Contextualizing leaders' interpretations of proactive followership

Benson, Alex J.; Hardy, James; Eys, Mark A.

doi:10.1002/job.2077

Cited by 56 publications

(72 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…The results of our investigation suggest that even after controlling the impact of in‐role performance, follower taking charge contributes value‐added service resources to benefit leaders’ work effectiveness. In addition to the contributions of our study to the LMX literature, we also extend research on proactive followership (e.g., Benson, Hardy, & Eys, ; Uhl‐Bien et al ., ) to demonstrate how followers’ taking charge serves to proactively influence leader behaviour. Furthermore, our findings make a contribution to social exchange theory by examining the resource exchange process that defines social exchange and LMX theory.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 72%

Reversing the lens: How followers influence leader–member exchange quality

Loi

Cai

et al. 2019

J Occupat & Organ Psyc

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Building on Foa and Foa's (1974) resource theory, this study explores why, how, and when followers’ proactive engagement in taking charge behaviours can drive leader–member exchange (LMX) relationships. Through a three‐wave multi‐rater field survey among 230 leader–follower dyads in China, we found that follower taking charge is positively related to LMX after accounting for the effect of in‐role performance. Our results suggest leader perceived service resources (i.e., the efforts and actions carried out by the focal follower that make the leader's work more effective) as the underlying mechanism of this relationship. Further, our findings demonstrate that achievement‐goal‐striving leaders are more likely to recognize the service value of taking charge followers and subsequently develop high‐quality LMX relationships with them. This study moves LMX theory forward by investigating follower‐driven LMX development. It also contributes to the emerging work on followership by ‘reversing the lens’ between leadership practice (in terms of LMX) and follower behaviour (in terms of taking charge). Practitioner points Leaders should be aware of the valuable service resources associated with followers’ taking charge attempts. Followers who work under achievement‐goal‐striving leaders should be more proactive in building high‐quality relationships with their bosses by taking charge at work. To benefit from high‐quality LMX relationships, organizations should train leaders to appreciate followers’ taking charge endeavours.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 72%

Reversing the lens: How followers influence leader–member exchange quality

Loi

Cai

et al. 2019

J Occupat & Organ Psyc

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“…This leadership be- leaders. These follower initiated behaviors can affect the power dynamics of the leader-follower relationship, and be interpreted by leaders as insubordination and a threat to their authority (Benson et al, 2016). The author observed followers exhibiting both resistance and proactive behaviors under the leadership of the two different school principals referred to in this paper.…”

Section: Followership Styles and Behaviorsmentioning

confidence: 69%

Followership in the School Context

Cruickshank¹

2017

OJL

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This paper focused on investigating the leader-follower relationship to determine the influence that effective followers have in regards to the success or failure of their leader within the school context. Just as a teacher needs to be informed as to the needs and abilities of their students, a leader needs to possess similar knowledge in regards to their followers. Followers have traditionally been neglected in leadership research and seen as simply passive recipients of leadership. Leadership and followership represent two sides of one dynamic relationship; without followers, there can be no leaders. This means that followers' behaviors are a vital component of the leadership process, and that leadership cannot be fully understood without an understanding of followership. This paper will examine these follower behaviors and the influence that they can have on school leadership.

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“…Speaking to the importance of these ideas for leadership and followership, it has been argued that leaders need to understand and manage the beliefs associated with a shared identity to be able to create unity among group members and to channel their energies (Haslam et al, 2011). In sport, high-level coaches view effective followers as those who, amongst other things, have a collective orientation (i.e., they put the team first) that endorses shared values and principles relevant to the team (Benson, Hardy, & Eys, 2016). Further, such followership is contextually dependent.…”

Section: Shared Social Identity Content Is the Basis For Leaders' Mobmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shared social identity content is the basis for leaders’ mobilization of followers

Slater

Coffee

Barker

et al. 2019

Psychology of Sport and Exercise

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Objectives: There is growing research interest in the social identity approach to leadership in sport. Researchers have examined how leaders' representation of a shared social identity allows them to motivate group members but has neglected the role that identity content plays in this process. The present research addresses this issue in two experimental studies that examine the effect of sharedness in identity content (i.e., beliefs about what it means to be a member of a group) on leaders' mobilization of group members. Design: A 2 X 2 experimentalbetween-participantdesign, with two shared and two nonshared conditions. Method: In Study 1, 160 athletes imagined themselves in one of four sport team scenarios and responded to measures of mobilization (e.g., willingness to invest time on task). In Study 2 (laboratory experiment), we manipulated sharedness and assessed 114 participants' behavioural mobilization and task performance. Results: Study 1 supports the hypothesis that identity content that is shared (rather than nonshared) between leaders and group members increases members' willingness to invest time on a task. Study 2 replicates these results and also shows that increased effort among group members mediates the relationship between shared identity content and members' improved task performance. Conclusions: The present research is the first to provide evidence that sport leaders' capacity to mobilize the effort of group members rests upon their ability to build shared identity content.

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Contextualizing leaders' interpretations of proactive followership

Cited by 56 publications

References 43 publications

Reversing the lens: How followers influence leader–member exchange quality

Reversing the lens: How followers influence leader–member exchange quality

Followership in the School Context

Shared social identity content is the basis for leaders’ mobilization of followers

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