Northouse, Leadership 9e
SAGE Publishing, 2022
Class Activities
Chapter 13: Followership
Activities
These activities may be used in either small-group or large-group settings, depending on class size and
time available. Some may be suitable for homework. As homework, they can be used as preparation for
a “Flipped classroom” experience during the following class period.
Icebreaker Options
• At the beginning of class, ask every student to share something they enjoy about being in a
follower role.
• Ask students to share examples of an exemplary follower they know. How does this person’s
Followership Questionnaire
Have students complete the Followership Trait Questionnaire individually and share their results in small
groups. Do they agree with the follower classification that corresponds with their results? Have students
discuss the scores’ meaning in terms of their followership ability.
Talkin’ ‘Bout My Generation
Have students interview a few of their same-age friends and a few people who are a generation
older about how they perceive the role of followers in organizations. Are there differences between
age groups? What do 20-year-olds value about the follower role? What do 60-year-olds value in
followers? What factors might explain these differences?
Group Observation—Co-Created Leadership and Followership
Ask students to attend an on- or off-campus meeting of an established group they belong to, such
Northouse, Leadership 9e
SAGE Publishing, 2022
influence? How are the leaders responding to this influence? Which of Kelley’s four styles of
followership do they display? Have students write a 1–2-page analysis.
Employee of the Month
Invite a department on campus, or local business leader, to talk about what employee behaviors are
I Wish I Could Tell You
Invite students to write an imaginary letter to their current or future bosses about the treatment they
would like to receive, that would enable them to get great results, be highly engaged, and improve the
company culture. The letters could be unique or use an assigned format such as:
To whom it may concern,
When you hired me you told me you were looking for . . .
When I was hired I hoped to contribute . . .
When you do or say X, I feel . . .
You can help me by . . .
I can help you be a better leader by . . .
Sincerely,
Tell Me a Story
Have students practice telling a story in class about a time when they were an ineffective follower in a
group. What was the reason for their ineffectiveness? In hindsight, what follower style would have been
more effective to use? What could the leader have done better to motivate them? Can followers switch
styles in different situations the way leaders are expected to do in the Situational Leadership II Model?
What did they learn from this experience? Listeners can give constructive feedback and ask questions of
the speaker.
Northouse, Leadership 9e
SAGE Publishing, 2022
Pair, Share
Have students pair up with someone in the class and discuss how the “new perspectives on
followership” apply to them in a particular group or work setting:
• Do they get the job done at work, and are they recognized for it?
Role Play*
*Adapted from an original activity created by Allison Johnson, student at Hope College, for Communication 335.
Used by permission.
Divide the class into small groups of 5–6 students. Assign each student one of the follower (or leader)
roles to play in the scenario below. They should not share their role with the other group members, but
simply behave according to the prompt. Allow 5 min for the role plays. Then come together in the full
class to debrief. Debrief:
• Were students able to identify the leadership style or followership style of each group member?
• How well did the assigned leadership style work with the various follower styles?
• If the assigned style was different than the student’s natural tendency, was it difficult to stay “in
character”? How would the student work with that type of follower in a real-life situation?
• What happens to groups when members have hidden agendas (e.g., roles they are playing that
aren’t known to others)?
Give each group the following roles to enact (or create your own).
Group #1
You are a directive leader. You tend to tell people what to do without giving them much support in
carrying out their task. You are mainly concerned about getting the work done, and done well. You
dislike chit chat and prefer keeping conversations work-related. Some followers may see you as
controlling and overpowering.
You are an exemplary follower. You are committed to the group or organization and to its mission. You
have a great work ethic, are often tapped for doing extra jobs by the boss because you are so reliable,
Northouse, Leadership 9e
SAGE Publishing, 2022
and are frequently asked to mentor new employees because of your positive attitude. The supervisor
also trusts you to give constructive criticism when needed.
You are a conformist follower. You like flying “under the radar” at work. You support your leader and
the group’s goals but don’t go out of your way to take on extra work. You like to get clear directions
from your leader for assigned tasks, and generally don’t offer opinions or suggestions unless asked.
