Implicit followership Theories (IFTs) are defined as cognitive structures and schemas about the traits and behaviors that characterize followers. Goals of this research were to: 1) identify the content of IFTs; 2) analyze the structure of IFTs; 3) explain the research status of Implicit Followership Theories. Implicit Followership Theories (IFTs) remain a strong line of leadership research, while IFTs have infused a new perspective and excitement in our understanding of leadership and followership.
Blau, P. M. (1968). The Hierarchy of Authority in Organizations. American Journal of Sociology, 73, 453-764.
Carsten, M. K., & Uhl-Bien, M. (2009). Implicit Followership Theories (IFT): Developing and Validating an IFT Scale for the Study of Followership. In Annual Meeting of the Southern Management Association. Ashville, NC.
Carsten, M. K., Uhl-Bien, M., West, B. J., Patera, J. L., & McGregor, R. (2010). Exploring Social Constructions of Followership: A Qualitative Study. The Leadership Quarterly, 21, 543-562. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2010.03.015
Derler, A., & Weibler, J. (2014). The Ideal Employee: Context and Leaders’ Implicit Follower Theories. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 35, 386-409. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-12-2012-0158
Duong, J. (2011). Leaders’ Conceptions and Evaluations of Followers as Antecedents of Leadership Style, Leader-Member Exchange and Employee Outcomes. Doctoral Dissertation, Los Angeles, CA: Alliant International University, Marshall Goldsmith School of Management.
Epitropaki, O., Sy, T., Martin, R., Tram-Quon, S., & Topakas, A. (2013). Implicit Leadership and Followership Theories “In the Wild”: Taking Stock of Information-Processing Approaches to Leadership and Followership in Organizational Settings. The Leadership Quarterly, 24, 858-881. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2013.10.005
Foti, R., Hansbrough, T. K., Epitropaki, O., & Coyle, P. (2014). Special Issue: Dynamic Viewpoints on Implicit Leadership and Followership Theories. Leadership Quarterly, 25, 411-412. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2014.02.004
Goodwin, V. L., Wofford, J. C., & Boyd, N. G. (2000). A Laboratory Experiment Testing the Antecedents of Leader Cognitions. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 21, 769-788.
Hoption, C., Christie, A., & Barling, J. (2012). Submitting to the Follower Label. Zeitschrift für Psychologie, 220, 221-230. https://doi.org/10.1027/2151-2604/a000116
Huang, X., Wright, R. P., Chiu, W. C., & Wang, C. (2008). Relational Schemas as Sources of Evaluation and Misevaluation of Leader-Member Exchanges: Some Initial Evidence. The Leadership Quarterly, 19, 266-282. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2008.03.003
Junker, N. M., & van Dick, R. (2014). Implicit Theories in Organizational Settings: A Systematic Review and Research Agenda of Implicit Leadership and Followership Theories. The Leadership Quarterly, 25, 1154-1173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2014.09.002
Kedharnath, U. (2011). The Influence of Leaders’ Implicit Followership Theories on Employee Outcomes. Fort Collins, CO: Colorado State University.
Kopelman, R. E., Prottas, D. J., & Falk, D. W. (2010). Construct Validation of a Theory X/Y Behavior Scale. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 31, 120-135. https://doi.org/10.1108/01437731011024385
Lord, R. G., & Maher, K. J. (1991). Leadership and Information Processing:, Linking Perceptions and Performance. Academy of Management Review, 18, 153.
Lord, R. G., & Maher, K. J. (1993). Leadership and Information Processing: Linking Perceptions and Performance. Academy of Management Review, 18, 153-156.
Lord, R. G., Foti, R. J., & De Vader, C. L. (1984). A Test of Leadership Categorization Theory: Internal Structure, Information Processing, and Leadership Perception. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 34, 343-378. https://doi.org/10.1016/0030-5073(84)90043-6
Mcgregor, D. (2017). The Human Side of Enterprise. Reflections the Sol Journal, 2, 6-15.
Srivastava, A., Bartol, K. M., & Locke, E. A. (2006). Empowering Leadership in Management Teams: Effects on Knowledge Sharing, Efficacy, and Performance. Academy of Management Journal, 49, 1239-1251.
Sternberg, R. J. (1985). Implicit Theories of Intelligence, Creativity, and Wisdom. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 49, 607-627. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.49.3.607
Sy, T. (2010). What Do You Think of Followers? Examining the Content, Structure, and Consequences of Implicit Followership Theories. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 113, 73-84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2010.06.001
Van Gils, S., Van Quaquebeke, N., & Van Knippenberg, D. (2010). The X-Factor: On the Relevance of Implicit Leadership and Followership Theories for Leader-Member Exchange Agreement. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 19, 333-363. https://doi.org/10.1080/13594320902978458
Weick, K. E. (1995). Sensemaking in Organizations. Academy of Management Review, 21, 1226.
Whiteley, P., Sy, T., & Johnson, S. K. (2012). Leaders’ Conceptions of Followers: Implications for Naturally Occurring Pygmalion Effects. Leadership Quarterly, 23, 822-834. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2012.03.006
Xu, S., Li, Y., & Cao, Y. (2015). The Influence of Individual Personality Traits on Followership Behavior: A Construction of Modulating Meditation Model. Human Resources Development of China, 23, 280-288.
Yang, H., & Peng, J. (2015). A Literature Review of Implicit Followership Theory. Foreign Economics &Management, 37, 16-26.
Yip, J. (2013). How Implicit Assumptions about Followers Shape the Mentoring Behaviors of Top Executives. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2013, 11572.