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Tuesday, May 27
 

6:00pm PDT

Meet & Greet
Tuesday May 27, 2025 6:00pm - 7:30pm PDT
DoubleTree Hotel
For those arriving early, join us in the Double Tree Courtyard for drinks and conversation to connect with new and old friends, colleagues, and frolleagues!
Tuesday May 27, 2025 6:00pm - 7:30pm PDT
DoubleTree Hotel
  Social
 
Wednesday, May 28
 

9:00am PDT

Opening Plenary
Wednesday May 28, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am PDT
McKenna Auditorium
Wednesday May 28, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am PDT
McKenna Auditorium

10:15am PDT

Not All Who Follow Are Lost: Experiencing the Value of Worldviews for Followership
Wednesday May 28, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am PDT
RS 102
This interactive session invites participants to engage and experience how worldviews shape our followership. Building on Implicit Followership Theory and the concept of worldview as a set of assumptions influencing our actions (Koltko-Rivera, 2004; Valk et al., 2011), we'll examine how these beliefs impact how we follow. Acknowledging the both secular and religious manifestations of worldview, participants will be invited to engage in respectful dialogue towards increased understanding of diverse perspectives on followership. This session aims to highlight the value of worldview dialogue for followership learning and development (Valk et al., 2011).
Presenters
avatar for LaceyGrey Hunter
avatar for Lori Throupe
Wednesday May 28, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am PDT
RS 102
  Guided Discussion

10:15am PDT

The Ethical Backbone: The Role of Moral Courage in Ethical Followership
Wednesday May 28, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am PDT
RN 103
This interactive session will dive deeper into the topic of ethical followership and explore follower moral courage when making ethical decisions. Participants will wrestle with thought-provoking questions about ethical behavior, influence, and courage. Using role play and collaboration, we will examine real-life scenarios from an ethical followership perspective. Participants will leave with insights on enacting moral courage in their own practice of ethical followership. This workshop is ideal for those looking to develop stronger ethical decision-making skills within the context of followership and those who want to explore this growing area of ethical followership.
Presenters
TA
Wednesday May 28, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am PDT
RN 103
  Guided Discussion

10:15am PDT

Activating Self-Fulfilling Prophecies for Follower Development
Wednesday May 28, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am PDT
KRV 102
The leadership literature has long emphasized the transformative potential of self-fulfilling prophecies. However, much of this research is leader-centric, overlooking the critical role of followers' self-conceptions. In this presentation, I will share findings from a series of studies exploring how leaders' implicit followership theories (LIFTs) and self-directed interventions can enhance follower outcomes. Specifically, I will discuss two key pathways: (1) how leaders' positive conceptions of followers foster enactive attainment through constructive leadership behaviors, and (2) how a novel, gamified mobile intervention using attribute conditioning empowers followers to enhance their self-schemas and self-efficacy. This research not only deepens our theoretical understanding of followership development but also introduces scalable, evidence-based strategies to improve organizational effectiveness. By highlighting both leader-driven and self-directed processes, I aim to inspire a shift toward greater recognition and cultivation of followership as a fundamental component of organizational success.
Presenters
TS
Wednesday May 28, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am PDT
KRV 102
  Presentation

10:15am PDT

Qualitative Methods in Followership Research: Experience from Current Projects
Wednesday May 28, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am PDT
RN 105
In existing research, followership has been explored predominantly with quantitative methods. While quantitative research is valuable, it cannot provide in-depth exploration and understanding of the phenomenon. Despite a call by Uhl-Bien and colleagues for more balance in methodological and philosophical perspectives as early as 2014, there is still a dearth of qualitative research that provides insights into the basic understanding of followership. In the last years, a growing number of PhD students researching followership have applied qualitative methods. However, more such research is needed to achieve methodological balance. This symposium aims to present examples of current, high-quality qualitative research and provide insights to the methodological choices made and obstacles encountered in the process.
Presenters
avatar for Maike Kugler

Maike Kugler

Lecturer, FOM Hochschule für Oekonomie und Management
RS
LH
Wednesday May 28, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am PDT
RN 105
  Presentation

10:15am PDT

Student Takeaways from an Introductory Followership Certificate
Wednesday May 28, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am PDT
RN 104
The University of Delaware launched the first co-curricular Followership Certificate to help students develop the skills to excel as proactive, effective followers. This session will detail the certificate’s development, successes, and challenges, highlighting missed objectives and opportunities for improvement. Through reflective exercises, discussions, and activities, students shifted their view of followership from passive to active. Lessons and insights will benefit educators, practitioners, and coaches interested in enhancing followership education.
Presenters
avatar for Kelsey Dunne

Kelsey Dunne

Program Coordinator, University of Delaware
Wednesday May 28, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am PDT
RN 104
  Presentation

10:15am PDT

Research Talks - Group 1
Wednesday May 28, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am PDT
RN 15
  1. Exploring Women's Followership Perceptions in the Workplace: A Comparative Pilot Study of Generation Z and Older Generations Between Different Eastern and Western Culture - A. Hocagil, Q. Nabi, & H. Ozyurek
    This qualitative pilot study focuses on understanding and comparing women’s perceptions of followership between different generations and cultural contexts. It aims to provide insights into how generational differences and cultural backgrounds influence women’s understanding, behaviors, and enactment of followership in workplace environments. The study centers on two distinct generational cohorts, Generation Z (ages 20-25) and older generations (26-65) and examines their perspectives within the cultural frameworks of the Western and Eastern contexts. 
  2. Advancing Intergenerational Learning and Proactive Followership Through Multigenerational ERGs - K. Perham-Lippman & A. T. Cenkci
    Workplace generational stereotypes can impact collaboration, communication, and knowledge-sharing. This study explores how multigenerational Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) facilitate intergenerational learning, support knowledge transfer, and foster proactive followership. Using qualitative interviews with ERG members from two global companies in manufacturing and aerospace defense, the research examines how ERGs function as peer-driven spaces where employees take initiative in mentoring, knowledge-sharing, and ERG-driven initiatives. Findings may provide insight into the challenges and benefits of ERG participation, informing organizations on how ERGs contribute to generational diversity, strengthen mentoring programs, and encourage proactive followership in employee-led groups.
  3. Effective Follower Behaviors in a GLOBE(al) Context: A Middle Management Perspective - J. Strong
    Prominent researchers in followership have established the lack of research on followers and their visibility in organizational leadership research, but also missing from research is the point of view of the middle manager. This exploratory study sought to understand the perspective of effective follower behavior from the viewpoint of middle managers of an international organization. Inductive analysis yielded seven emergent themes. In this international organization, middle managers identified that effective followers engage in task and relational behaviors. While elements of these themes can be seen cross-organizationally, the physical location of the follower/leader changes the perception of effective follower behaviors.
Presenters
avatar for Abdurrahim Hocagil
avatar for Karen Perham-Lippman

Karen Perham-Lippman

Sr. Manager Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Ph.D. Candidate, Otis Worldwide Corporation Eastern University
Karen Perham-Lippman, MS, CDP, CAGS, serves as a Senior Manager of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Otis Worldwide Corporation. An award-winning DE&I leader, community leader, author, and public speaker, Karen has nearly fifteen years’ experience in global DEI, ESG, and CSR strategies... Read More →
avatar for Jennifer Strong

Jennifer Strong

Endowed Professor, Texas A&M University
Wednesday May 28, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am PDT
RN 15
  Research Talks

