Chapter 7

Leader–Follower
Relations

Copyright © 2010 by South-Western/Cengage Learning PowerPoint Presentation by Rhonda S. Palladi

All rights reserved. Georgia State University
 Evolution of the Dyadic Theory
 Dyadic theory
 Is an approach to leadership that attempts to explain
why leaders vary their behavior with different followers
 Dyadic theorists focus on the development and
effects of separate dyadic relationships between
leaders and followers
 Leaders provide support for self-worth
 A leader’s support for a follower’s actions and ideas
 A leader building follower’s confidence in his or her
ability, integrity, and motivation
 A leader paying attention to the follower’s feelings and
needs

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 Dyadic Approach:
Stages of Development
Linkage (VDL) Theory
Individualized leader–follower
Vertical Dyadic interactions creating in-groups
and out-groups

Exchange (LMX)
Focus is on the quality of each dyad
Leader–Member and its effects on organizational
outcomes over time

Leaders can aspire to build

Team Building positive relationships with all
followers, not just a few
special individuals

Networks Creating positive dyadic relationships

Systems and across traditional boundaries to
include a larger network of
participants

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 Vertical Dyadic Linkage
(VDL) Theory
 Examines how leaders form one-on-one
relationships with followers, and how these often
create in-groups and out-groups within the
leader’s work unit
 In-group
 Includes followers with strong social ties to their leader
in a supportive relationship characterized by high
mutual trust, respect, loyalty, and influence
 Out-group
 Influences followers with few or no social ties to their
leader, in a strictly task-centered relationship
characterized by low exchange and top-down influence

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 Characteristics of In-Groups
 Participate in important decision making
 Are given added responsibility
 Have greater access to the leader
 Experience greater support and positive influence from the
leader
 Reciprocity
 High exchange
 Granted special favors from the leader
 Mutual reinforcement based on common needs and
interests
 More likely to share with own group members than with
members of other groups

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 Characteristics of Out-Groups
 Are managed according to the
employment contract requirements
 Receive little inspiration, encouragement,
or recognition
 Do not experience positive relationships
and influence

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 Discussion Question #1
In your opinion, can a leader
maintain a personal friendship
with some members of his or her
work group or team without
creating the perception of in-
groups (those in his or her social
circle) and out-groups (those
outside his or her social circle)?
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 Discussion Question #2

What should a leader do to dispel

any notion or misperception that
there are in-groups and out-
groups in his or her work unit?
Example: Pastor Osteen

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 Leader–Member Exchange
(LMX) Theory
 Is the quality of the exchange relationship
between an employee and his or her superior
 Assumes that leaders have limited amounts of social,
personal, and organizational resources, and tend to
distribute them among followers selectively
 Leaders do not interact with all followers equally, which ultimately
results in the formation of LMXs that vary in quality
 Face-to-face leader–member interaction is
critical in organizations

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 High-Quality LMX Relationships
vs. Low-Quality LMX Relationships
 High-quality LMX relationships are characterized
by:
 Better social support
 More resources
 More guidance for career development
 Greater follower input in decision making
 Greater negotiating latitude
 Low-quality LMX relationships are characterized
by:
 Less support
 More formal supervision
 Little or no involvement in decision making

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 Team Building
 Involves a primary concern to motivate a group
of individuals to work together to achieve a
common objective, while alleviating any
conflicts or obstacles that may arise while
striving toward that objective
 The emphasis is on forming relationships with all group
members, not just with a few special individuals
 It is not possible to treat all followers exactly the same
 Each person must perceive that he or she is an
important and respected member of the team rather
than a non-entity

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 Systems and Networks
 There is a noticeable trend of
organizations seeking and getting
involved in a variety of collaborative
agreements for the purposes of entering
new markets and gaining innovations or
new products
 By collaborating, organizations hope to
exchange strengths with others, which will
allow all partners to develop timely,
innovative, synergistic solutions to complex
problems they could not address on their own
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 Systems and Networks (cont.)
 A systems-oriented prospective focuses
on how the quality of the LMX relationship
affects followers at the interpersonal,
group, and organizational levels
 Proponents of the systems and networks
view contend that leader relationships are
not limited to followers, but include peers,
customers, suppliers, and other relevant
stakeholders in the collectives of
workgroups and organization-wide
networks 13
Leader–Member Exchange Theory
 Leaders form high-quality social exchanges
(based on trust and liking) with some members
and low-quality economic exchanges with others
that do not extend beyond the employment
contract
 The quality of LMX affects employees’ work
ethics, productivity, satisfaction, and perceptions
 There is a sense among followers in the
exchange relationship to reciprocate their
leader’s trust and liking through “citizenship
behaviors” and excellent performance

