Followership and Personality

December 3, 2025

Followership and Personality

Sarah Rolle | 2020

Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to describe the predictive relationships between the personality dimensions of HEXACO on followers’ Critical Thinking and Engagement. Based on the literature review, the researcher developed 12 hypotheses to guide the data collection and analysis. The researcher administered the HEXACO Scale and Kelley’s Followership Scale through an online survey tool and performed regression analysis on the resulting 111 follower responses. The results revealed that certain personality dimensions significantly predicted follower Critical Thinking and Engagement. Specifically, Conscientiousness and Openness to Experience positively predicted follower Critical Thinking, and Emotionality negatively predicted follower Critical Thinking. Honesty-Humility and Conscientiousness positively predicted follower Engagement, and Emotionality negatively predicted follower Engagement. These results have corresponding implications for organizations, leaders, and followers. Organizations can use these findings to improve hiring and promoting by placing followers with the desired attributes in select positions. Leaders could employ their knowledge of the follower’s personality, Critical Thinking, and Engagement to build teams and develop followers. This knowledge assists followers through self-awareness, self-improvement, and peer-mentorship. This is the first study to investigate the HEXACO dimensions of personality on followership using multiple regression. Future researchers should expand the field of followership through follower-centric studies.

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