Kelley's effective followership describes the nature of followers that effect positive change through their relationship with their leaders. Effective followership is characterized by certain attributes. The first trait is the ability to set and fulfill individual goals while operating within the organization. This is important since it ensures that their work is performed with excellence. The effective follower also ensures that their purpose is not selfish but rather benefits the organization as well. They are continually improving themselves through training and focused goals. The enthusiastic, honest and critical employee is the epitome of effective followership. The employees carry out their activities transparently to remedy any misdemeanors in time. They also invest heavily in the truth, even when it does not suit them. The workers also tend to focus on creating solutions instead of dwelling on the problems that challenge them. They therefore align the company's goals with their personal goals to help balance their roles (Chaleff, 2016).
According to Bjugstad et al. (2006), a leader can use Kelley's model of effective followership to benefit from effective followership in their position of authority. An environment that allows honest communication is a crucial part of implementing effective followership in an organization. This kind of environment is created by availing opportunities for leaders to interact with followers. The interaction should be free of judgment and should be held privately to encourage openness. Kelley's model encourages leaders to allow the display of initiatives among followers. This will lead to different methods of implementing goals and thus increase the ease of operation. Leaders may also enhance followership by identifying the type of followership that each follower adheres to. This will help the leader to apply the leadership style that is most effective to them. For example, the follower who strictly adheres to instructions should be approached by assigning him tasks that require precise execution and constant monitoring. Likewise, followers who question their leaders and improvise solutions that are outside of the mandated methods can do with a leader who delegates responsibility. The follower can then choose how to carry out his mandate as he pleases. Treating a follower according to his characteristics will increase productivity and success. This way, the follower will thrive while maintaining his or her personality. The company and leaders will both benefit from this arrangement.
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Chaleff ( 2016) stats that Kelley's model of followership identifies five categories of followers. Passive followers are those who need frequent guidance and instruction. They depend on the leaders to make all the decisions, and they do not criticize any thoughts or suggestions from those in charge. Alienated followers are independent thinkers who offer the organization advice through constructive criticism. They are often able and capable of their role, but they are self-centered. Exemplary followers question and critique their leaders with the intention to introduce better and new ways of doing things. They are an essential contributor to the success of any organization. They are ideal team players as well as performing well individually. Conformist followers are the fourth category. They agree with everything the leaders suggest, and they implement the orders efficiently received. They are also known as the yes people of the organization. The fifth and the last category are the pragmatists. They borrow some characteristics from each of the other four groups and combine them to come up with a unique combination of traits. Most effective followers fall into this category (Chaleff, 2016).
The knowledge of effective followership can assist a leader to perform their role better. Once they know what effective followership means, they can begin by analyzing their environment and determining if the circumstances reflect this model. The leader can then decide whether to enhance the present environment if it boosts this model. If it doesn't, then the leader can begin to create the sort of environment that allows effective followership. The leader may also evaluate each employee's conduct so that they may be suitably categorized. When this is done, the leader will adjust his behavior towards the follower and apply a leadership style that works. For example, alienated followers who often provide helpful criticism, often thrive under a participating leader. This kind of leader can gain the trust of his follower because the follower feels that the leader has come to his level. The alienated follower now thinks that they can contribute and provide a solution that will work if the leader approves and rewards him (Bjugstad et al., 2006).
A leader can develop individuals into more effective followers through mentorship. The leader who takes time out to learn his followers will have an advantage over the one who is aloof. Mentorship begins by finding out what a person's strengths and weaknesses are. The leader can then suggest ways that prevent the follower's gaps to negatively affect his career. After this, strengths can be identified. The two can work together to find roles where the strengths can be utilized. This process is the most challenging part because it may involve extreme change. The leader may move the follower horizontally within the organization until he finds the role that he fits best in (Bjugstad et al., 2006). This stage will need constant monitoring and evaluation as well as lengthy communication to give valid and useful feedback. The strategy will reveal the area most suitable to the follower. By doing this, the leader plants a seed of leadership in the follower. The process will finally result in a well rounded and fully functional follower who exhibits effective followership traits that could later give birth to other effective followers and leaders.
References
Bjugstad, K., Thach, E., " Thompson, K. (2006). A fresh look at followership: A model for matching followership and leadership styles. Journal of Behavioral " Applied Management, 7(3), 304-319. Retrieved from https://libraryresources. columbiasouthern.edu/login? url=http://search.ebscohost. com/login.aspx?direct=true"db=a9h"AN= 21501562"site=ehost-live" scope=site
Chaleff, I. (2016). In praise of followership style assessments. Journal of Leadership Studies, 10 (3), 45-48.
