The Effect of Follower Role Orientations on Leader Outcomes: A Role-Centric Perspective

Despite the recognition that a “follower-centric approach” is crucial to the leadership process, few studies have focused on how followers see themselves and their roles in the process. Building on followership and role theory research, we examine how different follower role orientations are associated with the development of quality social and psychological relationships between the follower and leader. In two studies, we establish a relationship between follower role orientations (co-production, passive, and anti-authoritarian) and psychological closeness with the leader and show indirect effects of types of role orientations on followers’ influence on the leader and leader effectiveness. We build on these results to examine the influence of communication frequency as an important link between role orientations and psychological closeness and high-quality leader relationships. We contribute to the followership literature by showing that followers’ inclusion in the process is not limited to upward influence but that role orientations are crucial to the development of relational aspects of the leader-follower relationship.