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Kommunen är en stor arbetsgivare och verksamheten inom kommunal hemtjänst berördessutom många människor som kommer i kontakt med anställda inom hemtjänsten i rollensom vårdtagare. För att uppfylla organisationens mål om att en god omvårdnad ska bedrivashar forskningen tidigare mest fokuserat på betydelsen av en framgångsrik ledare. På senare tidhar även följarnas betydelse för både organisation och ledarskapet lyfts fram. Teorin om Leader-Member Exchange handlar om relationen mellan ledare och följare och detutbyte som sker där. Ledaren värderar följarens bidrag till utbytet i relationen baserat på sinagenerella föreställningar om följare, även kallat Implicit Followership Theories. Tidigareforskning har visat att om dessa generella föreställningar hos ledaren är av positiv karaktär ökardet ledarens förväntningar på följaren och kan förbättra relationen. Syftet med vårundersökning är att undersöka hur ledare inom kommunal hemtjänst ser på följarskap och omde upplever att följarskapet påverkar deras möjlighet att leda. Semistrukturerade intervjuer och tematisk analys ligger till grund för denna undersökning somutförts i en chefsgrupp inom kommunal hemtjänst. Resultaten beskriver inledningsvisdeltagarnas uppfattning om begreppet följarskap och vilka egenskaper och beteenden som ingåri deras generella uppfattning om följare. Vidare beskriver resultatet av undersökningen hurdeltagarna uppfattar sina faktiska följare och att deras generella förväntningar på följare intehelt stämmer överens med det faktiska följarskapet. Slutligen visar undersökningen tydligt attföljarskapet har påverkan på förutsättningarna för att leda. / The municipality is a large employer and the activities within the municipal home care servicealso affect many people who encounter employees within the home care service in the role ofcare recipient. To fulfill the organization's goal that good nursing should be conducted; researchhas previously mostly focused on the importance of a successful leader. In recent times, theimportance of followers for both organization and leadership has also been highlighted. The theory of Leader-Member Exchange is about the relationship between leader and followerand the exchange that takes place there. The leader values the follower's contribution to theexchange in the relationship based on his general notions of followers, also called ImplicitFollowership Theories. Previous research has shown that if these general perceptions of theleader are of a positive nature, it increases the leader's expectations of the follower and canimprove the relationship. The purpose of our survey is to investigate how leaders in themunicipal home care service view followers and whether they feel that the followers affecttheir ability to lead. Semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis form the basis for this study, which wasconducted in a management group within municipal home care. The results initially describethe participants' perception of the concept of following and what characteristics and behaviorsare included in their general perception of followers. Furthermore, the results of the surveydescribe how the participants perceive their actual followers and that their general expectationsof followers do not fully correspond to the actual followership. Finally, the survey clearlyshows that following has an impact on the conditions for leading.

Under lång tid har forskningen fokuserat på hur ledarskapet kan utvecklas och bidra till en effektiv organisation. På senare tid har forskningen börjat belysa även medarbetarens roll i verksamheten. Dock sker denna forskning ur ledarens perspektiv och medarbetarnas perspektiv saknas till stor del. Syftet med detta examensarbete var att genom kvalitativa intervjuer kartlägga upplevelsen av psykologiskt empowerment och förstå hur det kan ses som en del i medarbetarskapet bland ledare och medarbetare, ur ett medarbetarperspektiv. Psykologiskt empowerment berör den anställdes upplevelse av att kunna påverka sin arbetsroll, utföra ett meningsfullt arbete och påverka viktiga beslut. Genom att analysera denna upplevelse kan styrkor och utvecklingsmöjligheter identifieras i medarbetarskapet och ligga till grund för ett vidare utvecklingsarbete. Studien genomfördes på utvalda butiker inom Systembolaget i Västerbottens län. Det som framkom i studien är att det saknas en samsyn gällande medarbetarskapets innebörd. Skillnaden som identifierats är att medarbetarna saknar en arbetsgivaraspekt sett till definitionen av medarbetarskap, något som cheferna framhåller som en viktig del. Arbetsgivaraspekten rör det ansvar som medarbetaren har gentemot arbetsgivaren i och med en anställning. Utifrån de fyra faktorerna i psykologiskt empowerment: kompetens, självbestämmande, påverkan och meningsfullhet, framgår att kompetens och meningsfullhet är de faktorer som är väl genomarbetade inom Systembolaget. Gällande självbestämmande och påverkan finns utvecklingspotential. Utifrån studien kunde följande konstateras; viljan att dela med sig av makt finns hos ledarna, dock är viljan till att ta emot denna tudelad hos medarbetarna. Viljan hos båda parter bör finnas för att skapa förutsättningar för psykologiskt empowerment. Vidare konstateras att en gemensam syn på medarbetarskapets innebörd där förväntningar tydliggörs kan komma att skapa en positiv spiraleffekt för psykologiskt empowerment och medarbetarskap.

