Follower Behavior in Engineering Design Teams: Theoretical Constructs and Protocol Analyses

Abstract

Abstract The purpose of this research is to develop an understanding of followership behaviors in engineering design team situations by studying leadership behaviors. While leadership in engineering design teams has been studied from role, function or behavior, and individual characteristic perspectives, no studies are found that examined follower (helping) behavior in the context of an engineering design team. Understanding this behavior can lead to intervention strategies that might be employed to improve team dynamics and performance. To this end, a theoretical framework of follower behavior is defined based on a review of “helping behavior” from the literature. Characteristics of follower helping behavior include exhibiting citizenship, voluntary, extra-role, and not upsetting the status-quo. Specifically, a follower-leader is one who exhibits voluntary, “extra-role” (beyond expectation) behaviors in a professional setting done without upsetting the status-quo in a formal leadership setting. A model is developed that links leadership style, follower mindset, leader-follower relationship, influence tactics, follower behavior, and follower performance. The key behavior studied is helping behavior. This literature-based framework is exclusively based on survey study data. No research is found that focuses on studying the behaviors of followers from observational studies. Therefore, data presented from a previous protocol study is further reviewed in search of patterns of conversions of followers to leaders through behavior modeling. In the previous study, eight teams of four graduate engineering students were tasked with generating a function model for a design prompt. These teams were video recorded, and their behaviors coded for seven leadership actions. Of the eight design teams previously studied, there were 325 total leadership behaviors coded. A follower-to-leader behavior pattern was defined where a follower in one behavior immediately exhibited leadership behavior in the next coded activity. Of the activities coded, 131 (40.3%) possible follower helping actions have been identified. These are examined further to determine whether there is a correlation between the initial leadership behavior type and the following leadership behavior type. Patterns are also sought to determine how often the initial leader also changes to a follower in the subsequent activity. This study shows that there are follower patterns that are found in design activities. Further, these patterns are related back to the follower (helping) behavior model that is derived from the literature, specifically the influence tactics that include: inspirational appeals, consultation, supplication, and exemplification as well as the social exchange relationships of leader-member exchange (LMX), team-member exchange (TMX). Finally, this study provides suggestive evidence of patterns to motivate future systematic study of followership in engineering design.