What About Followership Development? Improving Lives by Teaching Followership

Abstract

Advances in leadership research have prompted new ways of thinking about leadership and followership. Since the 1990s, an increasing number of leadership scholars have begun placing leader and followers on a level playing field. Consequently we propose that followership development - defined as the teaching and training dedicated to developing individuals’ awareness and knowledge about themselves, not just as leaders, but also as followers - could help them exercise their followership, as well as their leadership, in a more conscious way, developing greater voice, and ultimately contributing to the creation of more sustainable organizations, with positive impact on lives. So far leadership development has been seen as a tool to construct a particular meaning and an image of the appropriate managerial role. From this perspective, it has been criticized for constructing an image that stifles and mutes participants’ by disciplining them to conform to heroic leadership ideals. We propose that a clearer development of concepts and narratives pertaining to followership could provide a legitimate forum for a conversation about the importance of followership, introducing a better understanding of the importance for individuals to be good followers, as well as good leaders, counterbalancing the heroic vision of leadership.