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Comparing Followership and Servant Leadership

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10 views4 pages

Comparing Followership and Servant Leadership

Uploaded by

thomaswilhelms02
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

1

Followership and Servant Leadership: Comparison and Contrast

SGT Victor E. Bernal

8th Army Wightman NCO Academy

Basic Leaders Course 009-24

SSG Mason and SSG Paul

August 16, 2024


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Followership and Servant Leadership: Comparison and Contrast

This essay aims to explore the similarities and differences between followership
and servant leadership. Both roles play a crucial part in fostering effective and
collaborative work environments by allowing leaders to know and take care of their
soldiers. Followership pertains to the attributes of followers. How leaders can use these
attributes to become followers, seeing things for their perspective, in turn leading them
better. In contrast, servant leadership focuses on the commitment of leaders to serve
and empower their followers. While both concepts are ways for leaders to lead their
subordinates, they diverge in their approaches and impact on the team.

Followership is when a leader puts themselves in their subordinates’ shoes to


better understand them and their impact on the organization. Suonvieri (2022) claims
that followership is “the role a leader plays in understanding who their followers are”,
that leaders must have an understanding of their subordinates in order to lead them. An
important aspect of followership is the characterization of the actions and mindsets of
subordinates helping leaders understand how to be better followers themselves
(Sounvieri, 2022). Kelley’s Model of Follower Behavior categorizes followers based on
their passive or active actions and their critical thinking into five different categories.

These categories are exemplary, conformist, passive, alienated and pragmatist.


Novikov (2016) explains “exemplary followers think for themselves and … challenge
leaders by providing alternative solutions” if they think differently with their leaders.
Conformist followers, also referred to as yes people, are “active doers that
unquestioningly” adhere to leaders without question (Novikov, 2016). Passive followers
are low in engagement and “are dependent uncritical thinkers … referred to as sheep”,
they are unable to accomplish tasks without given specific direction in explicit detail
(Novikov, 2016). Alienated followers are high “critical thinkers but are low in
engagement” that do the bare minimum while complaining and not putting in any effort
to make a change (Novikov, 2016). Finally, the last pragmatist follower are right in the
middle with “moderate level of engagement and … critical thinking”, survivor is another
name for pragmatist (Novikov, 2016). Leaders can use the followership role to figure out
which category their subordinates lie and how to understand and effectively manage,
lead and better their followers in turn bettering the organization as a whole.

Servant leadership is a role where leaders focus on prioritizing the distinct needs
and development of their followers. White (2022) explains the servant leadership role
“prioritizes the growth, well-being, and empowerment of employees.” This leadership
style shifts the leader from a commanding role to a supportive one. Servant leadership
puts employees first to grow the organization through their commitment and
engagement (White 2022). A few ways in which leaders can accomplish this is by
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listening, being a skilled communicator and having empathy. Leaders that follow this
role fostering a collaborative workplace of trust for members to excel reach their fullest
potential.

The similarity between these two roles lies in that they both focus on leaders
understanding and knowing their subordinates. However, the contrast between
followership and servant leadership lies in their focus and impact. Followership is based
on the engagement and critical thinking of individuals within a team. Leaders using this
method jump into their followers’ characteristics to better understand them and their
impact on the organization. This can lead to employees getting recognition via rewards
or even punishments as well. Whereas servant leadership focuses more on nurturing
and facilitating their growth by serving them, making them feel more accepted and
motivated to give back to the organization helping it succeed.

Both the followership and servant leadership roles are vital to an organizations’
efficiency and effectiveness. Although they address different aspects of the relationship
between leaders and their followers. Followership emphasized the importance of
effective participation from followers, while servant leadership highlights leaders’
responsibility to serve and uplift their team members. Leaders that integrate the
strengths of both these approaches can create a team of motivated, engaged and
critically independent thinkers that together will lead to the most effective team to
accomplish the goals of the organization.
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References

Novikov, V. (2016). Followership and Performance in Acquisition, Research and

Development Organizations. Emerging Leadership Journeys, 1, 9.

[Link]

Suonvieri, C. (2022). Followership: What it is and Why it’s Essential for Leaders to

Understand.

[Link]

White, S.K. (2022). What Is Servant Leadership? A Philosophy for People-First

Leadership.

[Link]

first-leadership

Common questions

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Both followership and servant leadership stress the importance of understanding subordinates. Followership requires leaders to see from their followers' perspectives, aiding in recognizing and managing individual attributes effectively . Meanwhile, servant leadership focuses on getting to know the distinct needs of followers to foster their growth and commitment, promoting a supportive work environment .

Implementing servant leadership in traditional hierarchical organizations can face challenges like resistance to change from established authority figures, the need to retrain leaders to adopt empathic and supportive roles, and altering entrenched processes that prioritize power over collaboration and individual development .

Critical thinking in followership involves followers questioning and providing divergent solutions, which can challenge leaders by presenting alternative viewpoints that necessitate adaptive leadership responses. This process encourages dynamic dialogue and promotes innovative problem-solving within organizations .

Servant leadership redefines the leader's role by shifting focus from a commanding authority to a supportive guide. Leaders utilizing this style prioritize the growth and empowerment of their team members over traditional top-down hierarchical structures, employing empathy, active listening, and communication to cultivate a trust-based, collaborative environment .

Exemplary followers enhance decision-making by actively engaging with leadership, contributing thoughtful insights and alternative solutions. Their proactive nature and independent mindset offer diverse perspectives that can refine strategies and create better-aligned organizational decisions .

Followership involves leaders adopting the perspective of their subordinates to better understand them, focusing on categorizing follower behaviors into types like exemplary, conformist, passive, alienated, and pragmatist . In contrast, servant leadership focuses on prioritizing the growth and well-being of followers by serving and empowering them, using skills like listening, communication, and empathy to foster a supportive and collaborative environment .

The practices of followership and servant leadership positively influence organizational effectiveness by fostering a motivated and engaged workforce. Followership drives critical participation from team members, while servant leadership enhances growth and empowerment, enabling employees to excel and contribute to the organization's goals .

Integrating the strengths of both followership and servant leadership is essential because it builds a balanced leadership environment. This integration allows leaders to benefit from nuanced understanding (from followership) and empowerment of individuals (from servant leadership), fostering a team equipped with critical thinking and motivation necessary for achieving organizational objectives .

Leaders can improve their efficacy by understanding their followers' behaviors through Kelly’s Model, which enables them to identify follower types and adapt their leadership style to enhance engagement and productivity. By doing so, leaders transform organizational cultures into more cooperative and motivated settings .

Kelly’s Model of Follower Behavior categorizes followers into five types: exemplary, conformist, passive, alienated, and pragmatist. This model is significant as it helps leaders identify the engagement level and critical thinking ability of followers, allowing them to tailor their leadership approach to enhance organizational productivity and empower individuals .

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