The Nature Of Leadership - Case Study Example

Such a situation arises from the complex nature of leadership. The only common thread that can be found is that the nature of leadership involves an influencing process and the consequences of this influencing process (Antonakis, Cianciola & Sternberg, 2004). It is for this reason the leadership definition that works for me is focussed on the influential nature of leadership and its implications. Daft and Lane 2008, p.4, define leadership as “an influence relationship among leaders and followers who intend real changes and outcomes that reflect their shared purposes”.

Expanding on the term influence is a key reason for my choice of this definition. The nature of influence here is that it is not passive but active, and it is multidirectional, and without the element of coercion. Furthermore, the influence is not merely from leaders to followers, but is reciprocal in that there are times when the influence flows from followers to leaders. Moving on to another key ingredient in this definition of the intention for real changes, it implies that leadership does not accept a status quo situation, but aims for creating change.

This striving for change is based on the shared purposes of the leaders and followers and not on the desires of the leaders. In real terms this means that the created change is towards a desired future state or purpose (Daft & Lane, 2008). This definition also brings us to the important aspect of leadership in that it cannot be present in the absence of followers and that followers are an essential to leadership (Maxwell, 1993). 2. Without followers there are no leaders. What is known about followers?

The first thought that comes to mind when we talk about followers is sheep following the shepherd, implying that followers merely follow a leader. This is not essentially true, for there are many in the flock of followers that assist the leader in the influence of leadership, and demonstrate capabilities to become leaders in the future (Yukl, 2006). This perception of followers indicates that followers are made up of different types of individuals. Followers may be classified into five types of followers.

The first type we may take as the sheep and they look up to the leader for directing them in all that they do. The second type of followers consists of those that keep saying yes all the time to the leader, or accept leadership influence without any outward sign of opposition and devout their energies towards accomplishing the direction of the leadership influence. The third class of followers consist of individuals that we may term as alienated. These individuals are capable of independent thought and action.

The problem here is that they also possess a lot of negative energy that works to the detriment of the group, as the leadership influence is unable to get to them and they make no positive contribution to the shared purpose of the group, rather they work against it. Leadership influence that can remove the negative energy from these followers can convert them to extremely useful members of the group and the leader. The next class of followers are the fence sitters or those that we may term as pragmatists.

These followers refrain from accepting the influence of leaders, till such time they are sure that the trend is favourable and then jump on the bandwagon, in the manner that trees sway in the direction of the wind. It is not that they have any opposing views or are capable of contributing positively towards the shared purposes. Self-preservation is of primary importance, and hence the wait and see attitude on the impact of the change influence that emanates from the leader. The final classification of followers may be viewed as star followers.

They possess the same vibrancy as the