The Value of Effective Followers in Swedish Companies

Abstract: The academic field of followership is, in relation to leadership, considerably unexplored. Numerous academic subfields and theories have emerged within the school, the most influential being a four frame model developed by Robert E. Kelley. The model divides followers on the two dimensions active and critical thinking, into five categories: Sheep, alienated, pragmatist, yes-people and effective followers. According to a vast majority of scholars within the field, effective followers are superior in any organizational setting, compared to the other archetypes. This thesis investigates to what extent effective follower qualities are valued and seen as important in Swedish companies. To investigate the preference of Swedish companies, a mixed method design is used. The respondents, people with an overarching responsibility for questions regarding human resources (HR), are surveyed using a questionnaire. Furthermore, interviews are conducted to gain a more in-depth understanding. Our findings show that Swedish companies are not interested in having effective followers. It is further established that the quality active is higher valued than the quality critical thinking. It is therefore evident that a research-practice gap exists. Thus, a conclusion is reached that it is of interest for researchers to investigate the source(s) of the gap. It is also concluded that the findings show potential for improvement in Swedish companies. A change in preference of the desired qualities in followers can expectedly result in better functioning organizations.