11:30am PDT

How to publish your followership work
Wednesday May 28, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm PDT
RN 15
This session will focus on getting your followership work published. In addition to discussion of possible publication outlets, we will provide insights on the submission and review processes. The presenters have served as journal and book series editors and have published their work on leadership and followership in numerous outlets, including both scholarly journals and books, and more popular venues. In this interactive session, we will also hear from the audience about their past experiences and help them to chart a way forward. If you need direction on getting your followership work ready and out to the public, please join us.
Presenters
KL
RR
AS
Wednesday May 28, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm PDT
RN 15
  Presentation

11:30am PDT

The Power of Followers: Driving Societal Change through Collective Action and Influence
Wednesday May 28, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm PDT
RN 104
Robert Kelley’s groundbreaking research demonstrated that followers produce 80% of the outcomes in organizations, underscoring their critical, yet often overlooked, role. This presentation expands Kelley’s work into a broader societal context, exploring how followers—not just leaders—serve as the primary drivers of positive societal change. It will examine the contributions of followers to social movements that have advanced justice, equality, democracy, and peacebuilding, emphasizing their collective power in shaping a better world. Drawing on recent research, as well as insights from Ira Chaleff’s How to Break a Tyrant, this session will highlight how courageous, engaged, and proactive followership is vital in addressing systemic challenges and building sustainable change.
Presenters
AB
Wednesday May 28, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm PDT
RN 104
  Presentation

11:30am PDT

Creating Engaging & Effective Followership Teams
Wednesday May 28, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm PDT
RN 102
Creating teams that can dynamically plan and implement organizational programs is a key performance strategy to achieve organizational goals. Using Followership principles, developing teams can thrive in environments that typically slow in progression as complex implementation issues takeover timelines. Team creation processes seek specific attributes of team members to match the right people to right teams for optimal project workflow. Diverse team development has four essential characteristics that team members can flex-in and -out of as the teamwork evolves to implementation. This workshop will provide opportunities to practice creating teams that demonstrate followership acumen through intentional team-creation and teamwork.
Presenters
PM
Wednesday May 28, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm PDT
RN 102
  Workshop

11:30am PDT

Engagement: A leadership-followership systems approach
Wednesday May 28, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm PDT
RN 105
Employee engagement is a hot topic for organizations because it significantly impacts just about every outcome from customer satisfaction to profitability to turnover. However, the way we think about it and try and improve it in organizations is driven by top-down, leadership thinking. Frankly, it doesn't work (well). In this highly interactive session you will learn how to apply a followership-leadership lens to engagement that changes everything. You take away practical ideas that can be implemented immediately and, for researchers, it opens up an entirely new way to research it.
Presenters
avatar for Samantha Kerr Hurwitz

Samantha Kerr Hurwitz

Chief Encouragement Officer, FliP University
Ask me about my origin story - how did I "find" followership and why it mattered (still matters!!!) to me so much. ORAsk me about why we felt it was important to start the Global Followership Conference.ORAsk me about why we believe that EVERYONE should learn BOTH leadership and followership... Read More →
avatar for Marc Hurwitz

Marc Hurwitz

Chief Insight Officer, Flip U
Wednesday May 28, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm PDT
RN 105
  Workshop

11:30am PDT

Organizational Leadership and Followership: Partnering to Achieve Success
Wednesday May 28, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm PDT
RN 103
In this facilitated discussions, participants will explore what leaders and followers need from each other to partner to develop and enact strategy, design and deliver on culture, create and recreate structure and processes, and empower and enact high performance.
Presenters
JM
Wednesday May 28, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm PDT
RN 103
  Workshop

11:30am PDT

Overcoming Organizational Silence: How Leaders and Followers Co-Create Courageous Conversations and Psychological Safety
Wednesday May 28, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm PDT
RS 102
Teams thrive when individuals are engaged in meaningful conversations about both innovative ideas and concerns. Research and experience indicate, though, that people often have strong incentives to keep their heads down and not speak up, resulting in the phenomenon of organizational silence. This interactive session explores the premise that courageous conversations only become possible when we deeply understand the many legitimate incentives people have to remain silent, and the ways that leaders and followers together co-create a culture of psychological safety and empowerment to overcome silence so that teams and organizations can thrive.
Presenters
MB
Wednesday May 28, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm PDT
RS 102
  Workshop

12:30pm PDT

Community Lunch
Wednesday May 28, 2025 12:30pm - 1:45pm PDT
Collins Dining Hall
Wednesday May 28, 2025 12:30pm - 1:45pm PDT
Collins Dining Hall

1:45pm PDT

Followership for High Performance (1 of 2)
Wednesday May 28, 2025 1:45pm - 3:15pm PDT
RN 104
What do you really think about followers? Who are more important to an organization: leaders or followers? Are you a leader or a follower? Key topics explored in this session include follower as role, reimagining leadership as a system, unspoken follower perspectives, and the key characteristics of effective followers. Learn how a focus on followership and follower development may be more important to high levels of organizational performance than leadership development. Recipients of the 2023 Followership Trailblazer award and co-authors of the landmark textbook, The Essentials of Followership, already in its 2nd edition, Mark and Mike have designed this deep dive session especially for those new to followership and for those seeking effective models of presenting it to others.
Presenters
MR
ML
Wednesday May 28, 2025 1:45pm - 3:15pm PDT
RN 104
  Deep Dive

1:45pm PDT

Integrating Followership & Leadership with Polarity Thinking (1 of 2)
Wednesday May 28, 2025 1:45pm - 3:15pm PDT
RN 105
Lindsay is an engaging facilitator and Polarity Thinking™ Master Trainer who brings a depth of knowledge and a global perspective that supports seeing the known in a new way. Liz is a consulting psychologist, graduate of Polarity Thinking™ Mastery Program and Past Chair of the Creative Education Foundation Board. Together, they will unpack the key concepts of Polarity Thinking and change how you think about leadership and followership forever. This approach avoids the narrow view of the world caused by false-choice, either-or thinking, and instead gives individuals, teams, and organizations the mindset and toolset for utilization of multiple viewpoints, including those of both leadership and followership.
Presenters
avatar for Lindsay Burr

Lindsay Burr

CEO, Yarbrough Group
An engaging facilitator and Polarity ThinkingTM Master Trainer, Lindsay brings a depth of knowledge and a global perspective that supports seeing the known in a new way. Lindsay will unpack the key concepts of Polarity Thinking and change how you think about leadership and followership... Read More →
LM
Wednesday May 28, 2025 1:45pm - 3:15pm PDT
RN 105
  Deep Dive

1:45pm PDT

Research Talks - Group 2
Wednesday May 28, 2025 1:45pm - 3:15pm PDT
RN 15
  1. The Power of Voice: Exploring Social Identity and Follower Constructive Voice Behavior - G. Malone & D. Alegbeleye
    This session explores follower constructive voice behavior, the act of speaking up to challenge the status quo and advocate for change, through the lens of social identity. This presentation examines the literature to identify gaps and calls for inclusive leadership practices that incorporate diverse lived experiences into organizational learning. By understanding how social identity influences follower constructive voice behavior, organizations can foster resilient, proactive followership and leverage diverse perspectives to drive meaningful, systemic change.
  2. From What You Need to Who You Are: Psychological Needs and Follower Role Identity - L. Haney
    What do people seek out when they take on the role of leader or follower? Is it a desire to influence or connect with others? To find success or master their environment? This research presentation aims to explore the complex relationship between five psychological needs and role selection within group activities. The data reveals patterns that answer why people choose their roles in the first place, how exercising that choice satisfies or frustrates needs, and how that process ultimately leads to role-identity formation. In addition, we will consider the implications of using individual psychology within followership development contexts.
  3. Developing a Followership Identity: A Grounded Theory - D. Jenkins & M. Gray
    This grounded theory study investigates how individuals develop their followership identity within organizational contexts. Through interviews with 16 undergraduate students identified as exemplary team members, the research reveals a six-stage developmental progression from pre-team awareness to adaptive followership. Analysis identifies three fundamental themes shaping this development: formative influences, evolving team dynamics, and sustained engagement factors. The findings demonstrate how followership identity evolves from hierarchical understanding to sophisticated systemic awareness through recursive development cycles. This research extends existing frameworks by illuminating specific developmental stages while offering practical implications for organizational development programs.
Presenters
avatar for Greg Malone

