Northouse, Leadership 9e
SAGE Publications, 2021
Case 13.1: Bluebird Care
Case Synopsis and Analysis
Robin Martin started Bluebird Care, an in-home health-care agency, 20 years ago with a staff
of two and five clients. The agency has grown to a staff of 25 serving 50 clients. Over the
years, the agency has become larger and the connection to employees has become less
personal. Robin feels as if she is losing her connections with her clients and her employees.
There is a strong staff, but Robin relies mostly on Terry as she is positive and promotes the
agency well. If there are issues to manage, Robin often consults with Terry. Terry is a direct
contrast to Belinda, another employee. A 5-year staff member, Belinda, is stubborn and stuck
in her ways. She also challenges Robin and agency rules, sometimes in a bullying way. In a
Learning Objectives:
• Students should be able to apply principles of followership to leader behaviors.
• Students should apply Chaleff’s Follower Typology to this case to better
understand the concepts of followership.
Answers to Questions in the Text:
1. Who are the followers at Bluebird Care?
2. In what way is followership related to the mission of agency? Do Robin and her
managers recognize the importance of followership? Explain.
Northouse, Leadership 9e
SAGE Publications, 2021
3. Using the roles identified in Chaleff’s follower typology (Figure 13.4), what roles do
Terry, Belinda, Caleb, and James play at the agency?
Terry: Partner (high support and high challenge). Fully supportive of the leader, but is
always willing to challenge the leader when needed.
4. Using the “reversing the lens” framework (Figure 13.6), explain how Caleb and
James’s characteristics contribute to the followership outcomes at Bluebird Care.
5. Terry and Robin have a unique relationship in that they both engage in leading and
following. How do you think each of them views leadership and followership?
Discuss.
Robin views her leadership through a lens of service. The service she provides to her
clients assists them in living more meaningful lives, which, in turn, gives Robin
6. If you were an organizational consultant, what would you suggest to Robin that could
strengthen Bluebird Care? If you were a followership coach, how would you advise
Robin?
To strengthen the organization, I would suggest that Robin needs to create a 5-year
Potential Teaching Approaches:
Below is a way to structure a class based on Followership and Case Study 13.1:
• Hold a lecture on followership.
• Ask students to read Case 13.1 and answer the questions.
Exercises for This Case Study:
1. The professor should have a debate regarding the two distinct realities found in this
case study: change versus the status quo. Each side should prepare for the debate,
2. In a short essay (200–250 words), outline what might happen to Bluebird if it
continues to grow each year. What might the organization look like in 5 years? Can
Robin survive as proprietor without adapting and/or accepting change? What other