Followership is not following : Reframing followership in Western higher education

Chircop, James (2024) Followership is not following : Reframing followership in Western higher education. International Journal of Leadership in Education. ISSN 1360-3124

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Abstract

This article examined meanings of followership in Western higher education as reported in the literature. To retrieve sources, an electronic search was implemented. The search procedure included the terms ‘followership’ and ‘education’ on six databases and other sources. Examination of relevant works found that, in Western higher education, ‘followership’ takes a different meaning than what is currently reported in the literature. Views of self-control and agency, and strong notions of autonomy and independence surfaced, aligning with academic ideas of critical and independent thinking, and academic freedom. Indeed, many academics did not align with the idea of being a follower as well as the perspective of followership as the deference to another individual. It was revealed that what academics do in Western higher education cannot be described by the term ‘followership’. In this context, ‘followership’ is more accurately described as an endeavor related to contribution and making a difference; thus, a case for an afresh term was made. It was argued that a new term should acknowledge academics’ autonomy and independence, and that academics ‘volunteer’ but do not ‘subordinate.’ Resultantly, the term ‘endeavorship’ was offered.