Greg Malone

Student, University of Southern Maine
avatar for Dami Alegbeleye
avatar for Abby Haney

Abby Haney

Undergraduate Student, Christopher Newport University
Psychology and Leadership Double-Major
avatar for Dan Jenkins

Dan Jenkins

Professor, Leadership & Organizational Studies, University of Southern Maine
MG
Wednesday May 28, 2025 1:45pm - 3:15pm PDT
RN 15
  Research Talks

1:45pm PDT

Gaming the System—Engaging Leader-Follower Dynamics Through Interactive Game-Based Interventions
Wednesday May 28, 2025 1:45pm - 3:15pm PDT
RN 103
This unique dialogic facilitated session consists of a Game Café conducted in the combined styles of World Café and Campfire. The purpose of this session is three-fold. First, we will use a custom-designed game, approached through a 3-round world-café style schema. Second, we will engage in discussions and explore participants’ (students, academics, practitioners, experts, thought leaders) experiences regarding the game they participated in to explore their thoughts and understanding of the dynamics of followership and leadership as real-time responses to conflict. communication, and other group dynamics. We will then relate the game outcomes to the audience’s experiences in their own workplaces. This fun activity will bring both laughs and learning to the audience and help them recognize and aid them in further developing their own leader-follower reaction and interaction approaches in organizations, growing followership learning and methods.
Presenters
AS
Wednesday May 28, 2025 1:45pm - 3:15pm PDT
RN 103
  Workshop

1:45pm PDT

Helping Trios: Followership Lab 2.0
Wednesday May 28, 2025 1:45pm - 3:15pm PDT
RN 102
Helping relationships involves asking for, as well as giving help. A natural reluctance to admit a need for help tends to hinder the two way flow necessary to a good helping relationship. This hands on exercise illustrates this principle essential for followers in any setting.
Presenters
avatar for MaryJo Burchard

MaryJo Burchard

Consultant, Researcher, Concord Solutions, LLC
I focus a lot of my work on helping followers find their most constructive voice in times of crisis or intensive change. I look for ways to set parameters and shared language that make both leaders and followers feel safe and supported when they all need support most. I do a lot of... Read More →
OF
EK
SD
Wednesday May 28, 2025 1:45pm - 3:15pm PDT
RN 102
  Workshop

1:45pm PDT

Looking@Leadership + Looking@Followership
Wednesday May 28, 2025 1:45pm - 3:15pm PDT
RS 102
Using images with an active learning approach, this interactive experiential session will enable you to explore and discover what represents leadership + followership to you, your organization, and how it impacts what you do when leading + following. Everyone’s perception of both leadership + followership influences their thoughts, feelings, and behavior which also impact a variety of unique perspectives, contexts, and situations. This workshop session will bring to life different learning activities that visually and interactively increase the value and perception of both followers and followership as well as leaders and leadership—working together.
Presenters
FK
Wednesday May 28, 2025 1:45pm - 3:15pm PDT
RS 102
  Workshop

3:30pm PDT

Followership for High Performance (2 of 2)
Wednesday May 28, 2025 3:30pm - 5:00pm PDT
RN 104
What do you really think about followers? Who are more important to an organization: leaders or followers? Are you a leader or a follower? Key topics explored in this session include follower as role, reimagining leadership as a system, unspoken follower perspectives, and the key characteristics of effective followers. Learn how a focus on followership and follower development may be more important to high levels of organizational performance than leadership development. Recipients of the 2023 Followership Trailblazer award and co-authors of the landmark textbook, The Essentials of Followership, already in its 2nd edition, Mark and Mike have designed this deep dive session especially for those new to followership and for those seeking effective models of presenting it to others.
Presenters
MR
ML
Wednesday May 28, 2025 3:30pm - 5:00pm PDT
RN 104
  Deep Dive

3:30pm PDT

Integrating Followership & Leadership with Polarity Thinking (2 of 2)
Wednesday May 28, 2025 3:30pm - 5:00pm PDT
RN 105
Lindsay is an engaging facilitator and Polarity Thinking™ Master Trainer who brings a depth of knowledge and a global perspective that supports seeing the known in a new way. Liz is a consulting psychologist, graduate of Polarity Thinking™ Mastery Program and Past Chair of the Creative Education Foundation Board. Together, they will unpack the key concepts of Polarity Thinking and change how you think about leadership and followership forever. This approach avoids the narrow view of the world caused by false-choice, either-or thinking, and instead gives individuals, teams, and organizations the mindset and toolset for utilization of multiple viewpoints, including those of both leadership and followership.
Presenters
avatar for Lindsay Burr

Lindsay Burr

CEO, Yarbrough Group
An engaging facilitator and Polarity ThinkingTM Master Trainer, Lindsay brings a depth of knowledge and a global perspective that supports seeing the known in a new way. Lindsay will unpack the key concepts of Polarity Thinking and change how you think about leadership and followership... Read More →
LM
Wednesday May 28, 2025 3:30pm - 5:00pm PDT
RN 105
  Deep Dive

3:30pm PDT

How do we bring what we know about followership into the political arena?
Wednesday May 28, 2025 3:30pm - 5:00pm PDT
RN 103
Many of us recognize that the most dangerous expression of bad leadership and bad followership is in the political realm. Liberal democracies around the world are increasingly losing support as voters gravitate to more authoritarian styles and models of leadership. Our community has learned a tremendous amount about followership. How can we apply this to raising consciousness of the power of followers to create political leadership that uses power beneficially and checks the power of leaders who abuse their power?
Presenters
IC
Wednesday May 28, 2025 3:30pm - 5:00pm PDT
RN 103
  Guided Discussion

3:30pm PDT

Research Talks - Group 3
Wednesday May 28, 2025 3:30pm - 5:00pm PDT
RN 15
  1. Correlating Critical Thinking Behaviors to Kelley’s Independent/Critical Thinking Dimension: Becoming the Followership QUEEN - J. Strong
    Followership scholars must seek empirical connections and develop behaviorally anchored followership competencies such as critical thinking. Although critical thinking has been identified as one of the essential skills needed for success, many employers find that skill lacking, emphasizing the importance of developing this behavior. This study examined the relationship between Kelley’s independent/critical thinking dimension and the five behaviorally anchored constructs of the QUEEN Critical Thinking Model. The findings of this study show statistically significant positive correlations between Kelly's dimension of independent/critical thinking and all five constructs of the QUEEN Critical Thinking Model. Thus, moving Kelly's dimensions from descriptive to developmental.
  2. The State of Followership in Leadership Education - D. Alegbeleye & O. Ofumwengbe
    In this study, we analyzed the curricula of 85 leadership education programs in the United States to explore the extent to which leadership educators and trainers incorporate followership into their programs and how it is represented and described in their curricula. Findings revealed a scarcity of followership courses in leadership education curricula. Even when followership is taught, it is often presented as a topic rather than a standalone course. These findings provide valuable insights into the current state of followership in leadership education.
  3. Who’s Adapting to Whom or What?  The Role of Followership in Adaptative Leadership - K. B. Lowe & R. Riggio
    Interest in the construct of adaptive leadership has grown markedly amongst scholars and practitioners. While the offering of adaptive leadership training by practitioners appears to have run far ahead of scholarly theorizing around what adaptive leadership entails and how we should measure its key variables, there is broad agreement about various elements of adaptive leaders(hip). Largely missing from these narratives are the role of followers in the need for, or the enabling of, adaptive leadership. The central question we seek to interrogate in this session is: How should we model followers(hip) in the study of adaptive leadership? (97 words).
  4. How does followership measure up? A new measure of followership behaviour expectations - R. Sims
    Despite growing interest in followership in the management literature there is not yet an agreed, well validated, measure of followership behaviours. This presentation summarises my development and testing of a new measure of expectations held about followership behaviours.
Presenters
avatar for Jennifer Strong

