Why You Become a Leader or a Follower? A Q Methodology Study on Chinese Business Practitioners

Abstract

In this paper, I focus my attention on motivations to lead or follow in the Chinese contexts and conduct an indigenous leadership study in Chinese cultural settings. I investigate and identify factors in Chinese social and cultural systems that shape and influence individuals to become leaders or followers. This research aims to discover why and how Chinese pursue and perform leading or following positions in their organizations. Drawn from subjective expressions of the research participants, the paper captures the variety in their perspectives on leading and following practices. The findings of this research help conceptualize a framework to illustrate multiple factors relevant to leadership and followership in Chinese culture.