The Effects of the Empowering Role of Followers on Leaders: A Phenomenological Perspective
The Effects of the Empowering Role of Followers on Leaders: A Phenomenological Perspective
Evelina Denise Harris-Wilson | 2017
Abstract
Leadership and followership are interdependent phenomena; nevertheless, most of the past literature has focused on the critical role of the leader. Because of the changing landscape of the world and its economy as a result of globalization and evolving technology, scholars and practitioners have started to focus on the valuable role that followers play in achieving organizational objectives. Scholars such as Kelley (1988) and Chaleff (1995) were pioneers in the study of followership, emphasizing the mutual and complementary role of leaders and followers. Empowerment is an area in which these reciprocal roles manifest. While several scholars have focused on how leaders empower followers (Conger & Kanungo, 1988; Manz, 1992; Spreitzer, 1996; Thomas & Velthouse, 1990), little work has been conducted on how followers empower leaders. To address this gap in the literature, a qualitative phenomenological study was conducted to answer the question: How do followers empower leaders? The participants were assigned to six focus groups consisting of a leader and a follower from different organizations and diverse backgrounds in the Commonwealth of Virginia using the models proposed by Kelley (1988, 1992) and Chaleff, which highlighted components such as critical thinking, active engagement, the courage to challenge, participate in transformation, and take moral action. The perspectives of both the leader and the follower were considered. In-depth questions were formulated from literature to discover how followers possessing the characteristics of effective and courageous followership proposed by Kelley (1988) and Chaleff empowered leaders. Bracketing and triangulation were used to analyze data and to ensure validation and credibility. The findings revealed that leaders were empowered when effective and courageous followers demonstrated skills and qualities such as decision making and leadership, mindfulness, competence, commitment, conflict management, respect, communication, creativity, integrity, mindfulness, and being proactive and relational. When these attributes are utilized daily, it allows the leader to be more productive and focus on other priorities.