You are a pragmatic follower. You participate at an average level. You are a fence-sitter, supporting the
status quo but not getting on board until others do. You like being part of planning teams, but prefer not
to lead them. You do contribute ideas for projects or ways to improve team functioning when asked.
You will offer suggestions and constructive criticisms to the leader, but you also like listening to other
people before making up your mind.
Group #2
You are a servant leader. Your passion is to empower people to become their best selves. You take time
to know them, listen to them, and discover their gifts. You are committed to behaving ethically in how
you treat people, perform your tasks, and contribute to the community’s welfare. You share your power
with others to help them grow and become autonomous.
You are an exemplary follower. You are committed to the group or organization and to its mission. You
have a great work ethic, are often tapped for doing extra jobs by the boss because you are so reliable,
and are frequently asked to mentor new employees because of your positive attitude. The supervisor
also trusts you to give constructive criticism when needed.
You are a conformist follower. You like flying “under the radar” at work. You support your leader and
the group’s goals but don’t go out of your way to take on extra work. You like to get clear directions
Northouse, Leadership 9e
SAGE Publishing, 2022
You will offer suggestions and constructive criticisms to the leader, but you also like listening to other
people before making up your mind.
You are a passive follower. You are committed to your group but like to “mind your own business” at
work. You do whatever is asked of you. You don’t ask many questions. You don’t seek out extra
assignments. You look to the leader for direction and motivation and “give her/him what s/he wants”
without complaint.
You are an alienated follower. You think for yourself and have lots of ideas to contribute to the group or
Group #3
You are a delegating leader. You don’t like to offer much social support or goal input to your followers.
You enjoy working with competent and motived people who can “get the work done” on their own
without micromanaging from you. You are available to help and advise when needed, but by hiring the
“right” people upfront you trust them to be autonomous and effective.
You are an exemplary follower. You are committed to the group or organization and to its mission. You
have a great work ethic, are often tapped for doing extra jobs by the boss because you are so reliable,
and are frequently asked to mentor new employees because of your positive attitude. The supervisor
also trusts you to give constructive criticism when needed.
You are a conformist follower. You like flying “under the radar” at work. You support your leader and
You are a pragmatic follower. You participate at an average level. You are a fence-sitter, supporting the
status quo but not getting on board until others do. You like being part of planning teams, but prefer not
to lead them. You do contribute ideas for projects or ways to improve team functioning when asked.
You will offer suggestions and constructive criticisms to the leader, but you also like listening to other
people before making up your mind.
You are a passive follower. You are committed to your group but like to “mind your own business” at
work. You do whatever is asked of you. You don’t ask many questions. You don’t seek out extra
assignments. You look to the leader for direction and motivation and “give her/him what s/he wants”
without complaint.
You are an alienated follower. You think for yourself and have lots of ideas to contribute to the group or
organization, which aren’t always welcomed. This sours you a bit on the group and organization. You
Northouse, Leadership 9e
SAGE Publishing, 2022
Group #4
You are a transformational leader. You have a clear vision of what you want to accomplish in your
organization. You like getting people “on the same page” to achieve important goals. You are consistent
and act according to your principles, so people tend to trust you. You build on your strengths, and those
of others, which builds confidence and high expectations.
You are an exemplary follower. You are committed to the group or organization and to its mission. You
have a great work ethic, are often tapped for doing extra jobs by the boss because you are so reliable,
and are frequently asked to mentor new employees because of your positive attitude. The supervisor
also trusts you to give constructive criticism when needed.
You are a conformist follower. You like flying “under the radar” at work. You support your leader and
You are a pragmatic follower. You participate at an average level. You are a fence-sitter, supporting the
status quo but not getting on board until others do. You like being part of planning teams, but prefer not
You are a passive follower. You are committed to your group but like to “mind your own business” at
work. You do whatever is asked of you. You don’t ask many questions. You don’t seek out extra
assignments. You look to the leader for direction and motivation and “give her/him what s/he wants”
without complaint.
You are an alienated follower. You think for yourself and have lots of ideas to contribute to the group or
Group #5
You are a Country-Club Management style leader. People make your job fun. You enjoy hanging out
with people during and after work. You know a lot about their personal lives and goals. You want to
make sure people are taken care of before you stress work productivity. You are agreeable, eager to
help, and non-controversial.
