Leader Follower Communication - Research Paper Example

Career Development Assignment Outline Introduction Research question Method of data collection General findings Solutions Conclusion Qualitative research project on Leader Follower Communication Introduction Leadership involves influencing followers to accomplish organization’s objectives, in addition to directing the organization in a comprehensive and coherent manner. Leaders apply their knowledge and skills when leading their team, as well as sharing a common goal. Generally, leadership is associated with some factors, including leaders, followers, communication, and situation. A leader is expected to be honest, and manage to gain his followers’ trust, as the latter determine if the leader is effective or not. Moreover, followers are in a position to determine whether a leader should be followed or not. Followers are different and hence require different forms of leadership. For instance, new employees may require more supervision compared to experienced employees, while an employee who is de-motivated may require a different form of leadership compared to the motivated employee. The growth of followers is determined by the effectiveness of a leader. Generally, there exists several types of followers, including the effective follower, who is independent and active, the conformist follower who is dependent of the leader but also active, and the alienated follower who is independent but not much of a team player. In addition, there is the passive follower who is prone to resistance and therefore requires a high level of supervision, and the pragmatic follower who is normally stuck in the middle, as he is not sure on his stand and sometimes maximize on their self-interest only (Lussier & Achua and Lussier p257). In addition, leadership varies with situations, such that a certain type of leadership may be applicable in one situation but it may not be applicable in another. Leaders and followers differ in that everyone can be a follower but not all can be leaders, since leadership is not only a position defined by a state of mind and character. Research question Determining what followers want from their leaders with regard to communication, style, quantity and type. Followership is the willingness to follow a leader or to be led; however, a leader can as well be a follower, as he has to follow his superiors and his followers. For instance, in the case of a flight captain who gives orders to his crewmembers, if the crew does not understand, he goes ahead and teaches them on how to attend to that particular matter, thereby becoming a follower since he reacted to the actions of his followers. In this research, a selection of followers were made from nurses who report to doctors, a clerk who reports to the manager, a personal secretary who reports to the managing director and technician who reports to the head engineer. This research involves different companies, and the bridge between the leader and the follower is communication. According to Ricketson (p33), followers are characterized by responsibility, trustworthiness, reliability, and initiative. The author further adds that the type of leadership is likely to determine the types of followers. Method of data collection: The type of data collection, method used was qualitative analysis, which involved collection of data via interviews mainly verbal to avoid consuming the employees time. One of the factors that stood out is the fact that communication is effective and necessary when dealing with leaders and followers. The four employees; the secretary, receptionist, technician and nurse involved were co-operative and gave their views concerning what they desire from their leaders. Data collection took one week, as the numbers of respondents were only four. Below are the findings in relation to the research. General Findings One factor that was addressed by all the correspondents was that communication was effective in any leadership. In addition, they were all in agreement that a follower’s success depends on the leader’s communication at the place of work. Communication is the key tool that leads to success or failure, since most organizations have succeeded via effective communication between the leaders and followers. Nevertheless, two respondents claimed that their leaders do not communicate clearly on issues, and it is until they make a error that their leaders communicate the message clearly. This is a common problem in most organizations where leaders do not utilize communication effectively. The respondents claim that a leader should be keen on what style of leadership he uses, as the type of leadership used determines the effectiveness of an employee in terms of responsiveness, reliability, and loyalty. In addition, 80% of the respondents supported the democratic type of leadership, claiming that it enhances cooperation and participation for the followers. Nevertheless, the leader has the responsibility of leading while the follower has the responsibility of following; therefore, regardless of the style of leadership involved, a follower may be required to follow even if he does not approve of the type of