An Exploration of Proactive Followership in the Co-Creation of Leadership Process: A Qualitative Descriptive Study

Followership research is scarce across the literature today, and more so from followers' voices. In terms of typologies, one known study from the follower perspective outlines three types of behaviors: passive, active, and proactive. Research shows proactive followership behaviors influence organizational outcomes positively. I sought to uncover how proactive followers influence organizational outcomes by co-creating the leadership process through a qualitative descriptive design. The research question, “What behaviors or techniques do proactive followers use to co-create leadership?” served as the guide through interviews with three leaders and proactive followers as individuals and within their dyad. I identified nine themes and thirty-one subthemes through content and thematic analysis of the three data sets. The discussion and resulting proposed solution focus on the dyad themes as they weave data from all the interviews together and focus on the intersection between the leader and follower, supporting the co-creation of leadership process: 1) reciprocity across the relationship, 2) interstice of autonomy, and 3) ownership of behaviors. Followership development within leadership and frontline training in organizations is essential to allowing proactive followers to step into their natural behaviors, developing additional proactive followers within organizations, and creating a dyadic relationship between leaders and followers that helps these behaviors to flourish, positively impacting organizational outcomes. Keywords: follower, followership, proactive followership, co-created leadership, reciprocity across relationships, interstice of autonomy, ownership of behaviors

Grantor dc:publisher

Creighton University

Year dc:date.issued

2024

Author dc:creator

• Bruton, Anna J.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Moss Breen Kuzelka, Jennifer

• Co-created Leadership
• Follower
• Followership
• Interstice
• Proactive Followership
• Reciprocity

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright is retained by the Author. A non-exclusive distribution right is granted to Creighton University and to ProQuest following the publishing model selected above.

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Repository record dc:identifier.uri

https://cdr.creighton.edu/handle/10504/156064

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:cdr.creighton.edu:10504/156064