Among other people, followers can always be distinguished by referring to their behavior. According to their rank, they are one step down in the social hierarchy and do what the leader wants them to do. The authority and influence of the ruling class subjugates their will at the expense of a higher position in society. As a rule, this is due to the desire of the masses to maintain stability in matters of collectivism and security. However, another reason may be the reluctance to resist and take an easier path.
However, in today’s society, followers tend to refer to themselves as free agents rather than subordinates. According to Bass and Steidlmeir’s, the follower can be described as a large vessel that the leader must fill with inspiration and authority (Ford & Harding, 2015). Their theory can be reduced to the fact that leaders are necessary, since people are a priori born bad and need to be controlled by the higher layers of the social structure. Nevertheless, Greenleaf’s theory of servant leadership argues that at the heart of the conscious desire for power, there are elements of fear of combining the power of people (Ford & Harding, 2015). This is explained by the fact that the mass uprisings of the cranes are destructive and dangerous, since people united by a common goal can have high hopes for a revolution.
Fearing the cruelty of the masses during periods of uprisings, history has led states and their leaders to consciously and unconsciously control the inhabitants. Moreover, the interpretation of the theory may lead to the fact that, in the end, the leaders want to strengthen their authority as much as possible. Thus, the followers will never come to the idea of impeachment or overthrow of power. Gronn’s theory suggests that people are not born bad and deteriorate under the yoke of life circumstances (Ford & Harding, 2015). Despite the idea that leadership is one of the causes that corrupts people, Gronn argues that leadership and the masses are aimed at achieving a common result. Leadership is designed to coordinate people so that society can come to an understanding.
Followers look at their leader from the side of elitism, which decides the fact that leaders are destined to rule. Thus, the dominant ones can use and abuse power, since the mass individually has less power. This is confirmed by Alan Fox’s opinion that leadership theories involve establishing control over potentially dangerous masses. However, many researchers see power as a cornerstone that, on the one hand, limits people, but on the other hand, makes their life easier.
In conclusion, it must be said that the desire for power is natural and has a conditioned justification. Each person throughout the development and development of society would like to have a higher status in the social hierarchy, as this gives more privileges. However, there are people who do not have high willed qualities, who seek only to obey others. Between those who aim only at leadership and those who always submit, there is a middle ground. It is represented by those people who in some situations decide to control the masses, while in others it is more convenient for them to take a position of subordination. Nevertheless, the main criterion for a leader is the constant desire for command. Thus, an intermediate position between individual and organizational power is occupied by coercion, a phenomenon considered at the junction of two forms of leadership.
Reference
Ford, J., & Harding, N. (2015). Followers in leadership theory: Fiction, fantasy and illusion. Leadership, 14(1), 1-34.