How do followership behaviors encourage job performance? A longitudinal study

Followers have often been reported as recipients in previous leadership studies and have usually been associated with negative connotations. Drawing from self-determination theory (SDT) and social exchange theory, we argued that followers can be proactive and that followership behaviors are positively related to leader–follower relationships. The purpose of this study was to examine how followership behaviors promote job performance in terms of perceived supervisor support (PSS) and dyad tenure. Data from a three-wave survey of 219 leader–follower dyads in high-tech manufacturing firms were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results indicated that active engagement (AE) and independent critical thinking (ICT) were positively related to PSS and that PSS mediated the relationship between followership behaviors and job performance. Additionally, dyad tenure positively moderated the relationship between AE and PSS but negatively moderated the relationship between ICT and PSS. This study revealed that followers’ support for leaders can encourage supervisor support, which may result in high job performance. Furthermore, considering the important roles of followers found in this study, leaders should endeavor to support and promote followership.