Abstract:

Leader-follower fit, which plays a crucial role in facilitating a harmonious interaction in leader-follower dyads, has attracted considerable attention in the academic circle recently. Leader-follower fit refers to the compatibility between a leader and a follower that occurs when their characteristics are well matched. Generally, we could measure leader-follower fit using direct measurement approach and indirect measurement approach. To data, the existing research on leader-follower fit mainly focused on five perspectives, such as personality fit, cognition fit, psychological experience fit, work behavior fit, and relational factor fit. Psychological and interactive processes usually capture the mechanism through which leader-follower fit affects work outcomes. Moreover, personal and situational characteristics usually moderate the consequence of leader-follower fit. Future research could examine the consequence of leader-follower congruence in some indigenous psychological characteristics (e.g., traditionality and face consciousness) and explore some novel underlying or contingency mechanisms in the Chinese context.

Key words: leader-follower fit, person-supervisor fit, leadership, followership