This thesis examines the impact of leaders’ personal performance and prototypicality on their ability to champion a social identity by advancing shared group interests. With this in mind, general theories of leadership and followership are reviewed as well as theories of leaders’ performance more specifically. As a framework for understanding leaders’ role in managing shared identity, we then discuss the social identity approach and its application to the field of leadership. In three studies (Chapter 3), we examine the interactive effect of leaders’ prototypicality and personal performance on followers’ evaluations of their leadership. Studies 1 and 2 show that the impact of leaders’ performance on followers’ favourable reactions to their leadership (in terms of group advancement, trust in the leader, and leader endorsement) is more pronounced when leaders are prototypical, rather than non-prototypical, of followers’ ingroup. Study 3 provides evidence from the field that this interaction between performance and prototypicality also impacts on followers’ perceptions of leader charisma. Moreover, there is evidence that this impact can be explained, in part, by the degree to which followers perceive leaders to advance shared group interests. Results suggest that highly prototypical leaders who display elevated, rather than average, performance are responded to more favourably because their performance is perceived to advance a shared social identity. Although our first three studies demonstrate that we can disentangle leaders’ performance and prototypicality in order to examine their interactive effects, this does not mean that these two things are independent. Studies 4-6 (Chapter 4) provide evidence from the field and the laboratory that followers associate the performance of leaders with their prototypicality. A field study indicates that followers’ perceptions of leader performance and prototypicality are indeed positively related (Study 4). Moreover, experiments suggest that while followers infer a leader’s prototypicality from his or her performance (Study 5), their evaluation of a leader’s performance is also influenced by his or her prototypicality (Study 6). Studies 5 and 6 also indicate that leaders’ performance and prototypicality determine their capacity to engage in identity entrepreneurship by changing ingroup norms and ideals. In this way, results suggest that leader performance and prototypicality are not only bidirectionally related but are also important factors that contribute to a leader’s capacity to craft present and future understandings of a social identity. In the third empirical chapter (Chapter 5), we examine the impact of evaluators’ status as either internal or external to a group on assessments of leader prototypicality and performance. Study 7 shows that compared to external evaluators, internal evaluators are more likely to perceive highly prototypical low-performing leaders to advance the group more than low-prototypical high-performing leaders. Study 8 also demonstrates that internal (but not external) evaluators perceive highly prototypical leaders as more likely to advance the group compared to their moderately prototypical counterparts. Results suggest that these differential evaluations are primarily attributable to internal evaluators’ increased responsiveness to prototypicality such that they are less willing than external evaluators to forgo leaders’ prototypicality in exchange for their outstanding performance. Taken together, the thesis supports a complex model in which leader effectiveness is determined by followers’ appreciation of leaders’ prototypicality and performance against the backdrop of their perceived capacity to realize shared goals and ambitions. The present thesis extends theories that emphasize the importance of leaders’ exceptional performance. It shows that leaders’ extraordinary capability is of limited value if they fail to demonstrate their alignment with followers. In successful leadership these two go together such that leaders must be seen to promote ‘our’ ambitions and to be able to realize them. Theoretical implications for leadership theories and practical implications for organizational practices are discussed.

