Anjaih Clemons
Followership: Creating Change…Scholarly Review-I
Barbara Kellerman’s Followership: How
Followers Are Creating Change and Changing
Leaders
A Scholarly Book Review
By: Anjaih Clemons
Lead 566: Leaders, Followers and Shared Vision
Instructor: Heidi Hill
July 23, 2011
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Abstract
This essay assesses Barbara Kellerman’s book, Followership: How Followers
Are Creating Change and Changing Leaders by examining how individuals that
relatively have less authority are in fact important. Through conceptual analysis,
Kellerman brings followers to the forefront in the eyes of leaders to convey the message
that followers do matter rather they initialize change or do nothing at all.
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Introduction
Barbara Kellerman, Public Leadership Lecturer at Harvard University’ John F.
Kennedy School of Government, has captured the thoughts of leaders all over the world
for over a decade. Writing books referencing global leaders from scholars, historians,
and psychologists, Kellerman invites you into the world of developmental leadership and
the promotion of good leaders within the public and corporate sector. However, a new
concept was formed in the mind of Kellerman through a recent book entitled;
Followership: How Followers Are Creating Change and Changing Leaders. For years,
authors, psychologists’ historians, and leadership scholars have pushed the “leadercentric” approach, which has dominated the minds of people about how power, authority
and influence are implemented. Kellerman’s (2008) hope of writing this book will allow
the realization to set in that followers, in their own right, are just as important as leaders
if not more.
Thesis
Kellerman (2008) staked a claim stating that “followers are important; every bit as
important as are leaders” (p. xvii). Followership has rarely been defined, unless it was
through ranking or personal perspective. Through conventional theory and thoughts,
followers have been viewed as being less important, much less important than leaders.
Kellerman (2008) defines followers and followership by ranking and behavior; “they are
subordinates who have less power, authority and influence than their superiors. They go
along with what someone else wants and intend (p. xix). She goes on to explain that
followership is the” response of those in subordinate positions (followers) to those in
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superior ones (leader) (p. xx). Kellerman’s focus within this book is to let us see the
parts followers play whether they do little or nothing. Kellerman (2008) made it clear that
her main purpose for writing Followership…was not only for leaders but every bit for
followers as well. One reason is that there’s a line that separates superiors from
subordinates, which is often blurred. Sometimes leaders follow, sometimes followers
lead (Kellerman, p.xxi). The second reason that leaders and followers are referenced is
that all of us are followers first. From infancy through childhood and even to adulthood,
we depend on someone to lead us so that we lead followers in the future. One particular
author and theory that can be referenced through her definition is Robert Greenleaf’s
Servant as Leader. Greenleaf (1977) begins this work with an excerpt from Hermann
Hesse’s Journey of the East, a story of a servant Leo, who disappeared from a journey
and was later found to be a leader of the order who sponsored the original journey. The
point Greenleaf made was “in order to lead, one must have the natural feeling to serve
willingly” (Greenleaf, p.6). This coincides with Kellerman’s main thesis that followers are
just as important as the leader, because eventually they will lead.
Main Points
Kellerman (2008) continuously stated throughout her book that followers are
considerably important. She clarified:
My intention is not to diminish the leadership literature or the leadership schools,
institutes, centers, courses, seminars, workshops and programs this literature
sustains. Rather, it is to point out that the canvas on which we paint is simply too
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small. It should hold more than a single looming figure, the leader. It should be
enlarged to accommodate followers as well. (p.14)
Followership…is divided into three distinct parts. Part I deals with ‘Seeing
Followers’ through Fictions, Facts, Relationships and Types. In this particular section,
Kellerman’s clear focus is on how followers are within an organization and how they can
help create change (fact, fiction portions). Barbara draws insight from theoretical and
psychological fields through concepts of Freud, Milgrams Theory on Obedience and
Historical accounts that express her concept of follower importance. Within the context
of the Information Revolution, Kellerman (2008) conveyed the importance of information
through leadership and followers through the expertise of Harlan Cleveland. Cleveland
explored the connection between leading and managing and the information revolution.
Within in his connection, Cleveland made a few implications that, “followers everywhere
will get to the policy answer (information) before their leaders do” (p. 29). This aspect
shows that followers are indeed important and show leadership in the information
phase. Warren Bennis (2010) stated, “leaders are increasingly dependent on
subordinates for good information, whether leaders want to hear it or not” (p.4).
Kellerman’s chapter on relationships discusses the correlation between leaders and
those being led. It notes the facts as to why we follow and leader and follower relations
through context and characteristics. Kouzes and Posner (2007), authors of The
Leadership Challenge implied that “leadership is a relationship between those who
aspire to lead and those who choose to follow. It’s the quality of this relationship that
matters most when we’re engaged in getting extraordinary things done” (p.24)
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Part II ‘Being a Follower’ details the different types of followers established
by Kellerman; Isolates, Bystanders, Participants, Activists and Diehards. She describes
the characteristics that each type demonstrates and accounts historical examples and
real-life situations (ex: Hitler and the Holocaust, politics in America and the military).
