The Eye of the Follower

Abstract

The effects of inference-based and recognition-based processes on attributions of leadership responsibility were examined. Participants (126 women, 42 men) competed in small groups in this 2 (performance: win vs. lose) 2 (material sabotage: sabotaged vs. not sabotaged) design study. A third factor addressed how well group leaders matched participants'leadership prototypes. Winning leaders were attributed more responsibility for the group outcome than losing leaders; also, sabotage served as a discounting cue, and losing leaders of sabotaged groups were held less responsible. Unexpectedly, no prototype matching was revealed. Participants' attributions regarding responsibility of the group and self were similar to leader attributions, suggesting that followers' perceptions differ from those of outside observers. Thus, leaders may not be the only cause of group outcomes in the minds of actual followers.

Follower Mindfulness and Well-Being: The Mediating Role of Perceived Authentic Leadership and the Moderating Role of Leader Mindfulness

“…Implicit leadership theory suggests that followers use a cognitive categorization system during information processing to encode specific leader behaviors, and an implicit leadership prototype acts as an intrinsic reference for judging the leader (Shondrick et al, 2010). The leadership prototype and perceptions depend largely on followers' personality and interpretations (Offermann et al, 1994;Kenney et al, 1996;Nye, 2002). Therefore, the importance of followers' perceptions of leadership emphasized in implicit leadership theory provides a theoretical basis for exploring how followers' personalities affect their perceptions of specific leader behavior.…”

“…Based on implicit leadership theory and the mindfulness literature, this study aims to examine how and when follower mindfulness influences well-being. Follower personality becomes an important factor influencing how followers perceive leader behaviors, and it further exerts an impact on followers' outcomes (Nye, 2002). In this study, we focus on perceived authentic leadership-a pattern of leader behavior that draws upon and promotes both positive psychological capacities and a positive ethical climate, to foster greater self-awareness, an internalized moral perspective, balanced processing of information, and relational transparency on the part of leaders working with followers, fostering positive self-development" (Walumbwa et al, 2008, p. 94) -as an important mediator.…”

Leading groups: Leadership as a group process

“…By taking a leader-centric approach to leadership, leadership researchers have traditionally neglected the important role of followers’ social cognition in mediating and moderating the effect of leadership behavior on followers’ judgments and behavior (van Knippenberg, van Knippenberg, De Cremer, & Hogg, 2004). As such, leadership is to an important degree socially constructed; it is as much in the eye of the beholder as in the qualities of the beheld (Haslam et al, 2011; Nye, 2002; Shondrick & Lord, 2010). The upshot of this discussion is that “if leadership resides, at least in part, in the minds of followers, then it is imperative to discover what followers are thinking.” (Lord & Emrich, 2000, p. 551).…”

Personality and the Perception of Transformational Leadership: The Impact of Extraversion, Neuroticism, Personal Need for Structure, and Occupational Self‐Efficacy1

“…Examining followers' perceptions of their supervisors, we know much about leadership, but we know little about the influence of followers' characteristics on their perceptions of their supervisors. Referring to an information‐processing background (e.g., Lord, 1985), we already know that the perception of leadership is shaped by characteristics of the followers (e.g., schemas and implicit leadership theories; also see Nye, 2002).…”