Northouse, Leadership 9e
SAGE Publishing, 2022
You are an exemplary follower. You are committed to the group or organization and to its mission. You
have a great work ethic, are often tapped for doing extra jobs by the boss because you are so reliable,
and are frequently asked to mentor new employees because of your positive attitude. The supervisor
also trusts you to give constructive criticism when needed.
You are a conformist follower. You like flying “under the radar” at work. You support your leader and
the group’s goals but don’t go out of your way to take on extra work. You like to get clear directions
from your leader for assigned tasks, and generally don’t offer opinions or suggestions unless asked.
You are a passive follower. You are committed to your group but like to “mind your own business” at
work. You do whatever is asked of you. You don’t ask many questions. You don’t seek out extra
assignments. You look to the leader for direction and motivation and “give her/him what s/he wants”
without complaint.
_________
Give each group one of the scenarios below (same scenario for all groups) and have students play
their assigned roles while coming up with a recommendation on the issue.
Scenario 1
Your small city is growing and needs more electricity to serve residents’ needs. The city council is
asking residents to meet in small groups to brainstorm the best options for providing more
electricity. Groups will then report their recommendations back to the city council. Should the city
keep purchasing power from a regional utility company that charges ever-higher fees? Should the
Northouse, Leadership 9e
SAGE Publishing, 2022
Scenario 2
A wealthy donor has given US$5 million to your college or university “to be spent by students for the
benefit of students.” As members of Student Congress, you have been asked to come up with
recommendations for spending this gift. In your group first, discuss the criteria you will use to make this
decision (e.g., what needs are greatest, who will benefit the most, etc.). Next, generate a variety of
possibilities before settling on one. Make your choice and consider the possible unintended
consequences of this choice. Report back to the college/university.
Writing Assignments
Co-Constructed Leadership
Have students write a 2-page response paper to Uhl-Bien’s concept that leadership and
Integration Paper
Have students write a 1–2-page paper explaining which leadership style they think best develops
exemplary followers. Is it Servant Leadership, Situational Leadership, Authentic Leadership, Adaptive
Leadership, or some other approach?
Action Plan
According to the Kellerman Followership Typology, followers vary based on their level of engagement—
with the leader and the group’s goals. Have students choose one group they belong to and evaluate
their level of engagement with that group in a 1–2-page paper. What are the reasons for this ranking?
One-Minute Paper Topics
How can a follower help make a leader better in his/her role?
How would you resist the appeal of a toxic leader?
Northouse, Leadership 9e
SAGE Publishing, 2022
Do men and women enact followership differently?
How might alienated followers be valuable to an organization?
Internet Activities
Internet #1: Saying Thank You
A nice opening to class: Play the video clip of Deshaun Watson giving his first NFL game check to the
Internet #2: Class Blog
In your class blog or chat room, write about some of the discussion questions provided for this
chapter. Some additional questions you might ask are:
• Which leadership style we’ve studied so far would be most effective in developing
exemplary followers? Highly engaged followers?
Internet #3: A Great Place to Work?
Ask students to check out the website of a company they might like to work for someday. What can they
infer about the company’s culture? What traits seem to be valued in employees? Do the traits match up
with those on the four followership typologies in chapter 12? How does the company claim to develop
employees’ skills and careers (e.g., workshops, mentoring)? Students should turn in a printout of the
company’s home page along with a 1-page typed response to the above questions.
Northouse, Leadership 9e
SAGE Publishing, 2022
Internet #4: Tweeting Like a Leader
If you have asked students in Week 1 to follow a thought leader on Twitter throughout the term, have
them report on how the leader’s followers are responding to his/her tweets. What messages are they
retweeting? Is the leader using other forms of social media to get out his/her message? If so, what is the
public feedback? How many likes? Dislikes? How are followers promoting, or defending, the leader on
Internet #5: Web Search
This can be done as an individual or group assignment. Ask students to go online to a business magazine
Internet #6: Toxic Leaders and Misled Followers
Some of the leading news magazines (such as, Time, Newsweek, Forbes) have an annual edition or
article that reviews the worst tyrants or dictators in the world. Assign students to research one of these
leaders and their followers online and report back to class. How would they characterize the followers?