Early career researchers as active followers: perceived demands of supervisory interventions in academic workplaces

0554700 - PSÚ 2023 RIV AU eng J - Journal Article
Machovcová, Kateřina - Mudrák, Jiří - Cidlinská, Kateřina - Zábrodská, Kateřina
Early career researchers as active followers: perceived demands of supervisory interventions in academic workplaces.
Higher Education Research & Development. Roč. 42, č. 1 (2023), s. 171-185. ISSN 0729-4360. E-ISSN 1469-8366
R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA20-13732S
Institutional support: RVO:68081740
Keywords : followership * academic leadership * early career researchers * academic identities * career development
OECD category: Psychology (including human - machine relations)
Impact factor: 3.2, year: 2022
Method of publishing: Limited access
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07294360.2022.2040447?journalCode=cher20

Academic institutions are characterized by specific dynamics between leaders and followers. Academics prefer work autonomy but expect quality leadership. In this article, we explore how early career researchers (ECRs) constructed followership identities through their expectations of supervisory interventions. We used thematic analysis to analyze 39 interviews. The identified themes of ECR followership identity constructions were as follows: 1) Followers as apprentices: Seeking support in reaching career milestones: 2) Followers as motivated performers: Expecting efficient work organization: and 3) Followers as team members: Calling for a shared vision. We argue that the ECR demand for proactive supervisory interventions and the adoption of active followership identities is necessary to foster full academic autonomy development and to overcome negative aspects of experienced isolation in academic life. Acknowledging hierarchical relationships between leaders and followers in HE has the potential to contribute to enhanced career support for ECRs.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0329465