The Influence of Followership Styles in Organizational Strategic Flexibility: A Theoretical Integration

What is the influence of followers in a firm that is challenged to adapt to serendipitous strategic market opportunities due to marketplace changes? What is the function of followers who are proxy to leadership during the process of strategic flexibility at all levels of the firm? This study presents a myopic integration of two theories—followership and strategic flexibility. This study integrates these theories, attempting to envelope the role of followership and follower styles to ascertain if the consequences of followership negatively or positively impact strategic flexibility. In doing so, several of the main arteries of the theory of followership are incorporated, and a microview of flexibility is developed as a crosscurrent. Four propositions are presented for further research in this ripe theoretical vineyard.