Jennifer Strong

Endowed Professor, Texas A&M University
OO
avatar for Dami Alegbeleye
KL
RR
RS
Wednesday May 28, 2025 3:30pm - 5:00pm PDT
RN 15
  Research Talks

3:30pm PDT

It Takes Two to Tango: Learning to Lead and Follow
Wednesday May 28, 2025 3:30pm - 5:00pm PDT
RS 102
This workshop will teach participants about (1) leadership and followership qualities, (2) observing others in leadership and followership roles, and, (3) self-awareness. This is an interactive but user-friendly workshop teaching the elements of leadership and followership through tango dance. Several warm-up activities are included at the onset of the program, with the remainder of the 90- minute session engaging in tango.
Presenters
SD
Wednesday May 28, 2025 3:30pm - 5:00pm PDT
RS 102
  Workshop

3:30pm PDT

Revolutionizing Municipal Services Through Followership: A Case Study from Kampala Capital City Authority
Wednesday May 28, 2025 3:30pm - 5:00pm PDT
RN 102
Followership is the backbone of transformation in municipal services. This session uncovers how frontline workers at Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) turned waste management from a crisis into a model of efficiency through proactive followership. Learn how sanitation teams took ownership of city cleanliness, introduced accountability systems, and influenced policy shifts without formal leadership roles. Through case studies, interactive discussions, and practical takeaways, attendees will gain strategies to foster engaged followership in their organizations. Whether in government, business, or community initiatives, this session proves that empowered followers drive sustainable change
Presenters
JS
Wednesday May 28, 2025 3:30pm - 5:00pm PDT
RN 102
  Workshop

5:00pm PDT

Farmers Market & Poster Gallery
Wednesday May 28, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm PDT
McKenna Courtyard
Instead of fresh food, we're in the market for fresh ideas. The Wednesday afternoon Followership Farmers Market is a place to learn about a fantastic new followership book, course, or development tool. The market brings together authors, podcasters, inventors, trainers, creators, debaters and peddlers of other provocative followership goods, as well as a gallery of followership posters sharing the latest research and scholarly explorations in a tasty, snack-size format. It is a place where serendipitous followership community is created and where surprising followership discoveries are made!

POSTERS
  1. Honeycomb Leadership and Mentoring™ Model: A Research-Based Shared Leadership Approach for Effective Followership and Leadership Development - Mary Ann Pearson
    The Honeycomb Leadership and Mentoring™ is a research-based model for 'effective' followership and leadership development. The model acknowledges the fluidity of following and leading within management-employee relationships (Uhl-Bien et al., 2014). Within HLM, effective leadership emerges within a social-relational process that increases human and social capital in every role (Day, 2024). A recent qualitative research project on shared leadership supported concepts embraced by the HLM™ model.
  2. Developing a Followership Identity: A Grounded Theory - Madeleine Gray
    This grounded theory study investigates how individuals develop their followership identity within organizational contexts. Through interviews with 16 undergraduate students identified as exemplary team members, the research reveals a six-stage developmental progression from pre-team awareness to adaptive followership. Analysis identifies three fundamental themes shaping this development: formative influences, evolving team dynamics, and sustained engagement factors. The findings demonstrate how followership identity evolves from hierarchical understanding to sophisticated systemic awareness through recursive development cycles. This research extends existing frameworks by illuminating specific developmental stages while offering practical implications for organizational development programs.
  3. Calling on Kindness: The Unspoken Virtue That Builds Connectedness and Strengthens a Culture of Care - Carrie Tate-Meyer
    A Visual poster represents a culture of kindness that fosters flourishing and empowers followers when leaders show empathy, trust, and communication as the foundation. Within this construct, leaders empower their followers by building relationships, setting expectations, building connections, showing care, showing interest in the individual, and through accountability.
  4. Would You Follow You? Four Followership Factors: A Revised Kelley Followership Questionnaire - Sherrie Lynn
    Leadership is a process, not a title. Everyone is both a follower and a leader, yet few acknowledge the importance of the follower role.
  5. The Followership Paradox: A case study of followers leading the charge - Parker Watson
    Study proposal for case study of North Carolina teacher's strike to examine followership
Presenters
SL
MA
MG
CT
PW
Wednesday May 28, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm PDT
McKenna Courtyard

6:00pm PDT

Community Dinner
Wednesday May 28, 2025 6:00pm - 7:30pm PDT
McKenna Courtyard
Wednesday May 28, 2025 6:00pm - 7:30pm PDT
McKenna Courtyard
 
Thursday, May 29
 

9:00am PDT

Courageous Follower Train-the-Trainer (1 of 3)
Thursday May 29, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am PDT
KRV 161
A session for professional trainers, educators and consultants, who would like to be able to deliver, or deepen their current delivery, of the core material of The Courageous Follower in formal training to classes, groups and private or public sector organizations. Please consider this a master class. You should be very familiar with the principles and models of courageous followership. Questions you bring to the class should focus on how to deepen your capacity to develop courageous followership in others, rather than on how to understand it yourself. For those who regularly teach courageous followership as part of leading and following, no further preparation should be needed. For those who aspire to do so, but have not yet had the opportunity, or only do so occasionally, please review the book, The Courageous Follower, in the weeks prior to the conference. You may also choose to watch some of the videos available at www.irachaleffauthor.com. Everyone should have at least once taken the Followership Styles Assessment. This preparation will allow us to move at a brisk pace through the fundamentals and nuances of effectively developing courageous follower awareness, behaviors and skills.
Presenters
IC
BR
Thursday May 29, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am PDT
KRV 161
  Deep Dive

9:00am PDT

The Followership Ecosystem: Cultivating Growth Through Active Engagement (LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® - 1 of 3)
Thursday May 29, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am PDT
RN 102
This innovative session uses LEGO Serious Play methodology to challenge traditional hierarchical perspectives on followership. Participants will explore how effective followership serves as the foundation for organizational success through hands-on building exercises and metaphorical storytelling.
Presenters
AS
Thursday May 29, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am PDT
RN 102
  Deep Dive

9:00am PDT

How Do We Retain and Promote Followership Scholarship and Discourse? Opportunities with a Digital Followership Collection
Thursday May 29, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am PDT
RS 102
While followership research is increasingly becoming popular, its literature is thinly dispersed, making it difficult to find. Thus, Virginia Tech, through a mini-grant and two years of research, is building a digital followership collection with the goal of supporting and advancing the field. This session will introduce participants to the platform, share its potential benefits across contexts, and demonstrate the prospect of artificial intelligence for sustaining the field of followership.
Presenters
avatar for Eric Kaufman

Eric Kaufman

Professor, Virginia Tech
Eric Kaufman is a dedicated leadership educator and scholar. He researches and promotes best practices for collective leadership, with special emphasis on problem solving and team development.  Dr. Kaufman’s work advances social science in a variety of contexts, with past projects... Read More →
IO
Thursday May 29, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am PDT
RS 102
  Guided Discussion

