As our society rapidly changes and organizations face complex challenges, the importance of teamwork is increasing for the success of these organizations. Instead of solely relying on a leader's charisma, it is now recognized that effective followership plays a crucial role. Effective followership refers to the proactive and cooperative behaviors displayed by employees when following their leader. The impact of followership goes beyond just leadership and extends to overall organizational performance.
When employees demonstrate effective followership, it has a positive influence on both leadership and organizational outcomes. For instance, followers who are too passive and submissive may be more prone to accepting unethical demands from their leader and blindly following their authority. On the other hand, active followers who engage in "co-production" are more likely to voice their opinions, take initiative, and contribute to achieving higher levels of organizational performance. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the nature of followership and the factors that influence it in order to optimize human resource management within organizations and promote overall success.
In the study conducted by Weixi Zeng, Zheming Xu, and Lixia Zhao, the focus lies on three central concepts: followership prototype, self-followership traits perception, and self-efficacy. These concepts are explored through theoretical deductions and empirical analyses, aiming to enhance our understanding of effective followership.
The concept of followership prototype examines the idealized characteristics and behaviors associated with effective followers. By identifying and understanding the prototype of effective followers, we can gain insights into the qualities that contribute to their success within organizations.
The Influence of Leadership on Effective Followership
When it comes to understanding followership in organizations, much attention has been given to its influence and scholars have explored its causes from various angles. However, most of these studies tend to center around the leader, specifically investigating how the leader's implicit cognition, leadership behavior, leadership style, and other factors impact followership.
Many researchers have made significant efforts to examine the effects of different leadership approaches on followership and other employee behaviors. Transformational leadership, workplace authentic leadership, ethical leadership, servant leadership, and humble leadership are just a few examples that have been explored in relation to their influence on followership.
These studies have shed light on how these different leadership styles can shape the behaviors and actions of followers. By understanding how leaders' approaches and behaviors impact followership, we can gain valuable insights into how to foster effective followers within organizations.
Internal Factors of Effective Followers
When examining the concept of followership, most of the existing research has primarily focused on the influence of leaders on followers. However, it is equally important to consider the impact of internal factors within followers themselves. Unfortunately, this aspect has not received adequate attention.
It is widely recognized that leaders face challenges when attempting to change the thoughts, feelings, and values of their followers. This highlights the significance of understanding the internal characteristics of followers that influence followership. Factors such as role orientation, motivation to follow, cognitive ability, and relational skills play essential roles in shaping effective followership.
One particularly noteworthy internal factor is follower identity, which refers to how individuals perceive their social role within the workplace. Follower identity provides employees with a psychological framework and guides their actions within the organization. It has the potential to significantly impact followership. By examining follower identity and other internal factors, we can gain a more comprehensive understanding of the causes of followership from the perspective of the followers themselves.
Taking into account the internal viewpoint of followers is crucial for understanding the dynamics of effective followership and its implications for organizational success. By delving deeper into the internal factors that shape followership, organizations can optimize their human resource management strategies and foster an environment that encourages and supports the development of effective followers.
The Influence of Follower Identity and Self-Efficacy on Effective Followership
In organizational settings, it is important to consider information-processing approaches to both leadership and followership, as highlighted by Epitropaki et al.. While previous research has explored the influence of a leader's identity on their leadership style, limited attention has been given to understanding the direct link between followers' identity and their followership. Given that a leader's identity impacts their leadership, it is reasonable to assume that the identity of followers also plays a role in shaping their followership. Addressing this research gap, our study adopts a follower identity approach to explore the influence of follower identity on employees' followership.
Moreover, considerable attention has been devoted to investigating the mechanisms that mediate the relationship between leadership and employee behaviors. Researchers have explored the mediating role of self-efficacy in various outcomes such as employee engagement, organizational citizenship behavior, and knowledge-hiding behavior. However, to the best of our knowledge, only Xiong and Epitropaki have directly examined the link between follower identity and followership, while no other study has explored the mediating role of self-efficacy in the relationship between follower identification and followership. Therefore, there is a need to bridge the existing gap in our understanding of the mechanisms that mediate the relationship between follower identification and followership.
In light of these gaps, our paper aims to explore the influence of follower identity and self-efficacy on employees' followership from the perspective of the followers. By investigating the interplay between follower identity, self-efficacy, and followership, we seek to provide valuable insights into the underlying mechanisms that shape effective followership.
The Mediating Role of Self-Efficacy in the Relationship between Follower Identity and Followership
In the study by Weixi Zeng, Zheming Xu, and Lixia Zhao, researchers aimed to understand follower identity by examining self-followership traits and explored the role of self-efficacy as a mediator between follower identity and followership. The findings of the study revealed that self-efficacy partially and significantly mediates the relationship between follower identity and followership.
The data analysis results provided support for all four hypotheses proposed in the study. Firstly, there was a positive relationship found between employees' self-followership traits and followership. This means that employees who consistently display higher levels of self-followership traits also exhibit stronger followership. This finding aligns with initial expectations and previous theoretical assumptions.
Secondly, the results supported the hypothesis that individuals with "high self-followership traits" demonstrate stronger followership compared to those with "low self-followership traits." This finding further supports previous assumptions and adds empirical evidence to the relationship between self-followership traits and followership.
