Re: Followership

Dr. Guy M. Smith (guy.smith_at_nwa.com)
Fri, 09 May 1997 11:57:31 -0700

Bob,
Thanks for the response on followership. I recognize that the word does
not "ring" well; do you have another suggestion. Followership is very
differnt from leadership and involves some very different skills. I have
spent much of my life as an Assistant or Deputy in various arenas, and I
know that the game, "Follow the Leader" can be very difficult to play.
There are some skills that are exclusive to Followership. I suspect that
poor followers will eventually become poor leaders, but I don't have
anything empirical on that subject. Perhaps the article by Joe Dunlap
and Maureen Pettitt will shed some light. Thanks for sending it.

In an airline there are two interventions that will effectively change a
pilot's behavior. One is "professional reputation." Pilots have an
amazing network; word gets around quickly and pilots know how to bid
around somebody that lacks the team skills. Unfortunately, every month
somebody eventually gets "stuck" with the antagonist. That's when the
second intevention comes in - the Union's Professional Standards folks.
I'm not a member of ALPA, but I recognize that Pro Stans does an
excellent job of counselling and redirecting this kind of behavior. In
other words, the systems are in place to move pilots in the right
direction. Our job in CRM is to make sure we give the proper training so
pilots have the tools they need for their current role, whether it be
leadership, followership, or any other tag we may give it.

-- 
Dr. Guy M. Smith
Manager, Human Factors Practices
Northwest Airlines N7205
5101 Northwest Dr.
St. Paul, MN 55111-3034
Phone 612-727-4255