The (In)voluntary follower

Abstract

An important assumption when it comes to leader–follower relationships is that compliance and subordination are basically voluntary. In this article, we problematize and develop this assumption and discuss different circumstances in which voluntariness in terms of followership may be compromised. Based on this discussion, we also suggest a tentative model of follower voluntariness, indicating dimensions in which voluntariness can be infringed upon and followership corroded and when it might be more productive to depict an asymmetrical relationship as something else than followership.