Do organizations get the followers they deserve?

Abstract

While organizations are composed largely of people who follow orders, followers and followership skills are a neglected area of research. Presents the results of a survey of followership types at three UK companies: the Halifax, a regional electricity company and Thorntons. Suggests that an organization’s culture determines the dominant leadership style, and that this in turn has an influence over what types of followers tend to predominate. Recommends that organizations should not only pay due regard to training their followers, but that further action to amend an unhelpful culture and dysfunctional patterns of leadership should also be considered.

Citation

Brown, A.D. and Thornborrow, W.T. (1996), "Do organizations get the followers they deserve?", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 17 No. 1, pp. 5-11. https://doi.org/10.1108/01437739610105986