9:00am PDT

Research Talks - Group 4
Thursday May 29, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am PDT
RN 15
  1. Resisting Competently: A Mixed Methods Study of Reactions to Ethical Followership - K. Payne
    When facing an unethical request from a leader, the leadership literature suggests that a follower may comply with the leader, thereby engaging in unethical followership. Or they may resist the leader, thereby engaging in ethical followership. What do ethical followers actually do to resist, and what outcomes do they generate? Based on a mixed methods approach, this paper contributes a revised theoretical framework for ethical followership, a set of four variables that may moderate or mediate the relationship between ethical follower behaviors and outcome variables, and previously unexamined behaviors and categories of behaviors.
  2. The Interplay of Followers' Ethical Beliefs and How Those Beliefs Intersect, Influence, and Shape the Values and Ethical Behavior of Other Followers - R. Thomas
    Ethical followers expect leaders to be ethical and possess the traits of honesty, loyalty, integrity, and sound decision-making skills, but do followers expect the same from each other? (Browne & Trevino, 2014). This presentation addresses how ethical followers influence not only leaders but other followers in the organization. Followers' play a critical and often overlooked role in creating and maintaining ethical conduct in organizations by setting an example for other followers.
Presenters
avatar for Kyle Payne

Kyle Payne

Owner, Quality Culture
Kyle is a professional speaker, coach, facilitator, and consultant. He develops leaders through engaging and highly-interactive workshops and has established a strong reputation for fostering a safe and productive learning environment for participants. He has published groundbreaking... Read More →
RT
Thursday May 29, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am PDT
RN 15
  Research Talks

9:00am PDT

Change the Way You Teach Leadership: Designing Followership Content/Courses for Leadership Programs
Thursday May 29, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am PDT
RN 105
For all of the buzz around followership and its importance in any conversation about leadership, there are precious few followership courses offered at either universities or in corporate leadership training departments. Student feedback consistently reveals that followership content and courses rank highest in student engagement/learning within the leadership discipline at the co-presenters’ university. This interactive workshop has been refined, updated, and built upon the popular “teaching followership” workshop conducted at the 2024 Global Followership Conference, combines a variety of elements designed to engage participants, from short videos and group breakouts to discussion questions and hands-on table activities.
Presenters
MR
ML
Thursday May 29, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am PDT
RN 105
  Workshop

9:00am PDT

Enhancing Succession Planning and Leadership Transitions in STEM Occupations: The Impact of Followership Behaviors
Thursday May 29, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am PDT
RN 103
The median age of the U.S. STEM-skilled workforce is rapidly increasing, and proactive succession planning is needed to maintain leadership skill continuity in vital industries and occupations. Succession planning must begin to include followership development to support an uninterrupted pipeline of talent. The presentation will examine the intersection of succession management practices and followership behaviors that can enhance succession planning and leadership transitions in STEM occupations and leadership roles. A conceptual framework outlining the impacts of integrating followership development with succession and leadership transition planning in STEM professions will be presented with practical insights for cultivating beneficial followership behaviors.
Presenters
BP
Thursday May 29, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am PDT
RN 103
  Workshop

10:15am PDT

Courageous Follower Train-the-Trainer (2 of 3)
Thursday May 29, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am PDT
KRV 161
A session for professional trainers, educators and consultants, who would like to be able to deliver, or deepen their current delivery, of the core material of The Courageous Follower in formal training to classes, groups and private or public sector organizations. Please consider this a master class. You should be very familiar with the principles and models of courageous followership. Questions you bring to the class should focus on how to deepen your capacity to develop courageous followership in others, rather than on how to understand it yourself. For those who regularly teach courageous followership as part of leading and following, no further preparation should be needed. For those who aspire to do so, but have not yet had the opportunity, or only do so occasionally, please review the book, The Courageous Follower, in the weeks prior to the conference. You may also choose to watch some of the videos available at www.irachaleffauthor.com. Everyone should have at least once taken the Followership Styles Assessment. This preparation will allow us to move at a brisk pace through the fundamentals and nuances of effectively developing courageous follower awareness, behaviors and skills.
Presenters
IC
BR
Thursday May 29, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am PDT
KRV 161
  Deep Dive

10:15am PDT

The Followership Ecosystem: Cultivating Growth Through Active Engagement (LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® - 2 of 3)
Thursday May 29, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am PDT
RN 102
This innovative session uses LEGO Serious Play methodology to challenge traditional hierarchical perspectives on followership. Participants will explore how effective followership serves as the foundation for organizational success through hands-on building exercises and metaphorical storytelling.
Presenters
AS
Thursday May 29, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am PDT
RN 102
  Deep Dive

10:15am PDT

Leading Followership: Conferences, Centers, and Collections of Resources
Thursday May 29, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am PDT
RN 15
This moderated panel provides participants the opportunity to hear from three pioneers in the followership space who have successfully led programmatic and institutional level projects advancing followership. These developments include the Global Followership Conference, The Center for the Advancement of Followership, and the Followership Resource Digitization project. Panelists will share some of the obstacles encountered and strategies leveraged to overcome the hurdles. Participants will have the opportunity to share their own success stories as well as synthesize key principles and actions to facilitate their own followership advancement projects, furthering the followership movement.
Presenters
MR
avatar for Marc Hurwitz

Marc Hurwitz

Chief Insight Officer, Flip U
avatar for Eric Kaufman

Eric Kaufman

Professor, Virginia Tech
Eric Kaufman is a dedicated leadership educator and scholar. He researches and promotes best practices for collective leadership, with special emphasis on problem solving and team development.  Dr. Kaufman’s work advances social science in a variety of contexts, with past projects... Read More →
Thursday May 29, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am PDT
RN 15
  Presentation

10:15am PDT

Framing, Creating, and Roling
Thursday May 29, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am PDT
RN 105
If role-clarity boosts partnership, perspective-taking promises to enhance role-agility and performance. This interactive session invites participants to learn from "preflecting," acting, and reflecting as we practice performing leader and follower roles in teams. Ideal for educators and practitioners, we'll explore themes in followership education and the benefits of "role-ing" within the process for leader-follower learning.
Presenters
avatar for Lori Throupe
avatar for Dan Jenkins

Dan Jenkins

Professor, Leadership & Organizational Studies, University of Southern Maine
avatar for Abby Haney

Abby Haney

Undergraduate Student, Christopher Newport University
Psychology and Leadership Double-Major
Thursday May 29, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am PDT
RN 105
  Workshop

10:15am PDT

The Role of Succession Planning in Cultivating Leadership and Followership for Organizational Sustainability
Thursday May 29, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am PDT
RN 103
Succession planning is a strategic and often overlooked process that ensures the sustainability of leadership and followership within organizations. In the absence of effective succession planning, we risk losing not only future leaders but also the opportunity to empower followers to take on more active, engaged roles. This workshop will explore how succession planning functions as a bridge between leadership and followership, emphasizing its role in sustaining nonprofit and NGO organizations. It will include opportunities for attendees to share their best practices as well!
Presenters
AB
Thursday May 29, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am PDT
RN 103
  Workshop

10:15am PDT

Unlocking Empowerment and Self-Awareness in Organizations
Thursday May 29, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am PDT
RS 102
This interactive workshop explores the often-overlooked concept of Followership through the lens of empowerment and self-awareness. Participants will learn to cultivate effective followership using tools designed to deepen personal insight and foster organizational health. Coaches, trainers, leaders, and individuals seeking to develop a stronger sense of empowerment and purpose will benefit from this session. Key takeaways include understanding the language of empowerment and creating the self-awareness necessary for both leaders and followers to thrive. Participants will engage in live exercises, small-group discussions, personal reflection exercises, and real-life stories and scenarios to demonstrate principles and spark dialogue. Attendees will gain practical strategies they can immediately apply in their roles and organizations.
Presenters
KB
Thursday May 29, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am PDT
RS 102
  Workshop

