Using Followership to Develop Leadership Strategies for People in Cultures With Large Power Distance

• In Event: Followership Theory and Leadership Strategy

Short Description

Followership theory provides insights to empowering people in cultures where members with less power are not used to challenging leaders. Honoring the need to respect cultural differences while promoting healthy change, this presentation will consider five strategies developed from followership and Hofstede’s cultural dimensions used for leadership education in Honduras.

Detailed Abstract

Followership theory can provide useful insights to empowering new leadership in cultures where members with less power are not used to leading change or questioning others in power. People from cultures accepting power differences see honor in following, yet struggle with the idea of challenging leadership to work in more ethical ways. The power of followership in this context became clear as I worked with individuals in Central America who are trying to empower people living in poverty while balancing the advice of professionals from countries having much less tolerance of power differences like the United States.

Who we are and how we operate is heavily influenced by the cultural norms and values we have been immersed in. As Schein (2004) noted culture is dynamic, pervasive, and will always be something individuals in a group need to deal with. Culture is “constantly enacted and created by our interactions with others and shaped by leadership behavior, and a set of structures, routines, rules, and norms that guide and constrain behavior” (p. 1). How people understand the world they live in and basic assumptions about life are often very different across cultures. This is true for many concepts including how we understand power, leadership, and self. While helping some Central American leaders promote change and educating them on cultural differences, they asked an important question: “How can we bring about change and show respect for our culture?”

Honoring cultural differences, while promoting healthy change, is important to effectively address injustices, poverty, discrimination, and other social challenges. Inspired by such a need while working with people in Honduras, I discerned strategies by looking at followership concepts through the lens of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions of power distance and collectivism versus individualism (Hofstede, Hofstede, & Minkov, 2010). Hofstede’s work on cultures gives insight to some of the fundamental differences between cultures by defining six dimensions. These cultural dimensions were developed with research from more than 70 countries over a 40 year time span. Seen through the lens of Hoftstede’s work, followership can especially be helpful for working with people from different cultures.

Hofstede’s dimension of power distance considers the dependence on leader-follower relationships in a country and people’s acceptance of power inequality (Hofstede et al, 2010). In cultures with a larger power distance there is more dependence in relationships between leaders and followers, and a greater acceptance of unequal distribution of power. North American cultures have a smaller power distance, whereas most Central American countries have large power distances. An example illustrating this cultural difference is when those of us from North America travel to countries with a large power distance and wonder why so many impoverished people do not stand up for their rights, especially when there is corrupt leadership. Looking at cultural differences in power and leader-follower relationships provides understanding of people’s hesitance or refusal to challenge leadership.

The dimension considering collectivism versus individualism is relevant because there is a negative correlation between power distance and individualism that affects how people view and respond to power. When there is greater power distance, or acceptance of unequal distribution of power, then there tends to be less individualism. In this case people identify themselves more with a collective group. Most Central American countries have a large power distance and are very collective in nature, whereas North American countries score on the opposite poles with a small power distance and very high individualism. Being at the extremes of these two dimensions can lead to misunderstanding and ineffective work despite the best of intentions. In light of this, looking at the cultural differences while using theories like followership is vital when working internationally.

Followership acknowledges a relationship between subordinates and superiors (Kellerman, 2008), as well as the dance leaders perform between leading and following. This theory promotes courageous relationships between members of a system while honoring the complimentary roles of leaders and followers (Chaleff, 2009; Hurwtiz & Hurwitz, 2015). Following in this sense focuses on the sharing of a common purpose with core values driving the organization, rather than on the power differences (Chaleff, 2009). Effective followership requires a strong sense of self-worth and willingness to show courage when something should be questioned, along with the ability to respect leaders and work towards the greater organizational purpose (Chaleff, 2015). Three important Followership concepts providing insights include: a) the centralizing force of purpose (Chaleff, 2009), b) the integral role of follower and leader synergism (Hurwitz & Hurwitz, 2015: Kelley, 1992) with full participation (Kellerman, 2008), and c) using independent thinking (Chaleff, 2015; Hurwitz & Hurwtiz, 2015; Kelley 1992).

Cultural understanding applied to followership can help empower followers and leaders to act positively for a common purpose while respecting cultural differences. My academic work of developing strategies based on followership and cultural differences is augmented by experiences helping leadership in Central America empower people and find the courage to question other leadership. This presentation provides five strategies developed with the use of theory and experience along with practical examples of how to implement them.

Participant

• Karen L. Schuder, Karen Schuder Consulting