In chapter 8 we discussed team leadership and self-managed teams. While we reviewed the chapter, we completed a self-assessment to evaluate our dyadic relationship with our managers. On this, I scored a 14 which means that I am in the in-group. This does not greatly affect me as a social worker because this job is not related. It could impact me if it was related to social work because being in the in-group can give me more opportunities to learn from my boss and more professional opportunities. Another activity we did was a self-assessment to determine our effectiveness as a follower. For this, I scored a 36. This means that I am an effective follower. This is important as a young person entering the field because I will likely be more of a follower than a leader as I enter a new agency.
It is important for social workers to be both leaders and followers. There is a time and place for both for all social workers. When in a leadership role it is very difficult to not create the perception of in-groups and out-groups. This is because people naturally are more drawn to people they can relate to more than others. So leaders need to be conscious of this and try to treat all followers the same way. Followers are just as important as leaders. A social worker can have a successful career without the need for a formal leadership position. Effective followers are essential for the functioning of any organization. Followers can take up informal leadership roles in projects without being a boss in an organizational chart.