Leaders in organizations commonly supervise a number of subordinates who may also be referred to as their followers. Using the CSU Online Library, explore topics associated with leadership behavior, followership behavior, and how followers are affected by leadership. Then, select a company that is of interest to you, and respond to the following questions/topics.
Briefly describe your chosen company. Identify potential problems or issues (current or future) that your company might address if followers do not respectfully adhere to the demands of their leaders.
Explain how followers can influence the behavior of leaders.
Analyze how different types of leadership styles can affect the motivations, behaviors, and performances of followers.
What might this company do in the future to improve leadership training methods and performance measures for all workers? Include your rationale.
Your APA-formatted response must be a minimum of two pages in length (not including the title page and the references page) and must include an introduction, a thesis statement (concise summary of the main point of the paper), and a clear discussion of the topics above. Your response must include a minimum of two credible references. All sources used must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying citations.
Leadership and Followership Behavior
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Leadership and Followership Behavior
Leadership is defined as an individual’s ability to influence others and guide them to meet specific predefined goals. Leaders cannot exist without followers and both parties influence each other. The success of any organization or project depends on the existence of those who are willing to lead and those who are willing to follow (Diskiene & Pauliene, 2014). The selected organization is Amazon, an internet-based organization that sells a variety of items that include electronics, music, books, clothes, housewares, and many more. Amazon was founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos and is popular due to the low product prices and fast delivery of items to consumers all over the world. Like all other organizations, Amazon follows a specific leadership structure that impacts the employees (Amazon, 2022). The purpose of this paper is to explore leadership behavior at Amazon including how followers impact leadership behavior. Follower behavior has a significant impact on leadership behavior.
Company Description
Amazon has evolved over the years although the goal of the organization has always been to fulfill consumers’ desire for a better selection of goods, lower prices, and convenient services. The organization follows a pragmatist leadership approach where the leaders develop high standards which must be met by every employee. The company’s founder, Jeff Bezos, follows servant and visionary leadership styles that emphasize exceptional service to consumers. The leaders at Amazon also focus on strategies that enhance long-term value, invention, and simplification, and emphasize that leaders have strong judgment and good instinct. The company’s leadership also believes in frugality, calculated risk-taking, commitment, and delivering results (Amazon, 2022).
When followers fail to adhere to the demands set by leaders, they may exhibit a reduced commitment to fulfilling the goals of the organization and reduced productivity. Moreover, issues such as high employee turnover may arise especially if followers are not satisfied with their roles or level of compensation within the organization (Diskiene & Pauliene, 2014). In 2021, there were reports of high turnover rates among Amazon employees attributed to poor employee treatment including terminating employees without reasonable cause. There is little engagement between leaders and employees as recruitment processes are automated within the organization. Employee compensation levels are still very low and there is limited opportunity for career growth. However, Amazon needs an extremely large workforce to sustain its operations hence it is likely that the company may struggle to acquire a sufficient workforce in the future (Kelly, 2021).
How Followers Can Influence the Behavior of Leaders
Followers possess specific skills, knowledge, expertise, and education levels that are beneficial to organizations. Therefore, they wield sufficient power that can be used to influence leadership behavior. For instance, followers can challenge the decisions and actions of the leaders if they do not promote the interests of the organization. Additionally, followers can strengthen the position of the leader by supporting them and complementing their roles. Effective followers also assume responsibility for the organization’s mission and focus on building positive relationships characterized by open and honest communication with their leaders. These strategies create mutual respect between leaders and followers and can facilitate positive behavior change (Diskiene & Pauliene, 2014).
Notably, effective followers also possess the courage to leave especially when negative leadership practices create a situation that makes it difficult to thrive professionally or personally (Diskiene & Pauliene, 2014). For example, in the case of Amazon, employees leave for other job opportunities when they encounter negative work environments and issues such as underpayment. Other issues experienced by employees included faulty programs that led to issues with disability payments and medical insurance. It was also difficult for employees to access their case managers to present their issues. A high turnover rate is an indication of employee dissatisfaction with the company’s leadership and it forced the leaders at Amazon to make changes in compensation strategies to attract more employees. Thus employee turnover effectively impacted leadership behavior within the company (Kelly, 2021).
How Amazon can Improve Performance Measures and Leadership Training Methods
Amazon can improve the performance of its employees by investing in training systems and courses that ensure employees select the roles to which they are best suited. Moreover, the organization should focus on upskilling. Upskilling entails expanding the abilities and skills of employees through training which according to Daniel (2018), boosts engagement and enhances retention. Additionally, upskilling promotes better performance due to improved skills and enhances productivity.
Amazon could also improve leadership training methods by incorporating leadership development programs which as per Tsyganenko (2014), enhance leadership potential and improve their efficiency. These programs facilitate the development of various attributes including accountability, decision making, communication skills, and motivation and inspiration.
Conclusion
The case of Amazon illustrates the impact of followership behavior on leadership. The company needs to implement specific strategies to reduce employee turnover to maintain a sufficient workforce now and in the future. Therefore, Amazon must focus on leadership development and incorporate strategies such as upskilling to improve employee performance.
References
Amazon. (2022). Leadership Principles. https://www.aboutamazon.com/about-us/leadership-principles.
Daniel, C. (2018). Effects of Training on Organizational Performance. Asian Journal of Business and Management, 6(5). https://doi.org/10.24203/ajbm.v6i5.5489
Diskiene, D., & Pauliene, R. (2014). Leader-Follower Relationship Behaviors: Who is a Gatekeeper to Leadership Outcomes? Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences. https://doi.org/10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n9p152
Kelly, J. (2021). A Hard-Hitting Investigative Report Into Amazon Shows That Workers’ Needs Were Neglected In Favor Of Getting Goods Delivered Quickly. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2021/10/25/a-hard-hitting-investigative-report-into-amazon-shows-that-workers-needs-were-neglected-in-favor-of-getting-goods-delivered-quickly/?sh=22797ff851f5.
Tsyganenko, M. (2014). The Effect of a Leadership Development Program on Behavioral and Financial Outcomes: Kazakhstani Experience. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 124, 486-495. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.02.511