11:30am PDT

Courageous Follower Train-the-Trainer (3 of 3)
Thursday May 29, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm PDT
KRV 161
A session for professional trainers, educators and consultants, who would like to be able to deliver, or deepen their current delivery, of the core material of The Courageous Follower in formal training to classes, groups and private or public sector organizations. Please consider this a master class. You should be very familiar with the principles and models of courageous followership. Questions you bring to the class should focus on how to deepen your capacity to develop courageous followership in others, rather than on how to understand it yourself. For those who regularly teach courageous followership as part of leading and following, no further preparation should be needed. For those who aspire to do so, but have not yet had the opportunity, or only do so occasionally, please review the book, The Courageous Follower, in the weeks prior to the conference. You may also choose to watch some of the videos available at www.irachaleffauthor.com. Everyone should have at least once taken the Followership Styles Assessment. This preparation will allow us to move at a brisk pace through the fundamentals and nuances of effectively developing courageous follower awareness, behaviors and skills.
Presenters
IC
BR
Thursday May 29, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm PDT
KRV 161
  Deep Dive

11:30am PDT

The Followership Ecosystem: Cultivating Growth Through Active Engagement (LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® - 3 of 3)
Thursday May 29, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm PDT
RN 102
This innovative session uses LEGO Serious Play methodology to challenge traditional hierarchical perspectives on followership. Participants will explore how effective followership serves as the foundation for organizational success through hands-on building exercises and metaphorical storytelling.
Presenters
AS
Thursday May 29, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm PDT
RN 102
  Deep Dive

11:30am PDT

Can Redefining “Follower” Save Democracy?
Thursday May 29, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm PDT
RN 105
This interactive session explores how traditional definitions of leaders and followers may unintentionally encourage passivity, potentially contributing to democratic erosion. Can a new definition of "follower" save democracy? And how can the followership community impact political engagement in democracies
Presenters
avatar for Chris Monö

Chris Monö

Christian Monö Consulting
Passionately exploring the power of natural followership and collaborationship. More on naturalfollowership.com
JB
Thursday May 29, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm PDT
RN 105
  Guided Discussion

11:30am PDT

Elevating HR: Leveraging Followership for Strategic Influence
Thursday May 29, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm PDT
RN 103
This facilitated session explores how the human resource function can transition from a support function to a strategic partner by leveraging the power of followership. Participants will share interactive discussions and exercises to identify what they envision a more strategic role to be, how to pursue it using followership techniques, and what obstacles they will need to overcome along the way. Participants will leave with insights on where their HR function is going and how to get there with the help of followership.
Presenters
avatar for Kyle Payne

Kyle Payne

Owner, Quality Culture
Kyle is a professional speaker, coach, facilitator, and consultant. He develops leaders through engaging and highly-interactive workshops and has established a strong reputation for fostering a safe and productive learning environment for participants. He has published groundbreaking... Read More →
MT
Thursday May 29, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm PDT
RN 103
  Guided Discussion

11:30am PDT

Co-creating Leadership: How Followers Shape Leader-Follower Relationship
Thursday May 29, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm PDT
RN 104
This workshop invites participants to explore how leaders and followers collaborate to co-create leadership. Participants begin by identifying and discussing their implicit ideas about this relationship. Then they engage in an activity to explore how their approach to following has contribute to the leadership that emerged in a past leadership situation. They then examine how changing their approach to following could alter the relationship and the leadership displayed between the leader and follower.
Presenters
JM
Thursday May 29, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm PDT
RN 104
  Workshop

11:30am PDT

The Behavior-Motive Matrix
Thursday May 29, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm PDT
RS 102
The Behavior-Motive Matrix© offers a groundbreaking approach to understanding and addressing follower behaviors in the workplace. By categorizing actions as conscious or subconscious and identifying whether followers exhibit deficient or defiant tendencies, this framework empowers leaders to support growth and accountability among their teams. Attendees will explore strategies to help followers recognize gaps in awareness, build necessary skills, and align their behaviors with team and organizational goals. This session highlights how leaders can foster a culture of self-awareness and development, ensuring followers are equipped to contribute meaningfully and navigate challenges with purpose and confidence.
Presenters
avatar for Christopher Fuzie

Christopher Fuzie

CEO/Owner - Business/HR Manager, CMF Leadership Consulting & Stanislaus County District Attorney's Office
Dr. Chris Fuzie is the Business/Human Resources Manager for the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s office, and owner of C.M.F. Leadership Consulting.  Dr. Fuzie holds 4 separate copyrights and has published two books, “S.C.O.R.E. Performance Counseling: Save the Relationship... Read More →
Thursday May 29, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm PDT
RS 102
  Workshop

12:30pm PDT

Scholar Panel & Lunch
Thursday May 29, 2025 12:30pm - 2:30pm PDT
McKenna Auditorium
Presenters
MC
KL
MU
Thursday May 29, 2025 12:30pm - 2:30pm PDT
McKenna Auditorium

2:45pm PDT

Cultivating Effective Followership: Pedagogical Insights World Cafe
Thursday May 29, 2025 2:45pm - 4:15pm PDT
RN 102
This session will engage educators in a collaborative discussion on followership pedagogy, exploring key aspects such as texts and materials, course or workshop objectives, activities and assessments, challenges in teaching followership, and the integration of followership into the leadership curriculum.
Presenters
DK
EK
ML
SD
Thursday May 29, 2025 2:45pm - 4:15pm PDT
RN 102
  Guided Discussion

2:45pm PDT

Strong Followers, Strong Teams: How Powerful Followership Transforms Conflicts
Thursday May 29, 2025 2:45pm - 4:15pm PDT
RN 103
Conflict isn’t just a leadership challenge—strong followership plays a critical role in transforming tension into progress. In this interactive session, we’ll explore how effective followers contribute to conflict resolution, strengthen team dynamics, and drive success. You’ll learn practical strategies for bringing up conflict, naming the difference between position and interest, and fostering collaboration even in high-stakes situations. Through real-world examples, participants will leave with a new perspective on conflict as a powerful force for positive change. This session will equip participants with the tools to turn conflict into an opportunity for growth.
Presenters
avatar for Lindsay Burr

Lindsay Burr

CEO, Yarbrough Group
An engaging facilitator and Polarity ThinkingTM Master Trainer, Lindsay brings a depth of knowledge and a global perspective that supports seeing the known in a new way. Lindsay will unpack the key concepts of Polarity Thinking and change how you think about leadership and followership... Read More →
Thursday May 29, 2025 2:45pm - 4:15pm PDT
RN 103
  Guided Discussion

2:45pm PDT

Lightning Talks
Thursday May 29, 2025 2:45pm - 4:15pm PDT
KRV 102
  1. Can we learn anything from Clifton Strength Assessment about followers and followership? - Donald Kudek
  2. Focus on "how to" in healthcare? Are these ideas for research or have you seen this in practice? - Paula Van Buskirk, DDS, MBA
  3. Follower development: Jesus, an exemplar follower - Lynda Byrd-Poller
  4. Followership in higher education - Dawn T. Gresham
  5. Followership Lesson from Khalid bin Al-Waleed: A Meritorious Muslim Troops General Who Demoted to an Infantry Soldier - Muhsin Budiono Nurhadi
  6. Self-help groups are the places where we take either leadership or followership roles interchangeably - Kohei Nishikawa
  7. Shifting Generations and Follower Pathways: A Look at What Path Gen Z is Most Likely to take When Choosing to Follow - Tyler Towns
  8. Sometimes girl leaders do not lead - Fiona Cummings
  9. Strenghening Relationships by Establishing a Mentoring Culture - Mary Ann Pearson
  10. Using Innovation Strategy to Disrupt Mental Models on Followership - Jennifer Cole
  11. When Leaders Follow: Driving Cultural and Social Change - Victoria Brodie
Presenters
DK
PV
LB
MB
TT
FC
MA
JC
avatar for Victoria Brodie
KN
Thursday May 29, 2025 2:45pm - 4:15pm PDT
KRV 102
  Lightning Talks