Additionally, the third hypothesis, which suggests that employees with "high self-followership traits" would display more substantial followership than those with "low self-followership traits," was also supported by the results. This aligns with earlier studies that have similarly indicated the influence of self-followership traits on followership.
The Impact of Follower Identity on Effective Followership
Previous studies have primarily focused on exploring the impact of various factors, such as leadership style and leader expectations, on followership, with an emphasis on leaders. While leaders can have a temporary influence on employees' self-concept, it is challenging to change employees' deeper cognitive schemas and values. Although some researchers have suggested that internal follower characteristics may have an impact on followership, more empirical studies are needed to further investigate this relationship.
In this study, the researchers indirectly measured the effect of follower identity on followership by examining the consistency of Self-Followership Traits using a combination of implicit and explicit measures. The findings revealed that when employees displayed consistency in their Self-Followership Traits, it facilitated the integration of an ideal schema into their self-concept. This, in turn, allowed them to establish a more solid follower identity, which had a positive effect on followership.
Furthermore, the study highlighted that employees' actual behaviors as followers strongly aligned with their internal follower schema in order to maintain identity stability. As a result, the degree of followership varied depending on the alignment of the specific Self-Followership Traits in different situations.
By addressing Uhl-Bien's call for a "reverse perspective" that explores the influence of internal factors on followership, this study contributes to our understanding of effective followership.
The Role of Follower Identity in Shaping Effective Followership
In the realm of followership, it is important to recognize that it is not solely influenced by the leader and the surrounding environment. The identity of employees in their role as followers also plays a significant role in shaping effective followership.
At the individual level, follower identity allows employees to clarify their role as followers and provides them with a sense of competence in fulfilling that role. This personal understanding of themselves as followers influences their behavior and performance in the organization.
Furthermore, at the level of leader-member relationships, relational identity plays a crucial role. Employees integrate positive leader-member exchanges into their self-concept, which contributes to their sense of support and strengthens their followership. This relational identity nurtures a positive connection between leaders and followers, enhancing their collaboration and effectiveness.
Additionally, organizational identity plays a role at the organizational level. It strengthens the influence of group prototypes on individual behavior, reinforcing employees' alignment with the organization's values and goals. This sense of belonging and security derived from organizational identity further shapes and influences employees' performance as effective followers.
These three levels of identity - individual, relational, and organizational - have distinct but interconnected effects on individuals. Together, they shape employees' followership performance and contribute to their overall effectiveness as followers.
This study addresses the call made by Epitropaki and other researchers to examine the impact of follower identity from a broader range of perspectives. By exploring the different levels of identity and their influence on followership, the study expands our understanding of effective followership and highlights the importance of considering identity in the followership process.
Identity, Self-Efficacy, and Effective Followership
When employees possess strong self-efficacy and demonstrate effective followership, it creates a positive cycle that contributes to their overall performance. This congruence between self-efficacy and followership is crucial in influencing employees' beliefs and actions throughout the followership process.
One important aspect is the impact of identity on self-efficacy. Employees who have a strong identity and experience success in their role as followers develop a series of positive and fulfilling experiences. These experiences, in turn, enhance their self-efficacy by boosting their confidence in their abilities.
The influence of self-efficacy on followership is significant. Employees with higher levels of self-efficacy tend to have more positive perceptions and engage in behaviors that contribute to effective followership. Their belief in their own capabilities drives their motivation to actively participate and contribute to their role as followers.
Furthermore, the success experiences that stem from their identity play a crucial role in enhancing self-efficacy assessment. As employees achieve success in their followership endeavors, their confidence in their self-efficacy grows. This increased confidence further strengthens their followership performance, creating a positive and reinforcing cycle.
Empowering Employees for Effective Followership
Activation of followership plays a vital role in enabling employees to showcase proactive followership behaviors based on their individual identity criteria. Leaders can facilitate the development of a follower schema within employees' self-concept through transformational or charismatic leadership behaviors. These behaviors include personalized care, idealized influence, and inspirational motivation, which help employees deepen their understanding of their strengths, mobilize their internal motivation, and instill a sense of value, meaning, and self-efficacy. Consequently, this effectively enhances their performance as effective followers.
To further enhance followership performance, it is important to pay closer attention to the individual management of employees. For instance, employees who exhibit consistent self-following traits can be assigned more challenging and flexible tasks. On the other hand, employees with inconsistent self-following traits should be encouraged rather than blamed, and guided step by step to align their behaviors with their follower identity.
At the organizational level, it is crucial to fully support the HR system in order to facilitate the performance of employees. Adopting a flexible management approach tailored to the specific needs of employees is recommended. For example, exceptional employees can be given more empowerment and motivation through a high-commitment HRM approach, thereby fostering stronger followership behaviors.
By emphasizing individual management and providing organizational support, organizations can effectively enhance followership performance among their employees. These strategies allow for a tailored approach that recognizes and nurtures the unique strengths and identities of individuals, ultimately leading to a more effective and engaged workforce.
Based on "The Effect of Follower Identity on Followership: The Mediating Role of Self-Efficacy" by Weixi Zeng, Zheming Xu, and Lixia Zhao, 2023
Behav. Sci. 2023, 13(6), 482; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13060482