Military Review English Edition September-October 2014 | Page 71

U.S. Army photo by Command Sgt. Maj. Concordio Borja Jr., Provincial Reconstruction Team Farah

IMPORTANCE OF FOLLOWERSHIP

Staff Sgt. Justin Southwick (center right) gives a convoy mission brief to members of Alpha Battery, 2nd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment before a key leader engagement meeting between members of Provincial Reconstruction Team Farah and the Director of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock in Farah City, Afghanistan, 25 June 2013.

is it ethical to comply with or enforce rules if they
impede the accomplishment of the organization’s
purpose, the organization’s values, or basic human
decency.”15 Followers must have th e courage to
oppose the boss when events require dissent for the
good of the organization. Chaleff also emphasizes
that organizations that have courageous followers
will have no need for whistle blowers because the
followers do their duty to prevent leaders from making unethical decisions.16 One of the key statements
Chaleff makes is that, “proximity and courage are the
critical variables in the prevention of the abuse of
power.”17

Dissent in Followership
The challenge for followers is approaching their
superiors, looking them in the eye, and telling them
that they disagree with a decision. The Army has
some superiors who do not appreciate, acknowledge,
MILITARY REVIEW  September-October 2014

or want to have anyone challenge their authority.
They perceive questions on their decision making as
sharpshooting instead of analyzed dissent. However,
morality and ethics require good followers to provide
opinions, recommendations, and judgments to their
superiors, using critical and effective reasoning.18
Lt. Col. Mark Cantrell (U.S. Marine Corps)
wrote an article about military dissent in which
he says followers should make sure they have their
facts straight, and they are certain the boss is wrong,
before they call attention to the issue and bring the
correct information and guidance to the boss for his
or her own good and future perspective.19 Military
forces work under a distinct chain of command for
daily operations, and the military culture promotes
working with one’s boss before going over the boss’
head in that chain. Loyal dissent is expected to
follow an ethical guideline to maintain an effective
chain of command. Going around one’s command
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