Comment upon Charles Greenes 1975 suggestion that follower p

Comment upon Charles Greene’s (1975) suggestion that follower performance may shape the behavior (e.g., consideration and initiating structure) that the leader engages in.

Solution

Leadership theories explore the relationship between leaders, followers and situational factors. Leaders and followers do not exist independent of one another. The presence of one is dependent on the of the other. At the same time, each has a unique role to play. While leaders and followers maintain distinctive roles, a leadership relationship is based on leader-follower reciprocity hence generating a leadership system within a situational context. Reciprocity is based on expected results of behaviors and actions.  By fulfilling their respective roles, leaders and followers make a feedback loop. This continuous communication and interaction drives leader-follower reciprocity. As leaders and followers try to fulfill their roles towards achieving expected ends within the parameters of their current situation, they make an interconnected mechanism where cause and effect are difficult to differentiate from one another. Thus, leadership must be studied as a system rather than a sum of individual parts.   In his article, The Reciprocal Nature of Influence between Leader and Subordinate, Greene explains that leaders and their followers share mutual influence . Greene stated, “The expectation is that the individual whose behavior causes another to be positively reinforced will in return be rewarded by the other.”