An evolutionary perspective on followership
Given the rewards associated with leadership, followership is evolutionary puzzling because it is not clear why humans would have evolved to relinquish their own goals in any given situation. From an evolutionary perspective, this manuscript discuss why followership emerged. Using a discussion of our ancestors' environment, we discuss how our followership psychology (may have) evolved. We then review studies predicting what characteristics of individuals predict who will emerge as followers, as well as how followership goals (e.g., seeking protection or getting food) affect the selection of leaders. We then suggest that followership styles result from (a) differences in the relative pay-offs that accrue to followers vis-à-vis leaders, (b) the adaptive goals pursued by followers, and (c) the match with particular leadership styles. Together, these conclusions have several implications for followership theory, research, and practice. As this work is in progress, feedback will be highly welcome.