Leadership and Followership Theories in Organizational Contexts
Summary
Leadership and followership theories have evolved from early trait and behavioural approaches to more nuanced frameworks emphasising context, cognition and relational dynamics. Traditional models focused on inherent leader qualities and task‐oriented behaviours, while contingency and situational theories introduced the importance of organisational environment and follower needs. Transformational and servant leadership further expanded the scope by highlighting vision, ethical stewardship and empowerment. In parallel, followership emerged as an active construct, recognising followers as co‐creators of organisational outcomes rather than passive recipients of direction. Implicit Leadership Theories (ILTs) and Implicit Followership Theories (IFTs) explore how cognitive prototypes influence perceptions of leaders and followers, shaping expectations, interactions and performance. Contemporary research also addresses distributed and shared leadership, acknowledging fluid role transitions in networked and virtual settings. Across global contexts, these theories illuminate mechanisms of inclusion, diversity and innovation, offering practical guidance for leadership development, talent management and organisational design.
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Leadership and Followership Theories in Organizational Contexts publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in leadership and followership theories in organizational contexts across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Implicit Leadership Theories (ILTs): mental frameworks of attributes and behaviours expected of effective leaders.
Implicit Followership Theories (IFTs): personal schemas of characteristics and roles expected of followers.
Followership Styles: stable behavioural patterns of followers, such as active engagement and critical thinking.
Glass Ceiling: systemic barriers preventing certain groups from ascending to leadership roles.
References
- Is there a glass ceiling for ethnic minorities to enter leadership positions? Evidence from a field experiment with over 12,000 job applications. The Leadership Quarterly (2023).
- Obstacles for marginalized group members in obtaining leadership positions: Threats and opportunities. Current Opinion in Psychology (2024).
- Followership styles scrutinized: temporal consistency and relationships with job attitudes and self-efficacy. PeerJ (2023).
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