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 The Influence of LMX
on Follower Behavior
 The special relationship with in-group followers
creates certain obligations and constraints for the
leader
 To maintain the relationship, the leader must:
 Pay attention to in-group members
 Remain responsive to their needs and feelings
 Rely more on time-consuming influence methods such
as persuasion and consultation
 Not resort to coercion or heavy-handed use of authority

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 The Influence of LMX
on Follower Behavior (cont.)
 The basis for establishing a deeper exchange
relationship with in-group members is the
leader’s control over outcomes that are desirable
to the followers, which include:
 Helping with a follower’s career
 Giving special favors
 Allowing participation in decision making
 Delegating greater responsibility and authority
 Sharing more information
 Assigning interesting and desirable tasks
 Giving tangible rewards

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 The Influence of LMX
on Follower Behavior (cont.)
 In return for these benefits, in-group members
are expected to:
 Be loyal to the leader
 Be more committed to task objectives
 Work harder
 Share some of the leader’s administrative duties
 To the leader this also represents social capital
that gives him or her power and influence over
followers
 Unless this cycle of behavior is interrupted, the
relationship is likely to develop to a point where
there is a high degree of mutual dependence,
support, and loyalty 17
 The Three-Stage Process for
Developing Positive LMX Relations
 Stage 1
 The leader and follower conduct themselves
as strangers
 The leader and follower test each other to
identify what kinds of behavior are
acceptable
 Each relationship is negotiated informally
between each follower and the leader

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 The Three-Stage Process for Developing
Positive LMX Relations (cont.)
 Stage 1 (cont.)
 Involves:
– Impressions management
 Is a follower’s effort to project a favorable image in
order to gain an immediate benefit or improve a long-
term relationship with the leader
– Ingratiation
 Is the effort to appear supportive, appreciative, and
respectful
– Self-promotion
 Is the effort to appear competent and dependable

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 Discussion Question #3
What do you say to those who
argue that tactics used by
followers to get noticed by their
leader (such as impressions
management, ingratiation, and
self-promotion) are shameful and
self-serving and should be
avoided?
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 The Three-Stage Process for Developing
Positive LMX Relations (cont.)
 Stage 2
 The leader and follower become acquainted
 They further refine the roles they will play
together
 Mutual trust, loyalty, and respect develop
between leader and follower
 Relationships that do not move beyond Stage
1 may deteriorate and remain at the level of
an out-group

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 The Three-Stage Process for Developing
Positive LMX Relations (cont.)
 Stage 3
 The roles reach maturity
 Exchange based on self-interest is
transformed into mutual commitment to the
mission and objectives of the work unit
 The end result of the life cycle model of LMX
relationships is the creation of actual and
perceived differences between in-group and
out-group members

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 Factors that Determine LMX Quality
 Followers’ attributes
 Proactive followers:
– Show initiative even in areas outside their immediate
responsibility
– Possess a strong sense of commitment to work unit goals
– Show a stronger sense of responsibility for unit success
 These follower attributes influence leaders to:
– Show support
– Delegate more
– Allow greater discretion
– Engage in open communication
– Encourage mutual influence between themselves and
their followers
– From the follower’s perspective, leaders that are
perceived to be competent, experienced, fair, and23
honest are more likely to be supported
Effective Leader–Follower Feedback
 Many leaders avoid confronting below-
average performing followers
 Can degenerate into personal conflict
 May fail to deal with the underlying
problem
 Correcting deficiencies can help the
follower improve
 Example – Nurse/student who wanted to
perform better but was not given the
feedback and support to do so.
 Must be done so that the leader–follower
relationship is preserved 24
 Guidelines for Effective
Leader Feedback
 Pre-feedback—Leader should:
 Remind self to stay calm and professional
 Gather accurate facts on follower
performance
 Remind self to avoid rush to judgment
 Remember the attribution theory!!!

