Followership Crises: The Role of Forgiveness and Reconciliation in Leadership Management
Keywords:
Leadership, Reconciliation, Forgiveness, FollowershipAbstract
The study explores the critical issues surrounding followership crises in Africa, focusing on the roles of forgiveness and reconciliation in enhancing leadership management. Leadership crisis is a critical issue that faced the African society and the dearth of effective leadership across different sphere of influence has been described as the pivot of African economic, political and religious misery. Leadership and followership are inseparable concepts which significantly influence organizational, social, economic, political and religious success. The relationship that subsists between leadership and followership is bedeviled with betrayal, pain, disloyalty and trust issues, backstabbing, among others. The wide gap in trust issues between leadership and followership demands forgiveness and reconciliation between followership and leadership in restoring leadership effectiveness in organizations. The problem addressed in this paper is the prevalent crisis of followership characterized by apathy, disillusionment, and a lack of accountability among followers, which undermines leadership effectiveness and organizational success. The significance of this research lies in its potential to illuminate the often-overlooked dynamics of followership and its impact on leadership outcomes. By examining the concepts of forgiveness and reconciliation, the study aims to provide insights into how these elements can foster a more collaborative and productive leader-follower relationship, thereby enhancing organizational resilience during crises. The study adopts qualitative method in analyzing literature and the nuances around leadership and followership. The study posits that addressing followership crises through forgiveness and reconciliation can significantly improve leadership management in Africa.
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