Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

An Examination of Followers' Upward Influence

Brake, William A, brake

Abstract Details

2017, Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, Management.
Our historical view of followers and followership is impeding our ability to realize the full value followers can deliver to the workplace. Our literature and practice continue to apply industrial age mindsets to 21st-century followers. This view is inadequate and harmful. Followers in our knowledge-based economy are expected to deliver value through innovation, collaboration, and adaptability in addition to the economic value delivered through their completed tasks. More sophisticated follower value is delivered by effective upward influence in the organization. Achieving valuable upward influence relies, in large part, on the relationship quality between the follower and leader. Therefore, this research focuses on the leader–follower dyad relationship and examines the behaviors practiced by followers that influence their leaders. Against decades of followers rating leadership, this study reverses the lens to understand followership from a leader’s perspective. This two-phase mixed-method research project illustrates followers’ upward influence during times of organizational crises and concludes followers play a significant role in influencing the direction of the firm’s crisis response. In the second phase, this research quantitatively supports the claims that followers practice transformational leadership behaviors (TFL) and practicing these behaviors increases the follower’s positive contributions in the workplace. Specifically, followers who are role models, have high-performance expectations, support group goals and provide intellectual stimulation are associated with increased upward influence. Results include the unexpected absence of leader–member exchange (LMX) effects on upward influence. Attesting to the complex and fertile subject matter, reported results portend other important factors connecting followers’ leadership behaviors with positive upward influence in the workplace. Results present insights into how followers nurture and sustain effective upward influencing relationships and I suggest the new construct of contributorship to describe followers’ positive upward influence. The study provides valuable insights for followers, leaders, and organizations as they take their work groups to the next level.
Richard Boland, Ph.D. (Committee Chair)
Kalle Lyytinen, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
John Paul Stephens, Ph. D. (Committee Member)
Kathleen Buse, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
166 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Brake, brake, W. A. (2017). An Examination of Followers' Upward Influence [Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1496924766830278

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Brake, brake, William. An Examination of Followers' Upward Influence. 2017. Case Western Reserve University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1496924766830278.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Brake, brake, William. "An Examination of Followers' Upward Influence." Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1496924766830278

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)