Kellerman (2008) well described Bystanders as “observers not participates who
deliberately decide to standby and disengage from their leaders” (p.97) Kellerman
illustrates the kind of power that each of these follower types can wield. She stated in
context that had a general bias against those who stand by and do nothing especially
when human lives are at stake (common situation when it comes to bystanders).
Participants were characterized as engaging individuals. They favor their leaders and
groups of which they are members of which leaders in essence, want participants of this
nature (p.125). Kellerman (2008) concluded that activist feel strongly about their leaders
and they act accordingly. Sometimes they work hard either on behalf of their leader or
to undermine them (p. 151). The last follower type referenced by Kellerman was
Diehards. Diehards are devoted to their leader and are prepared to die if necessary for
their cause no matter what (p. 179).
The last part of Followership…Part III focuses on the Values and
Transformations of future followers. The author points out the troubles associated with
those who chose to ‘stand out’ and not conform to the group. She also discusses the
aspect of how followership is changing within organizations and the public sector.
Kellerman also points out her distinction between good and bad followers and how
values are associated with followership (how followers good or bad depend upon the
leader and vice versa) than the followers.
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Critical Assessment
After reading books that specifically focus on leadership and theories of,
none of them emphasized followers or made it known that they existed in an important
way. The course Leaders, Followers and Shared Vision, help the students comprehend
the development of a shared vision and how leaders and followers collaborate to work
toward this shared vision. Since my other courses are directed specifically toward
leadership in context, the use of Kellerman’s book on followership entails the truth
behind the importance of leadership and followership as a whole.
Barbara’s opinions and research are understandably detailed arguments
and accounts that provide a good name for followers. In the first chapters, Kellerman
referred to John Gardner, a leadership expert, who suggested the word “follower” was
that of an insult and refused to use it (p. 6) On a counter aspect, James Rosenau
(2004) argued that “followership is of such importance that often it is not clear who is
leading and who is following” (p. 16). This shows that in a sense, Rosenau agrees with
Kellerman and her claims that leadership is of importance, but however it depends on
the behavior of the leader to the follower and vice versa. Though there are many
arguments against the fact that followers are not as important as leaders, the claims
can be fought against to say followers are just as important, because one without
followers is not a leader, they’re just on a journey by themselves. Banutu-Gomez
(2004) stated, “To succeed, leaders must teach their followers not only to lead:
leadership, but more importantly, how to be a good follower: followership” (p.143). Not
only did Gomez’s argument make a fair point, but it was agreeable to the arguments of
Kellerman.
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Conclusion
In the beginning of this book, Kellerman begins with a story of George
Orwell a British police officer stationed in Burma. The conflict involved the local Burman
community, Orwell and a loose elephant. It inclined the fact of how the Burmans
entertained the killing of an innocent elephant that Orwell believed was morally wrong. It
was a great eye opener to explain the conflict between leaders and followers. She
presented a descriptive view on the different types of followers and the interpersonal
issues that arise in those who are considered a diminishing factor in society, but yet
have power and influence to bring about change. She stuck to her theoretical concepts
that followers are indeed important to the leadership system and pin-pointed evidence
from historical and psychological perspectives in order to back up her theory.
Personal Reaction
Barbara Kellerman wrote an astounding book on followership respectively.
I would agree that followers are indeed an important aspect in the system of leadership.
Of course leaders are placed upon a pedestal when great change has occurred.
However, who exactly are the brains behind the changed that occurred? Followers;
good followers. Without followers, there is no complete vision or leader because in my
perspective, followers are the most important aspect within the system. From a personal
standpoint, I’m a “straight to the point” type of person, and received the “followership
concept” within the first chapters. However, upon finishing this book, it’s a great way to
realize that there are many aspects to followers and as a whole, it can help mold and
shape a person into a great leader because they learned to be a great follower first.
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References
Banutu-Gomez. (2004). Great Leaders teach exemplary followership and serve as
servant leaders. Journal of American , pp. 143-150.
Bennis, W. (2010, January). Art of Followership. Leadership Excellence , pp. 3-4.
Greenleaf, R. K. (1977). The Servant as Leader. Westfield: Paulist Press.
Kellerman, B. (2008). Followership: How Followers Are Creating Change and Changing
Leaders. Boston: Harvard Business School .
M Kouzes, J., & Posner, B. Z. (2007). The Leadership Challenge Fourth Edition. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Rosenau, J. (2004, Fall). Followership and Discretion. Harvard International Review ,
pp. 14-17.
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