Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Publication Date
2026
Abstract
Historically, followership has been one of the most overlooked topics in leadership education, despite its crucial role in leader development. While interest in followership has grown in recent years, there is still limited information about its current state. Consequently, this paper examines the extent to which leadership educators and trainers incorporate followership into their programs and how it is represented in their curricula. A qualitative research method, specifically a document analysis approach, was employed. The data consisted of curricula from 85 leadership education programs in the United States, as presented on their websites. A thematic analysis of the data revealed four key themes. The findings indicate a scarcity of followership courses in leadership education curricula. Even when followership is taught, it is often presented as a topic rather than a standalone course. These findings provide valuable insights into the current state of followership in leadership education, highlighting that leadership educators have not yet fully embraced the subject. We recommend that leadership educators incorporate standalone followership courses into their programs. For those who may find this too ambitious, we suggest a more gradual integration of followership topics into existing leadership courses.
Recommended Citation
Alegbeleye, I. Dami PhD., "Followership in Leadership Education: It's High Time We Embraced The F-Word" (2026). Faculty and Staff Scholarship. 166.
https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/usm-faculty-and-staff-scholarship/166
