Using Implicit Followership Theories to Illustrate Cognitive Schemas: An Experiential Exercise

Abstract

In this article, we outline an experiential exercise designed to teach students about cognitive schemas (what they are, how they are developed, and how they may influence us). Drawing on the literature related to implicit followership theories, the exercise encourages students to explore their perceptions related to the role of followers, thus providing a concrete example via which they can explore the concept of schemas. The exercise was designed in the context of an undergraduate organizational behavior course and has been used on four occasions with success. We describe the learning objectives of the exercise and the steps to run it, provide detailed instructor notes, and offer some supplementary materials (i.e., sample content for class slides). We conclude the article by proposing potential variations of the exercise.