2:45pm PDT

Research Talks - Group 5
Thursday May 29, 2025 2:45pm - 4:15pm PDT
RN 15
  1. Situational Followership: Incorporating Flexibility into Followership Typology - D. Alegbeleye
    As a way of addressing the rigidity inherent in followership typologies, this paper proposes a situational model of followership that describes how followers can adapt their followership style to both their leader and the situation. Five propositions were developed to explicate how four situational factors relate to the two major dimensions upon which most followership typologies are based: follower’s active engagement and follower’s constructive voice. The four situational factors explored in this paper include leaders’ inspirational behavior, leaders’ participative behavior, the psychological safety climate of the workplace, and followers’ psychological bravery. Moreover, a situational followership model was developed.
  2. Developing Leadership and Followership Competencies: Analysis from a National Summer Camp Program - F. Kick
    This competency-based survey development research examines how interactive student leadership development programming at a U.S. summer camp can simultaneously develop leadership and followership competencies in secondary school students.
  3. Followership and Authentic Leadership in Volunteer Organizations with a Paid Leader - J. Johnson
    This study explores the relationship between authentic leadership (AL) and followership in volunteer-based organizations led by a paid leader. Nonprofits, critical for addressing social issues, often rely on volunteers, which creates unique leadership challenges. Overemphasis on leader-centric models risks burnout and undermines organizational health. Authentic leaders, who demonstrate purpose, compassion, and relationship-building, positively influence followership and organizational effectiveness. Using a quantitative survey of 20 food pantry volunteers, the study revealed strong correlations between AL traits (compassion, relationship-building, passion) and increased follower engagement. While limited by sample size and nonparametric testing, findings affirm AL’s role in fostering volunteer commitment and suggest areas for further research.
  4. Reimagining human function and management for human wholeness: The being-orientation model for the next-stage organizations - D. W. Ofumbi
    Followership and leadership are two sides of the same coin but for far too long we regarded followership as a subordinate rank, which is either nothing or a step toward leadership rather than a complementary role and discipline. The followership/leadership chasm stems from the human orientation of doing, which has dominated management theory since its inception. For us to restore the complementary relationship between followership and leadership in organizations, we must adopt the human orientation of being. So, this study introduces the human orientation of being to enhance human wholeness for human full life and work commitment in organizations.
Presenters
avatar for Dami Alegbeleye
FK
avatar for Jaye Johnson

Jaye Johnson

Conference Superintendent for Congregational Excellence and New Communities of Faith, Iowa Conference United Methodist Church
Thursday May 29, 2025 2:45pm - 4:15pm PDT
RN 15
  Research Talks

2:45pm PDT

How to talk about followership in a way people will get it
Thursday May 29, 2025 2:45pm - 4:15pm PDT
RS 102
A key challenge in shifting attitudes toward followership is the language we use to describe it. Almost all of the attendees at the Fourth Global Followership Conference have experienced negative blowback about our own “F-Word”. Unless we can articulate the value of followership in fundamentally different ways that are clear, compelling, and resonant, our effectiveness as change agents will remain limited. To address this challenge, we must develop language that counters the negative perceptions of followership—passivity, weakness, conformity, and more. In this workshop, Gloria Williams and Tim Hurson will guide participants through dynamic, hands-on activities designed to spark insights, generate actionable ideas, and draft first-pass ‘scripts’ for productive conversations about followership. By the end of the workshop, participants will have the opportunity to refine and test engaging, connection-rich discussions that highlight the tangible benefits of adopting a followership stance.
Presenters
avatar for Tim Hurson

Tim Hurson

Consultant and Facilitator
In third grade, Tim spread pasted sheets of paper, sticky-side up, on his classroom floor. He was thrilled with the results. Not much has changed, though he now focuses on more productive activities as an innovation consultant and facilitator for businesses and social purpose start-ups... Read More →
GW
Thursday May 29, 2025 2:45pm - 4:15pm PDT
RS 102
  Workshop

4:30pm PDT

Dance of Lead & Follow - Tango Experience
Thursday May 29, 2025 4:30pm - 5:30pm PDT
McKenna Auditorium
Internationally recognized tango artist and author of Lead & Follow: The Dance of Inspired Teamwork, Sharna teaches precise and effective leading and following skills from the ballroom to the boardroom. With playful movement exercises and physical awareness and communication techniques, you'll literally step into a leading and following epiphany in real time.
Presenters
avatar for Sharna Fabiano

Sharna Fabiano

Artist, Coach, Author of Lead & Follow: The Dance of Inspired Teamwork, and host of the Lead & Follow podcast.
DD
Thursday May 29, 2025 4:30pm - 5:30pm PDT
McKenna Auditorium

5:30pm PDT

Campus Art Tour
Thursday May 29, 2025 5:30pm - 6:30pm PDT
McKenna Courtyard
Thursday May 29, 2025 5:30pm - 6:30pm PDT
McKenna Courtyard
  Social
 
Friday, May 30
 

9:00am PDT

Guest Plenary: Robert Kelley
Friday May 30, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am PDT
McKenna Auditorium
Despite all the media and political focus on leadership, we’re now in a new era of followership – more specifically “the power of followership.” In this presentation Robert will relay some history of his initial followership work and how it connects with current political/social/economic/technological events, cultural stereotypes, and his work on star performers. Then, he’ll explore this new era of followership: the trends, the issues, and the responsibilities of both followers and those working in the field of followership.
Presenters
RK
Friday May 30, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am PDT
McKenna Auditorium

10:15am PDT

How to Introduce Followership to New Audiences (1 of 2)
Friday May 30, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am PDT
RN 102
Marc and Sam co-created the Generative Partnership Model and are known for their engaging, “pracademic” sessions. Having taught followership together with leadership for nearly two decades, they will share their most effective and successful methods for introducing followership to new audiences. You'll leave this session with an overflowing toolbox of best practices and reliable strategies to inspire groups large and small.
Presenters
avatar for Samantha Kerr Hurwitz

Samantha Kerr Hurwitz

Chief Encouragement Officer, FliP University
Ask me about my origin story - how did I "find" followership and why it mattered (still matters!!!) to me so much. ORAsk me about why we felt it was important to start the Global Followership Conference.ORAsk me about why we believe that EVERYONE should learn BOTH leadership and followership... Read More →
avatar for Marc Hurwitz

Marc Hurwitz

Chief Insight Officer, Flip U
Friday May 30, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am PDT
RN 102
  Deep Dive

10:15am PDT

Thriving or Surviving? Exploring Followership Through the Competing Values Framework
Friday May 30, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am PDT
RN 105
Cameron and Quinn’s (2006) Competing Values Framework (CVF) offers four quadrants of organizational culture types, each ranging in their focus of external vs. internal and level of control. In this facilitated session, we will engage the audience in a robust discussion on how the four organizational culture types may attract or repel certain types of followers, centering on the followership typologies defined by Chaleff (2009) and Kellerman (2008). The outcome aims to be a greater understanding of organizational culture’s influence in how well followership types thrive in each cultural typology.
Presenters
SB
JC
Friday May 30, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am PDT
RN 105
  Guided Discussion

