“Effective Followership” in the UK HE Sector Darren Paul Cunningham
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‘Influencing Upwards’: A Phenomenological Study of “Effective Followership” in the UK HE Sector Darren Paul Cunningham Submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy July 2019 Lancaster University Management School Acknowledgements Thanks must go to Lancaster University’s Management School. In particular, I would like to express my personal gratitude to Professor David Collinson, Dr David Simm, and Dr Dermot O'Reilly who have afforded me their extensive experience, knowledge and patience. In the build-up to submitting this thesis, their contributions were invaluable. Sincere thanks extend to Jean Blanquet, in the University’s Library. Her assistance was instrumental, especially where some of the more rarely available or hard to find reading materials contributed significantly to the completeness of the literature review. Similarly, a debt of gratitude is afforded to Joan Paterson, whose skills in touch- typing helped tremendously. She so expertly transformed data from many digitally recorded interviews into written transcripts ready for analysis. Also, thanks are owed to my dear friend and fellow part-time PhD student Paul Robbins, who as I recall we met in the University’s car park on day one and stayed friends ever since. Paul was a great support throughout this incredible journey, and his wonderful sense of humour and the Indian meals we shared in the Bombay Balti in Lancaster will forever be fondly remembered. Thanks are also due to my family who have been there to support me. Firstly, my late father who has been an inspiration to me all of my life, so I dedicate my many years of academic endeavour to him. I can only hope that he would be as proud of my work as I am of him and his achievements. To my mother, who is a great source of strength during the most personally difficult and challenging times, her resilience is inspirational. To my children, Darcey and Harvey, without whom my life would not be fulfilled. It is important that my family know that without them I would not have had the motivation 1 Darren Cunningham PhD Dissertation – July 2019 or inspiration to make the journey from YTS to PhD, culminating in the writing of this thesis. I would also like to thank my friend Jean Greaves for offering me a base whilst undertaking the fieldwork for this study and to Sean Smith and Barry Lovatt for their kind words of encouragement and morale support. It is also appropriate to thank several employers who provided financial assistance and the time required to undertake this research; the University of Stirling, University of Edinburgh, and Heriot-Watt University. Without their support it would not have been possible for me to undertake this research. Finally, my sincere thanks to the many Academic Leaders and Administration Managers who agreed to talk to me so candidly about their experiences of followership. I was fortunate enough to meet and interview some very insightful people, and I hope this doctoral thesis does justice to their experiences. 2 Darren Cunningham PhD Dissertation – July 2019 Abstract This thesis examines the possible meanings of ‘effective’ and ‘ineffective’ followership, drawing on the growing interest and literature on this topic. The approach is to explore how ‘upward influence’ can be a possible determinant of ‘effective followership’ by focusing on the workings of such influence within leadership dynamics. The study presents a phenomenological inquiry into the lived experiences of upward influence amongst 18 Academic Leaders and 17 Administration Managers from 16 institutions in the UK higher education sector. The study seeks to develop a critical approach to analysing followership and the research findings. In so doing, it reveals the significance of meaning that is attached to the key themes of control, identity and influencing tactics in cases where upward influence appears to be effective or ineffective. What the findings show is that followers influence upwards to generate and cultivate social power. They learn to be tactical and frequently refine their capacity to influence upwards that emerges in one’s consciousness as a followership style. The leader becomes more encouraging and receptive to certain followership styles and established hard-edged dichotomies between leadership and followership begin to blur. The consequence is more autonomy to practice followership to achieve desired outcomes with a reduced risk of failure or punishment. Subsequently, effectiveness is managing the flow of upward influence, monitoring the effects, and learning how to have more impact, which all inform the adoption and switching of identities. This is reciprocally viewed as an obligation of leaders and followers to reposition themselves to sustain their mutual effectiveness within contextual parameters. Consequently, the experience of effective followership reveals a normative/moral essence that is inescapable. 3 Darren Cunningham PhD Dissertation – July 2019 Contents Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................... 1 Abstract ......................................................................................................................... 3 Contents ........................................................................................................................ 4 Summary of Figures .................................................................................................... 8 List of Tables ................................................................................................................ 9 Glossary of Terms ...................................................................................................... 10 Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................ 13 1.1 Scene Setting .................................................................................................................. 13 1.2 Research Background .................................................................................................... 14 1.3 Gap in the Research ....................................................................................................... 17 1.4 Purpose of this Study ..................................................................................................... 19 1.5 Author’s Interest in the Topic ........................................................................................ 20 1.6 Outline of this Thesis ..................................................................................................... 24 Chapter 2: Mainstream Followership Studies ........................................................ 29 2.1 Prescriptive perspectives of followership ...................................................................... 31 2.2 Descriptive perspectives of followership ....................................................................... 47 2.3 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 62 Chapter 3: Critical Approaches to Followership Studies ...................................... 65 3.1 Critical perspectives of followership ............................................................................. 66 3.1.1 Critically critiquing followership ............................................................................ 67 3.1.2 Follower agency, knowledgeability and proactivity ............................................... 77 3.1.3 Power dynamics and relations................................................................................ 84 3.1.4 Upward communication ......................................................................................... 91 3.2 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 99 Chapter 4: Upward Influencing Studies ................................................................ 101 4.1 Upward influencing tactics and practices .................................................................... 101 4.1.1 Identifying, categorising, and measuring influence .............................................. 102 4.1.2 Follower-centric influence .................................................................................... 110 4.1.3 Moderating contextual factors............................................................................... 120 4.2 Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 130 Chapter 5: Research Methodology ......................................................................... 132 5.1 Philosophy .................................................................................................................... 132 5.1.1 Ontology ............................................................................................................... 137 4 Darren Cunningham PhD Dissertation – July 2019 5.1.2 Epistemology ........................................................................................................ 140 5.2 Theoretical perspective ................................................................................................ 145 5.2.1 Phenomenology ..................................................................................................... 146 5.2.2 Phenomenological and existential inquiry into leadership .................................... 151 5.3 Methodology ...............................................................................................................