leadership being used. Moreover, the respondents consider authoritative leadership as a harsh type of leadership style that is only one-sided and does not consider the employees’ point of view. According to Vondey (p53), a follower sometimes decides to choose how to behave in relation to the leader. Both parties are very essential to the organization, but the follower may decide to behave in a certain manner in regard to the attribution he/she has about a leader. For instance, if followers perceive their leader as responsible in terms of decision-making, the followers expect the leader to always make decisions and rely on him for motivation. Hence, they are dormant when it comes to decision making, as they are sure that it is the duty of a leader. In addition, if followers take the initiative of motivating themselves, they consider the leader as their partner, thus expressing autonomy. Such perceptions by the follower may lead to an increase or a decrease on the effect that a leadership style has on the follower’s motivation and autonomy. Respondents also approved the fact that trust is important in a leader - follower relationship, in that, followers are able to look up to their leaders without a doubt in their form of leadership. Solutions Empowering followers is a virtue, and an indication of true leadership, as the followers are capable of learning more of what the leader knows. Such a leader fosters creativity among his followers and motivates them. According to Ricketson (p34), followers have a duty to play in the organization, assuming the responsibility for the organization and holding a positive image of the organization is one-step forward. Courageous followers discover opportunities and maximize such opportunities to fulfill their potential and increase the value of the organization. He further adds that followers should be capable of airing out their voices on issues that cause discomfort to enhance harmony between them and their leaders. According to Vondey (p54), a leader can choose between varieties of effective style of leadership; the transactional leadership involves a relation between the leader and the follower that is linked by rewards. Here, a leader sets certain tasks or goals that are associated with rewards after their completion, and since the followers want to receive the reward, they act towards the completion of the task. Transformational leadership is associated with several characteristics; the leaders are able to communicate a clear vision and explain how the vision can be achieved. Moreover, confidence is shown on both the vision and the followers, and the leaders lead by example. A follower’s trust in his leader is important as trust determines the level of a leader’s effectiveness. Employee satisfaction is another factor that enhances the leader- follower relationship, when employees are motivated, they gain job satisfaction and improve on their performance, hence increasing organization returns as well. Employee satisfaction enables employees to trust their leaders in relation to their well-being. A leader who is concerned about his employee’s well-being is respected and trusted by the followers. Therefore, it is easier for such a leader to lead effectively as his followers have trust in him. Conclusion Leader-follower communication has proved to be vital in any organization, as research indicates that followers expect the leaders to communicate effectively at all times to avoid mistakes. Successful leadership is associated with employees’ hard work on accomplishing tasks; nevertheless, the leader’s style of leadership has proved to be a major determinant of employee’s behavior. Therefore, leaders should be cautious on the type of leadership style they choose, as it can either motivate or demotivate the employees. Trust and loyalty from one’s followers are essential tools towards effective leadership, and towards building a healthy organization. Successful leadership requires support from followers, trust, communication, and effective decision-making process. References Achua, Christopher and Lussier, Robert. Leadership: Theory, Application, & Skill Development. Edition 4. OH: Cengage Learning Publishers, 2009. 26 September 2011. http://books.google.com/books?id=7ctnVNMtBQgC&pg=PA255&dq=types+of+followers+in+leadership&hl=en&ei=8yiAToSLLsiq-ga9mYSSDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=types%20of%20followers%20in%20leadership&f=false Ricketson, Rushton. An exploration of the relationship of leadership styles and dimensions of courageous followership. ProQuest Publisher, 2008. 26 September 2011. http://books.google.com/books?id=OiC7bpf_tsQC&pg=PA33&dq=types+of+followers+in+leadership&hl=en&ei=8yiAToSLLsiq-ga9mYSSDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CEAQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=types%20of%20followers%20in%20leadership&f=false Vondley, Michelle. Follower-Focused Leadership: Effect of Follower Self-Concepts and Self-Determination on Organizational Citizenship Behavior. Emerging Leadership Journeys, Vol. 1 Issue 1, 2008, pp. 52-61. 26 September 2011. http://www.regent.edu/acad/global/publications/elj/issue1/ELJ_V1Is1_Vondey.pdf Read More