emerald PUBLISHING Followership: What is it and Why Do People Follow?

This book provides a collection of new insights on the increasingly popular topic of Followership. Leadership has been written about and studied for centuries, more often than not addressing how those in leadership roles influence their followers. This represents a very leader-centric view of the leadership phenomenon, where followers are considered as passive recipients of leaders' influence. However, peoples' attempts to exercise leadership cannot be successful if there are no other people who recognize and support their leadership. In other words, effective leadership cannot exist without some form of followership. The book offers a collection of chapters written by thought leaders on the topic of followership. Together, they provide answers to two fundamental questions: What is followership, and why do people follow? They elucidate how answers to these questions can inform management theory, practice, and education.