Validation of a German Version of Kelley’s (1992) Followership Questionnaire

Abstract

While most leadership research takes the perspective of leaders influencing their followers, more recent research focused on the question how followers may influence their leaders. Kelley’s (1992) followership questionnaire was the first to assess followership behavior. To provide a basis for further research on followership in German-speaking countries, we conducted two studies to establish the psychometric properties of a German version of Kelley’s questionnaire. In Study 1, we explored the factorial structure of our translation in a heterogeneous employee sample (N = 451). In Study 2, we tested for convergent, discriminant, and criterion-related validity in another heterogeneous employee sample (N = 413). The results indicate satisfactory psychometric properties for two followership dimensions (i.e., active engagement and independent, critical thinking). Correlations of these two followership dimensions with other constructs were mostly in line with our expectations. We discuss the usefulness of the German followership questionnaire for research and practice.