The Relationship between Community Building Antecedents and Followers’ Perceptions of Community

Abstract

The focus of this paper is to report findings from research conducted that illustrates the relationship between community building antecedents and followers’ perceptions of the level of community experienced. The research provides evidence that the types of community building antecedents and the perceived factors that both prevent and contribute to community relates to the levels of perceived community among followers. The study reflects responses from 282 participants and utilizes community building antecedents categories, factors which prevent community, and perceptions on how to best build community. The results demonstrate that certain community building antecedents are positively correlated to followers’ perceptions of levels of community experienced. In light of the research findings, the author will (a) highlight the relationship between community levels experienced and community building antecedents (including meaningful relationships, shared experiences, and strong ethical behavior), (b) highlight the relationship between community levels experienced and factors which prevent the development of community (including time, personality, and stereotypes), and (c) highlight the relationship between levels of community experienced and followers’ perceived factors that contribute to building community. Based on these findings, the author intends to provide an argument for how leaders can best build community and suggest the importance of building community as emerging leaders attend to this dimension of their own leadership practice.