This study reviews the burgeoning literature on followership and tests propositions from a recently developed theoretical framework to explore the relationship between follower behaviours, leaders’ perceptions of follower trustworthiness (trusting beliefs), and leaders’ subsequent willingness to be vulnerable to the actions of their followers (trusting intentions). Leaders’ implicit followership theories (IFTs) were examined as a potential moderator of both relationships. Results revealed that passive followership influenced leaders’ trusting beliefs negatively, whereas collaborative followership had a positive influence on leaders’ trusting beliefs as well as leaders’ trusting intentions. The most extreme form of proactive followership, challenging followership, had nonsignificant relationships with leaders’ trusting beliefs and intentions. In addition, leaders’ IFTs did not interact with followership behaviour to produce any change in leaders’ trusting beliefs. However, IFTs were found to moderate the relationship between leaders’ trusting beliefs and trusting intentions. Implications for research and practice are discussed in light of the results.

This study reviews the burgeoning literature on followership and tests propositions from a recently developed theoretical framework to explore the relationship between follower behaviours, leaders’ perceptions of follower trustworthiness (trusting beliefs), and leaders’ subsequent willingness to be vulnerable to the actions of their followers (trusting intentions). Leaders’ implicit followership theories (IFTs) were examined as a potential moderator of both relationships. Results revealed that passive followership influenced leaders’ trusting beliefs negatively, whereas collaborative followership had a positive influence on leaders’ trusting beliefs as well as leaders’ trusting intentions. The most extreme form of proactive followership, challenging followership, had nonsignificant relationships with leaders’ trusting beliefs and intentions. In addition, leaders’ IFTs did not interact with followership behaviour to produce any change in leaders’ trusting beliefs. However, IFTs were found to moderate the relationship between leaders’ trusting beliefs and trusting intentions. Implications for research and practice are discussed in light of the results.

One of the fundamental ideas of transformational leadership theory is that transformational leaders develop their followers into transformational leaders. Unfortunately, there has been surprisingly little research on this topic. Although prior research has established a relationship between supervisor transformational leadership and follower transformational leadership (i.e., supervisor transformational leadership is positively related to follower transformational leadership), more research is needed to identify potential follower process variables and the interrelationships between cognitive, motivation, and behavioral variables that may be relevant to the development process of followers. This study initiated a closer examination of the process variables in three phases. First, the direct relationship between supervisor transformational leadership and various follower variables relevant to the development process was examined. Second, this study summarized the interrelationships between the process variables in a structural model, including a test of the indirect effects of supervisor transformational leadership on follower outcomes through more proximal follower variables. Third, this study explored transformational leadership theory's unique contribution to the understanding of leader-follower processes by comparing some of the relationships tested in this study to analogous relationships using other highly researched leadership styles, such as transactional leadership, initiating structure, consideration, and leader-member exchange. The findings supported several of the hypotheses involving direct relationships between supervisor transformational leadership and the follower variables relevant to self-concept, development orientation, development motivation, development activity, and leadership behavior. There was also support for partial mediation of the relationship between supervisor transformational leadership and the follower outcome variables (through follower developmental processes). Contrary to hypotheses, several of the alternative leadership styles showed comparable or at times better prediction of follower developmental variables, which suggests that the follower development process may not be unique to transformational leadership theory.

Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) has provided the Industrial/Organizational Psychologists and Organizational Behaviorists with a theoretical framework for understanding how leaders lead followers. This theory is based on the interpersonal relationship between leader and follower. The theory proposes that the relationship between leaders and followers develops from a dyadic exchange process. However, research has recognized the need to consider the influence of social context on the relationship between LMX and outcomes. The Social Identity Model of Leadership (SIMOL) has proposed a view of leadership from the perspective of the relationship between the leader and a group of followers. This theory is based primarily on group memberships and how the leader fits the group prototype, affecting the leader's ability to lead and how the leader leads. This paper discusses both theories and shows how dyadic and group relationships work in concert to explain how leaders lead followers. The paper hypothesizes that SIMOL, through leader prototypicality, moderates the relationship between LMX and follower attitudes. Together, they provide a more complete framework for understanding leadership based on the simultaneously occurring relationships encountered by a leader.

This study reviews the burgeoning literature on followership and tests propositions from a recently developed theoretical framework to explore the relationship between follower behaviours, leaders’ perceptions of follower trustworthiness (trusting beliefs), and leaders’ subsequent willingness to be vulnerable to the actions of their followers (trusting intentions). Leaders’ implicit followership theories (IFTs) were examined as a potential moderator of both relationships. Results revealed that passive followership influenced leaders’ trusting beliefs negatively, whereas collaborative followership had a positive influence on leaders’ trusting beliefs as well as leaders’ trusting intentions. The most extreme form of proactive followership, challenging followership, had nonsignificant relationships with leaders’ trusting beliefs and intentions. In addition, leaders’ IFTs did not interact with followership behaviour to produce any change in leaders’ trusting beliefs. However, IFTs were found to moderate the relationship between leaders’ trusting beliefs and trusting intentions. Implications for research and practice are discussed in light of the results.

This thesis critically assesses the literature on strategic management accounting that is budgeting and corporate governance and also the managerial decision-making literature (primarily in the areas of strategic planning and change management). It is essentially a theory building and analytical thesis utilising a critical social science approach. The main aim is the construction of a collaborative theory of decision-making and associated methodology that will underpin and explain a more ‘robust’ construction of decision outcomes within an individual organizational context. In doing so it evaluates and synthesises Habermas’s theory of communicative action with the intention of incorporating key elements as well as insights from Latour, complexity theory and Peirce in relation to doubt-driven inquiry in a proposed collaboratively oriented theory of organizational decision enhancement (ODE). ODE theory is argued to be widely applicable in the decision-making process utilised by organizations (private, public and non-profit). The claims implicit within the theory and its associated decision-making methodology are assessed empirically at the strategic planning level. This was part of an action research project commenced in July 2001 with Tertiary Institution’s current strategic planning round covering the planning time horizon 2003-2007. ODE theory postulates that effective decision-making in a world of uncertainty is best undertaken in a practical and collaborative group process. The theory, that I have derived, is stated as follows: Optimal decision-making which a particular group of decision makers can construct in a world of uncertainty and risk is a pragmatic, recursive and democratised process. The process minimises the role of individual power, authority, self-interest and ego. This collaborative approach focuses on the force of the ‘better argument’, utilises constructive conflict (CC) and continuous, conscious, collaborative adaptation (CCCA) and results in the selection and monitoring of a ‘best-option’ decision outcome. The theory minimises the role of power and authority, focuses on the Habermasian concept of the force of the ‘better argument’, maximises the utility of resistance to change and results in the selection of a ‘best-alternative’ option that is subjected to a rigorous, performance measure-based monitoring feedback loop. In so doing this thesis extends significantly the earlier extant literature on organizational decision-making. It effectively revisits the notion of teams and groups in the organizational context and argues for organizations to seriously consider ‘reengineering’ the decision-making methodology and approach to one that necessitates effective devolution and delegation of decision-making powers. I argue that organizations should allow for and promote a ‘cascade’ effect to let control, power, authority and collective responsibility filter down through the organizational layers. Effectiveness and not efficiency (falsely perceived as timely) should be the aim of well-constructed decision outcomes. The adaptability and self-organising capability of the workforce requires an inclusive, not exclusive, decision-making methodology to unlock and realise the full future potential of the organization.