We are excited to share that our paper, Willing unwillingness. A Luhmannian perspective on followership and leadership in organizations, has been published in Systems Research and Behavioral Science!
This is not just another piece about leadership being a top-down power game.
No, what we uncovered goes far deeper. Through our research, we explored the paradox of “willing unwillingness”. People do not just step into roles—whether as leaders, followers, or even outsiders—without mixed emotions. Sure, leaders may feel empowered, but they often experience isolation and heavy responsibility too. And followers, while finding comfort in their roles, might feel hesitant or disconnected.
To really make sense of this complexity, we turned to the Tetralemma, an ancient Indian logic framework. It helped us go beyond the simple “leader or follower” mindset, and what we found was eye-opening:
- Leaders: The ones making the big decisions, but often feeling the emotional weight of their role.
- Role Shifters: Think middle managers, moving between leading and following, depending on the need.
- Followers: Those who actively contribute but might shy away from leadership responsibilities.
- Outsiders: And this is where it gets really interesting—the ones who neither lead nor follow.
The outsiders were our biggest surprise. These are the people who sit on the sidelines, acting as consultants, internal critics, or disengaged employees. They don’t play by the typical rules of leadership or followership. We call this “inner immigration”—where they remain part of the organization but withdraw emotionally from its core workings. Their detachment actually gives them a fresh, critical perspective.
Why Does This Matter? Because, a leader without followers is not truly a leader—maybe just a manager. Leadership is not about titles or power, it’s about relationships, dynamics, and the emotions that come with them. And we can’t forget the importance of outsiders, those who push organizations to reflect and adapt from the edges.
This paper was first presented at the European Academy of Management Conference 2024, where we had incredible discussions that really pushed our thinking. Thanks to all the feedback we received in Bath, we were able to incorporate valuable insights that made the final version even stronger.
If you are interested in further details, please read the full paper, which is available for download here.
Recommended citation: Sales A., Mansur J., Valentinov V., and Roth S. (2024), Willing unwillingness. A Luhmannian perspective on followership and leadership in organizations, Systems Research and Behavioral Science, ahead-of-print.
Original text credit: Prof. Dr. Augusto Sales.
