Chapter 6 - Followership, Psychoanalytic and Relational Approaches to Leadership

Question 1

Follower-centric approaches to leadership

Answer 1

Seeing leadership as a socially constructed process where followers play an equally important role as leaders. Have enabled a closer exploration of different types of followers and their role in the organisation.

Question 2

Effective leaders or the organisation’s romance of leadership

Answer 2

There is a lack of evidence of the importance of a single, heroic leader in the leadership process
and organisational success. The success of an organisation may therefore not be directly linked
to the actions of a leader but may instead reflect the belief of the followers in these leaders that
drives the positive actions of those followers leading to organisational success.

Further, an
over-reliance and dependence on individual leaders may inhibit followers’ active contribution to
creativity, innovation and constructive feedback within the organisation.

Question 3

6 approaches to followers in leadership studies!

RMSCLC

Answer 3

1. Followers as recipients of leadership. Follower passive.
2. Followers as moderators of leadership. Followers have a somewhat ore active role.
   (early contingency theories)
3. Followers as substitutes for leadership. Follower characteristics either neutralise or negate the need for leadership.
4. Followers as constructors of leadership. what we see as leadership and what is effective is constucted by those who follow.
   - early childhood experiences, especially in crisis when followers look for someone like their parents.
5. Followers as leaders. leadership is distributed throughout the organisation and is done and by everybody.
6. Followers as co-producers of leadership. the relationship between leader and follower is examined as socially co-constructed by leader and follower the leadership process is about the engagement in a mutually beneficial relationship between individuals in a social context.

Question 4

5 styles of followership (Kelley)

Answer 4

1. The sheep - passive and little critical/independence
2. The yes people - active and lovely but low critical/independent thought
3. The alienated - independent and critical but passive.
4. The pragmatic - middle with regard to both dimensions
5. The star - independent/critical and active

Question 5

5 followership styles (Kellerman) with positive/negative engagement and commitment to leaders/organisations - IBPAD

Answer 5

• Isolates
• Bystanders
• Participants
• Activists
• Diehards

Question 6

Further studies emphasize the followership is either an (3 things)

Answer 6

1. Interactive role
2. Independent role
3. Shifting role

Question 7

Criticial perspectives and future trends

Answer 7

*Seven important topics
- world events
culture
leadership
follower qualities
role of the follower
language of followership
courageous conscience

Question 8

Psychoanalytical

Answer 8

Makes it possible to explore followers’ fantasies and unconscious desires and how that drives
their preferences for certain types of leaders and leadership. The fantasies are a product of early
childhood experience with the mother and father as the first form of authority and will influence
if the follower will enter a relationship of dependency, counter-dependency or interdependence.

Question 9

The relational process

Answer 9

Shifts the perspective on leadership towards seeing and conceptualising it as a relational process,
which is simultaneously social, cognitive and political. Seeing leadership as a relational process
blurs the boundaries between the individual selves and the context and shifts our focus onto
interdependencies and interconnections.

Hosking warns that to be relational means to engage in an ongoing process of deep
reflection by the individual and group an should therefore include a focus on
- Framing
- Positioning
- Bridging