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Through his call to “reverse the lens” in leadership, Shamir (2007) helped trigger the emergence of followership theory as a new field of study in leadership research. While followership theory brings exciting new opportunities to leadership studies, it also introduces theoretical and conceptual challenges for researchers. In this chapter we address these challenges by showing how followership can be positioned fully within the leadership construct. We extend Shamir’s (2007) call for a balanced view in leadership by showing how followership theory adds new perspectives on the ways in which we can study leadership as a dynamic, fluid, relational process. The alternative views we present (e.g., position, role, identity, constructionist, and co-creation) approach leadership study from a range of paradigmatic perspectives that allow us to more fully capture the behaviors, interactions, relational dynamics, and processes through which leadership and followership are created and constructed. We conclude by reflecting on Shamir’s legacy as a scholar, and the contributions he made through his willingness to not only open his mind, but also to constructively challenge alternative perspectives and views.

For the past several decades, the field of global leadership has made noteworthy theoretical and empirical progress. The role of a global follower, however, has not been addressed to date. This chapter focuses on global followers and global followership as vital elements of a global leadership process supporting a traditional followership view that “leadership can only occur if there is followership” (Uhl-Bien, Riggio, Lowe, & Carsten, 2014, p. 83). Two assumptions ground the arguments: global leaders and global followers are engaged in a partnering process of global leadership, and followers and global followers have distinctive characteristics influenced by their specific environments. To explore those assumptions, we start by introducing the followership theory and relevant followership characteristics. Subsequently, we address the role of context in global leader–follower dynamics, extrapolate global followership characteristics from relevant multidisciplinary literature, and offer an example of a global leader–follower partnership. Next, we examine mentions of global followers and global followership in academic and nonacademic literature, and define a global followership construct. The conceptual framework, global followership model, research agenda, and practical implications conclude the manuscript.

This chapter examines how the stories can shape the leadership and followership schemas of children. We explore how television programs can shape attitudes toward leaders as well as providing role models for effective or desirable leadership and followership behaviors. In particular, we use personality assessments of characters from the popular children’s television show The Transformers to demonstrate how fictional stories can inform children of what characteristics are associated with leadership. Moreover, we demonstrate how the television program provided examples of both positive and negative styles of leadership and followership as well as providing normative information of what constitutes appropriate interpersonal behavior within organizations. These findings help illustrate the power of storytelling as a tool for leadership development, particularly in children.

This chapter illustrates two leadership theories – Heifetz’ (1994) theory of adaptive change, and Bridges and Mitchell’s (2000) theory of leading in transition – to illustrate their applicability to leading experienced staff through change. Using adult learning and followership theories as a conceptual framework, this case study illustrates an application of Heifetz’ (1994) and Bridges and Mitchell’s (2000) theories. Heifetz’ (1994) and Bridges and Mitchell’s (2004) leadership theories offer library leaders a framework for understanding, managing, and leading change efforts. The results in a case study approach are naturally subjective and may have limited generalizability to other library contexts. This study illustrates how library leaders may use established leadership theory to support experienced staff and guide change efforts. In using the adult learning and followership theory framework, the writer advocates for a humane approach to managing change with experienced staff. This chapter is original in its synthesis of three areas of theory in service of understanding leadership and change: adult learning, followership, and leadership. It is the first study to use Heifetz (1994) and Bridges and Mitchell (2000) in the context of library leadership.