Scientific progress thrives on effective collaboration, yet much of the focus in team science remains on leadership, often overlooking the essential role of followership. This presentation will explore the critical yet underappreciated function of followership in team science, arguing that successful research collaborations require not only effective leadership but also engaged, adaptive, and proactive followership.

The traditional paradigm of team science emphasizes principal investigators and research leads, positioning leadership as the primary driver of collaboration. However, emerging research suggests that followership is equally vital in shaping team dynamics, facilitating knowledge integration, and ensuring that collaborative efforts translate into meaningful scientific advancements. Followership is not a passive role but an active process of engagement, influencing team cohesion, research productivity, and innovation.

Drawing from insights in followership theory, we will discuss key dimensions of followership, including co-creation, adaptability, and accountability—qualities that contribute to a team’s ability to navigate complex research environments. We will also explore the Möbius Strip metaphor, which depicts leadership and followership as fluid and interconnected rather than hierarchical, providing a more accurate representation of team science dynamics. This perspective shifts the conversation from an outdated leader-follower dichotomy to a more nuanced understanding of collaborative agency.

Additionally, findings from recent studies suggest that strong followership is directly linked to improved knowledge sharing, conflict resolution, and shared decision-making in research teams. Yet, most training programs and institutional policies focus exclusively on leadership development, neglecting the equally important need to cultivate effective followership. By shifting this imbalance, institutions and funding agencies can foster a more holistic approach to team science training and capacity-building.

The session will present three key strategies for integrating followership into team science frameworks:

Followership Training – Offering structured training modules that equip team members with the skills to engage in constructive dissent, support collaborative leadership, and take initiative in research processes.
Recognition and Reward Systems – Encouraging research institutions and funding agencies to recognize and incentivize followership contributions, through mentorship, collaboration, and cross-disciplinary integration.
Cultural Shift in Team Science – Promoting an organizational culture that values reciprocal leader-follower dynamics, enabling teams to harness the full potential of collective intelligence.

In conclusion, advancing team science requires more than effective leadership—it demands a redefinition of what it means to contribute to scientific collaboration. Followership, when understood and cultivated, serves as the backbone of successful research teams. By fostering strong followership alongside leadership, the scientific community can unlock new levels of collaboration, creativity, and impact. This session aims to bridge the gap in current discourse, advocating for a model of team science that fully acknowledges and supports followership as a core component of research success.