16. Followership Theory

Leadership is cocreated by leaders and followers working together. Leader-centric thinking has led to a lack of knowledge about the role of followers in the leadership equation. Early research on followership focused on follower typologies, ranging from passive to exemplary, and other types in between. Followership theory is an emerging one that looks at it as a relational process where leaders and followers coconstruct leadership. The novelty of the focus on followers and followership theory means that there are many opportunities to both study and improve the quality of followers and followership. This chapter explores the history and context around the followership theory, defines the theory, and concludes with strengths and opportunities of the theory.