10:15am PDT

Toxic Followership in the Workplace and Beyond
Friday May 30, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am PDT
RS 102
Reflect critically and sensitively on your own experiences to prevent toxic followership behaviors from arising in response to toxic leadership behaviors.
Presenters
WM
Friday May 30, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am PDT
RS 102
  Guided Discussion

10:15am PDT

What We Follow: A pracademic discussion on a Framework for Distinguishing the Meaning of Followership
Friday May 30, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am PDT
RN 104
The terms Leadership and Followership are often insufficiently defined, leading to conflation and miscommunication. This session aims to explore a clearer demarcation by presenting a pracademic approach that combines a framework from practical expertise with academic research to propose a distinction of Followership from other concepts and foster reflection on this distinction with participants. Attendees will gain a unique perspective on bridging the practitioner-academic divide, with practical strategies and academic rigor contributing to a more unified understanding. Join us to advance dialogue and inspire stronger collaboration between these communities.
Presenters
avatar for Eric McDermott

Eric McDermott

Founder/CEO, NEXTpectations
By day, Eric is an equity partner at a financial services firm with more than 60,000 clients. But behind the suit, in his other company, Eric was named "Best Business Influencer of the Year" winning two Stevies (the Oscars of the business world) for his social media channels. Having... Read More →
avatar for Maike Kugler

Maike Kugler

Lecturer, FOM Hochschule für Oekonomie und Management
Friday May 30, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am PDT
RN 104
  Guided Discussion

10:15am PDT

Generative Dialogue and Psychological Safety: Key Drivers of Success for Leaders and Followers
Friday May 30, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am PDT
RN 15
While leadership has been extensively studied, the significance of followership has gained increasing recognition in recent years (Uhl-Bien et al., 2014). The panel will explore the value of generative dialogue and psychological safety in leadership and followership relationships. The panelists experienced shifting roles as leaders and followers within their professional relationships in the academy. They fostered psychologically safe environments where generative dialogue is expected when working with teams, colleagues, and followers. The session will be facilitated by a research consultant colleague. The team will share insights into effective practices and challenges for leaders and followers.
Presenters
MA
avatar for Victoria Brodie
GV
Friday May 30, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am PDT
RN 15
  Presentation

10:15am PDT

Why Values Alignment with the Leader and the Organization Matter
Friday May 30, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am PDT
RN 103
This session will help participants discover the values that are important to them, their leader and organization. It offers insights into how misalignment of workplace values often results performance issues and misunderstandings. The session introduces the Structure Produces Behavior model which explains how values lead to everyday actions.
Presenters
BR
Friday May 30, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am PDT
RN 103
  Workshop

11:30am PDT

How to Introduce Followership to New Audiences (2 of 2)
Friday May 30, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm PDT
RN 102
Marc and Sam co-created the Generative Partnership Model and are known for their engaging, “pracademic” sessions. Having taught followership together with leadership for nearly two decades, they will share their most effective and successful methods for introducing followership to new audiences. You'll leave this session with an overflowing toolbox of best practices and reliable strategies to inspire groups large and small.
Presenters
avatar for Marc Hurwitz

Marc Hurwitz

Chief Insight Officer, Flip U
avatar for Samantha Kerr Hurwitz

Samantha Kerr Hurwitz

Chief Encouragement Officer, FliP University
Ask me about my origin story - how did I "find" followership and why it mattered (still matters!!!) to me so much. ORAsk me about why we felt it was important to start the Global Followership Conference.ORAsk me about why we believe that EVERYONE should learn BOTH leadership and followership... Read More →
Friday May 30, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm PDT
RN 102
  Deep Dive

11:30am PDT

Everyday Followership: How We Lead by Following in Life’s Most Personal Arenas
Friday May 30, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm PDT
RN 103
Followership is often framed in workplace and organizational contexts, but its impact extends far beyond professional settings. This facilitated session explores followership in deeply personal aspects of life, including healthcare, fitness, religion, and civic engagement. Participants will engage in discussions about how individuals navigate power, responsibility, and decision-making as followers in these areas. The session will examine how effective followership contributes to well-being, ethical decision-making, and social cohesion. Through interactive exercises and shared experiences, attendees will identify strategies for enhancing their followership in ways that support personal growth and community development.
Presenters
avatar for Eric Kaufman

Eric Kaufman

Professor, Virginia Tech
Eric Kaufman is a dedicated leadership educator and scholar. He researches and promotes best practices for collective leadership, with special emphasis on problem solving and team development.  Dr. Kaufman’s work advances social science in a variety of contexts, with past projects... Read More →
Friday May 30, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm PDT
RN 103
  Guided Discussion

11:30am PDT

Storyfollowing & Storysharing: Exploring Character Identification for Followership & Trust Building
Friday May 30, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm PDT
RN 105
As a human mode of operation, story is an essential framework and clarifying tool for followers and leaders alike. As relational connections have multiplied and digitized, and story exposure is at an all-time high, our “story intelligence” can become taxed to the point of paralysis. Participants will actively engage others in storytelling games and activities to better understand personal and collective followership by identifying as characters within stories. Through this, we aim to refine our understanding of ourselves as responsible values-actors within our communities and hone our first line of defense against being passive “watchers” in the postmodern age.
Presenters
avatar for Lori Throupe
avatar for Abby Haney

Abby Haney

Undergraduate Student, Christopher Newport University
Psychology and Leadership Double-Major
Friday May 30, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm PDT
RN 105
  Guided Discussion

11:30am PDT

Making Followership Count: The Need for Qualitative Insight
Friday May 30, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm PDT
RS 102
Knowledge of followership is currently derived primarily from quantitative studies. These lack the capacity to generate a deeper understanding of lived experiences. Qualitative research is needed to better understand the construct of followership. In this facilitated session we aim to provide researchers and interested practitioners with a platform to discuss how we might advance qualitative followership research. It is designed to foster exchange and provide a platform for networking. The session is conducted in an unconference format in which participants suggest and prioritize the content.
Presenters
avatar for Maike Kugler

Maike Kugler

Lecturer, FOM Hochschule für Oekonomie und Management
RS
Friday May 30, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm PDT
RS 102
  Workshop

11:30am PDT

The Four Tiers of Followership
Friday May 30, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm PDT
RN 104
In a world that has shifted away from a “time and effort” economy to an “outcomes” economy, The Four Tiers of Followership helps individuals and teams focus less on what they do, and more on how they do it. The Four Tiers of Followership quickly enables one to locate themselves and others inside fundamental orientations and roles of followership. This framework helps demystify what makes some types of followership more valuable in an organization than others, creating a common language for closing expectation gaps many experience with regard to the value of contributions, ongoing learning, promotions, and compensation.
Presenters
avatar for Eric McDermott

Eric McDermott

Founder/CEO, NEXTpectations
By day, Eric is an equity partner at a financial services firm with more than 60,000 clients. But behind the suit, in his other company, Eric was named "Best Business Influencer of the Year" winning two Stevies (the Oscars of the business world) for his social media channels. Having... Read More →
Friday May 30, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm PDT
RN 104
  Workshop

12:30pm PDT

Working Lunch
Friday May 30, 2025 12:30pm - 2:00pm PDT
McKenna Auditorium
Friday May 30, 2025 12:30pm - 2:00pm PDT
McKenna Auditorium

2:00pm PDT

Practitioner Panel & Closing
Friday May 30, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm PDT
McKenna Auditorium
Presenters
RS
Friday May 30, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm PDT
McKenna Auditorium
 
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RS 102
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