Organizational Commitment: The Contribution of Follower Implicit Followership Theories

December 3, 2025

Organizational Commitment: The Contribution of Follower Implicit Followership Theories

John Estorge | 2020

Abstract

Organizational leaders seek to develop organizational commitment among their employees. Employees who display organizational commitment typically have higher job performance, lower absenteeism, and lower turnover, which enhances organizational objectives. The organizational commitment of followers can be measured from the perspective of their leaders or it can be measured from the perspective of the followers. Moreover, leaders have their own implicit followership theories, and followers, in turn, also possess implicit followership theories. The current study analyzes the relationship between the implicit followership theories of followers (FIFTs), comprised of the individual assumptions about the traits, behaviors, and characteristics of followers, and the affective organizational commitment of those same followers. Additionally, the study examines the influence of a follower’s identification with prototypical and antiprototypical followership on the relationships between affective organizational commitment, leader–member exchange (LMX), and in-role and extrarole performance behaviors. This study effectively demonstrates the influence of FIFTs on follower affective organizational commitment. The research samples 207 respondents across various industries, with varied tenures, and different organizational levels within U.S. businesses and nonprofit organizations. Several measurement instruments are utilized from Eisenberger, Karagonlar, et al.’s (2010) study; additionally, the Sy (2010) implicit follower theory scale is used. This research satisfies the call from Sy for future exploration of IFTs on leader–follower interpersonal outcomes and other theories positing the leader’s role in shaping follower performance outcomes. Additionally, Eisenberger, Karagonlar, et al. demonstrated that previously unexplained variations in the strength of the relationship between LMX and affective organizational commitment could be explained by SOE but suggested that future research could extend the concept of organizational embodiment to other organizational entities besides supervisors. While Eisenberger, Karagonlar, et al. determined that SOE was a key moderator of the degree to which the quality of LMX relationships impacted employee commitment and performance, this study proposes to examine follower IFTs as a potential moderator.

Keywords: affective organizational commitment, extrarole performance, followership, implicit followership theory, in-role performance, leader–member exchange

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