express her concept of follower importance. Within the context of the Information Revolution, Kellerman (2008) conveyed the importance of information through leadership and followers through the expertise of Harlan Cleveland. Cleveland explored the connection between leading and managing and the information revolution. Within in his connection, Cleveland made a few implications that, “followers everywhere will get to the policy answer (information) before their leaders do” (p. 29). This aspect shows that followers are indeed important and show leadership in the information phase. Warren Bennis (2010) stated, “leaders are increasingly dependent on subordinates for good information, whether leaders want to hear it or not” (p.4). Kellerman’s chapter on relationships discusses the correlation between leaders and those being led. It notes the facts as to why we follow and leader and follower relations through context and characteristics. Kouzes and Posner (2007), authors of The Leadership Challenge implied that “leadership is a relationship between those who aspire to lead and those who choose to follow. It’s the quality of this relationship that matters most when we’re engaged in getting extraordinary things done” (p.24)

Part II ‘Being a Follower’ details the different types of followers established by Kellerman; Isolates, Bystanders, Participants, Activists and Diehards. She describes the characteristics that each type demonstrates and accounts historical examples and real-life situations (ex: Hitler and the Holocaust, politics in America and the military). Kellerman (2008) well described Bystanders as “observers not participates who deliberately decide to standby and disengage from their leaders” (p.97) Kellerman illustrates the kind of power that each of these follower types can wield. She stated in context that had a general bias against those who stand by and do nothing especially when human lives are at stake (common situation when it comes to bystanders). Participants were characterized as engaging individuals. They favor their leaders and groups of which they are members of which leaders in essence, want participants of this nature (p.125). Kellerman (2008) concluded that activist feel strongly about their leaders and they act accordingly. Sometimes they work hard either on behalf of their leader or to undermine them (p. 151). The last follower type referenced by Kellerman was Diehards. Diehards are devoted to their leader and are prepared to die if necessary for their cause no matter what (p. 179).

The last part of Followership…Part III focuses on the Values and Transformations of future followers. The author points out the troubles associated with those who chose to ‘stand out’ and not conform to the group. She also discusses the aspect of how followership is changing within organizations and the public sector. Kellerman also points out her distinction between good and bad followers and how values are associated with followership (how followers good or bad depend upon the leader and vice versa) than the followers.

Critical Assessment

After reading books that specifically focus on leadership and theories of, none of them emphasized followers or made it known that they existed in an important way. The course Leaders, Followers and Shared Vision, help the students comprehend the development of a shared vision and how leaders and followers collaborate to work toward this shared vision. Since my other courses are directed specifically toward leadership in context, the use of Kellerman’s book on followership entails the truth behind the importance of leadership and followership as a whole.

Barbara’s opinions and research are understandably detailed arguments and accounts that provide a good name for followers. In the first chapters, Kellerman referred to John Gardner, a leadership expert, who suggested the word “follower” was that of an insult and refused to use it (p. 6) On a counter aspect, James Rosenau (2004) argued that “followership is of such importance that often it is not clear who is leading and who is following” (p. 16). This shows that in a sense, Rosenau agrees with Kellerman and her claims that leadership is of importance, but however it depends on the behavior of the leader to the follower and vice versa. Though there are many arguments against the fact that followers are not as important as leaders, the claims can be fought against to say followers are just as important, because one without followers is not a leader, they’re just on a journey by themselves. Banutu-Gomez (2004) stated, “To succeed, leaders must teach their followers not only to lead: leadership, but more importantly, how to be a good follower: followership” (p.143). Not only did Gomez’s argument make a fair point, but it was agreeable to the arguments of Kellerman.

Conclusion

In the beginning of this book, Kellerman begins with a story of George Orwell a British police officer stationed in Burma. The conflict involved the local Burman community, Orwell and a loose elephant. It inclined the fact of how the Burmans entertained the killing of an innocent elephant that Orwell believed was morally wrong. It was a great eye opener to explain the conflict between leaders and followers. She presented a descriptive view on the different types of followers and the interpersonal issues that arise in those who are considered a diminishing factor in society, but yet have power and influence to bring about change. She stuck to her theoretical concepts that followers are indeed important to the leadership system and pin-pointed evidence from historical and psychological perspectives in order to back up her theory.

Personal Reaction

Barbara Kellerman wrote an astounding book on followership respectively. I would agree that followers are indeed an important aspect in the system of leadership. Of course leaders are placed upon a pedestal when great change has occurred. However, who exactly are the brains behind the changed that occurred? Followers; good followers. Without followers, there is no complete vision or leader because in my perspective, followers are the most important aspect within the system. From a personal standpoint, I’m a “straight to the point” type of person, and received the “followership concept” within the first chapters. However, upon finishing this book, it’s a great way to realize that there are many aspects to followers and as a whole, it can help mold and shape a person into a great leader because they learned to be a great follower first.

References

Banutu-Gomez. (2004). Great Leaders teach exemplary followership and serve as servant leaders. Journal of American , pp. 143-150.

Bennis, W. (2010, January). Art of Followership. Leadership Excellence , pp. 3-4.

Greenleaf, R. K. (1977). The Servant as Leader. Westfield: Paulist Press.

Kellerman, B. (2008). Followership: How Followers Are Creating Change and Changing Leaders. Boston: Harvard Business School .

M Kouzes, J., & Posner, B. Z. (2007). The Leadership Challenge Fourth Edition. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Rosenau, J. (2004, Fall). Followership and Discretion. Harvard International Review , pp. 14-17.