The Correlation of Free Will Within the Relationship between Leaders and Followers.

Abstract

 Is the notion of free will a human construct devised to explain fundamental human choices? Or is it a manufactured paradigm with limited relevance in an ever-evolving world? The dynamic between a follower and a leader sheds light on this inquiry. Oc and Bashshur (2013) propose that "research in leadership has largely marginalized followers to the role of passive recipients, or at best, moderators of leader influence and behavior" (p. 919). This assertion implies that followers have a restricted voice in the relationship. This study employs quantitative analysis to examine the leader-follower relationship across five domains: peaceful, organizational, business, political, and military. It also scrutinizes the concept of free will in the context of following a leader. How does our perception of a leader shift when we lack the choice to follow? The research findings suggest that while most respondents perceive the presence of free will with peaceful, organizational, and business leaders, there is a perceived loss of free will with political and military leaders.