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 Guidelines for Effective
Leader Feedback (cont.)
 During feedback session—Leader should:
 Be specific in stating performance deficiency
 Explain negative impact of ineffective
behavior
 Help follower identify reasons for poor
performance
 Ask follower to suggest remedies
 Arrive at mutual agreement on specific
action steps

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 Guidelines for Effective
Leader Feedback (cont.)
 Post-feedback session—Leader should:
 Follow up to ensure implementation of action
steps
 Show desire to be of help to follower
 Build follower’s self-confidence

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 Bias in LMX:
Employee Career Implications
 Pygmalion effect
 Occurs when selected group members demonstrate
loyalty, commitment, dedication, and trust, and as a
result, win the liking of leaders who subsequently give
them higher performance ratings
 These ratings, which may or may not be tied to
actual performance, then influence the
member’s reputation, often become a matter of
record, and may ultimately be used in future
selection, development, and promotion decisions

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 Bias in LMX:
Employee Career Implications (cont.)
 This may have possible adverse
implications for the development and
career advancement of group members
who (regardless of their work
performance) are not similar to, familiar
to, and well liked by their leader
 Leaders, managers, and human resource
management specialists need to be
aware of the potential bias associated
with high-quality LMX relationships
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 Followership Types
High
Effective Conformist
Follower Follower
Level of Involvement

Have the courage to initiate change Are the “yes” people of the
Serve the best interest of the organization
organization Carry out all orders without
considering the
consequences
Pragmatic
follower

Alienated Passive
Follower Follower
Feel cheated or unappreciated Look to the leader or others to
Are capable but unwilling to participate do all the thinking
in developing solutions to problems Require constant supervision

Low
High Low 30
Critical Thinking
 Guidelines to Becoming an Effective
Follower
 Offer support to leader
 Take initiative
 Play counseling and coaching roles to leader
when appropriate
 Raise issues and/or concerns when necessary
 Seek and encourage honest feedback from the
leader
 Clarify your role and expectations
 Show appreciation
 Keep the leader informed
 Resist inappropriate influence of leader
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 Factors that Determine
Follower Influence

Power
Position
Leaders need to
realize that they are
no longer the sole
possessors of power
and influence in
their work units

Education and
Locus of Control Experience
Followers with an internal locus of
Followers with less education
control prefer a participative style of
and experience need more
leadership
guidance, coaching, and
feedback 32
 Dual Role of Being a
Leader and a Follower
 Good leadership is found in highly effective
followers
 A person can be a leader and also a follower
 The roles can change back and forth throughout
the course of a work day
 Self-managed teams require members to
alternate between playing leadership and
followership roles
 To execute both roles effectively is a challenge,
given the high potential for role conflicts and
ambiguities

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 Delegation
 Is the process of assigning the responsibility
and authority for accomplishing objectives
 Refers to giving employees new tasks
 Success depends on a manager’s ability to
know what to delegate and what not to
delegate
 The leader should consider the following factors
when delegating:
 Task
 Time required
 Follower characteristics
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 Delegation: Benefits & Obstacles
 Benefits
 Gives managers more time to perform high-priority
tasks and eases the stress and burden on managers
 Gets tasks accomplished and increases productivity
 Trains employees and improves their self-esteem
 Enriches followers’ jobs
 Obstacles
 Some managers want to do it all themselves because
of:
 Habit
 Fear
– That employees will fail

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 Signs of Delegating Too Little
 Taking work home
 Performing employee tasks
 Being behind in work
 A continual feeling of pressure
 Stress
 Rushing to meet deadlines
 Requiring that employees seek approval
before acting

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 What to Delegate
Paperwork
Solving
employees’ Routine tasks
problems

What to
Delegate
Tasks with
developmental Technical
potential matters
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 What Not to Delegate

Personnel Confidential
matters activities

What Not to
Delegate
Activities
Crises delegated to
you personally

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 The Delegation Model
Step 1
Explain the need
for delegating and
the reasons for Step 2
selecting the Set objectives
employee. that define
responsibility,
level of authority, Step 3
and deadline. Develop a plan.
Step 4
Establish control
checkpoints and
hold employees
accountable.

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