IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jbrese/v205y2026ics0148296325007271.html

Interpreting and reacting to followers’ proactive work behaviors: the role of leaders’ proactive implicit followership theories

Author

Listed:
  • Peng, Jian
  • Nie, Qi
  • Chen, Xiao

Abstract

How do leaders react to their followers’ proactive work behaviors? Drawing on follower categorization theory, this research proposes that leaders may interpret such behaviors either as benefits or as threats and, in turn, respond with support or undermining. We also identify leaders’ proactive implicit followership theories (IFTs) as key boundary conditions. After developing a measure of proactive IFTs through pilot studies, we tested our model using an experiment (Study 1) and a four-wave field survey (Study 2). Study 1 shows that when leaders hold higher (vs. lower) proactive IFTs, followers’ proactive work behaviors elicit perceived benefits (vs. threats). Study 2 replicates and extends these findings, demonstrating that perceived benefits (vs. threats) predict leaders’ social support (vs. undermining), which subsequently promotes (vs. reduces) followers’ proactive work behaviors. This research offers novel insights into the question of how to manage proactive work behaviors.

Suggested Citation

  • Peng, Jian & Nie, Qi & Chen, Xiao, 2026. "Interpreting and reacting to followers’ proactive work behaviors: the role of leaders’ proactive implicit followership theories," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 205(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:205:y:2026:i:c:s0148296325007271
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2025.115904
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296325007271
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jbusres.2025.115904?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Fatima, Tasneem & Majeed, Mehwish & Jahanzeb, Sadia, 2020. "Supervisor undermining and submissive behavior: Shame resilience theory perspective," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 191-203.
    2. Vough, Heather C. & Bindl, Uta K. & Parker, Sharon K., 2017. "Proactivity routines: the role of social processes in how employees self-initiate change," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 68584, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    3. Sy, Thomas, 2010. "What do you think of followers? Examining the content, structure, and consequences of implicit followership theories," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 113(2), pages 73-84, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jeremy D. Mackey & Charn P. McAllister & Katherine C. Alexander, 2021. "Insubordination: Validation of a Measure and an Examination of Insubordinate Responses to Unethical Supervisory Treatment," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 168(4), pages 755-775, February.
    2. Lord, Robert G. & Gatti, Paola & Chui, Susanna L.M., 2016. "Social-cognitive, relational, and identity-based approaches to leadership," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 119-134.
    3. Raelin, Joseph A., 2026. "Practice Theory, Leadership‐as‐Practice, and Social Action," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 56(1), pages 1-12.
    4. Aï Ito & Jennifer A Harrison & Michelle C Bligh & Christine Roland-Levy, 2020. "A follower-centric perspective on charismatic leadership: An integrative review and agenda for future research," Post-Print hal-03086811, HAL.
    5. Wei, Wu & Liu, Xia & Reina, Christopher S., 2025. "Effects of team proactive personality on team creativity through team promotion focus: The moderating role of leader mindful communication," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).
    6. Hart, Einav & Bear, Julia B. & Ren, Zhiying (Bella), 2024. "But what if I lose the offer? Negotiators’ inflated perception of their likelihood of jeopardizing a deal," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 181(C).
    7. Dhanakorn Mulaphong, 2023. "Social Undermining in Public Sector Organizations: Examining its Effects on Employees’ Work Attitudes, Behaviors, and Performance," Public Organization Review, Springer, vol. 23(3), pages 1229-1248, September.
    8. Bonner, Bryan L. & Bolinger, Alexander R., 2013. "Separating the confident from the correct: Leveraging member knowledge in groups to improve decision making and performance," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 122(2), pages 214-221.
    9. Leonel Prieto, 2018. "Leadership Multiplicities before and during the Post-Truth Era," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 9(1), pages 1-23, December.
    10. Mesbahuddin Chowdhury & Md. Aftab Uddin & Shetu Ranjan Biswas & Ashraful Islam Hridoy, 2025. "Promoting Human Resource and Innovative Climate to Foster Organizational Resilience During Pandemic Time: The Mediating Role of Employee Resilience," Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, Springer;Global Institute of Flexible Systems Management, vol. 26(1), pages 55-85, March.
    11. Uhl-Bien, Mary & Carsten, Melissa & Huang, Lei & Maslyn, John, 2022. "What do managers value in the leader-member exchange (LMX) relationship? Identification and measurement of the manager’s perspective of LMX (MLMX)," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 225-240.
    12. Swanson, Steve & Billsberry, Jon & Kent, Aubrey & Skinner, James & Mueller, Jacqueline, 2020. "Leader prototypicality in sport: The implicit leadership theories of women and men entering sport management careers," Sport Management Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(4), pages 640-656.
    13. Fa, Ziwei & Li, Xinchun & Qiu, Zunxiang & Liu, Quanlong & Zhai, Zhengyuan, 2021. "From correlation to causality: Path analysis of accident-causing factors in coal mines from the perspective of human, machinery, environment and management," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    14. Wei Liang & Tingyi Li & Li Lu & Jaehyoung Kim & Sanggyun Na, 2020. "Influence of Implicit Followership Cognitive Differences on Innovation Behavior: An Empirical Analysis in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-15, June.
    15. Lei Wang & Xinya Liang, 2020. "The Influence of Leaders’ Positive and Implicit Followership Theory of University Scientific Research Teams on Individual Creativity: the Mediating Effect of Individual Self-Cognition and the Moderating Effect of Proactive Personality," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-24, March.
    16. Tasneem Fatima & Ifrah Jameel & Rabia Mushtaq, 2023. "How careerists use LMX as a strategy to achieve power and career success? A moderated mediation model," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 13(4), pages 957-976, December.
    17. Kidron, Aviv & Vinarski-Peretz, Hedva, 2024. "Linking psychological and social capital to organizational performance: A moderated mediation of organizational trust and proactive behavior," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 42(2), pages 245-254.
    18. Stefan Klaußner, 2013. "Führung und Feedback: zwischen Reflexion und Retention — Überlegungen zur Konzeption von Führungsgesprächen," Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research, Springer, vol. 65(2), pages 191-212, March.
    19. Guarana, Cristiano L. & Barnes, Christopher M., 2017. "Lack of sleep and the development of leader-follower relationships over time," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 57-73.
    20. Kim, Tae-Yeol & Wang, Xing & Schuh, Sebastian C. & Liu, Zhiqiang, 2024. "Effects of organizational innovative climate within organizations: The roles of Managers' proactive goal regulation and external environments," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(5).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:205:y:2026:i:c:s0148296325007271. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jbusres .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.