Abstract:  Followership refers to a polymorphic behavior orientated from the organizational aims of the followers who actively interact with leadership and organizational context. Studies of followership are still scarce in the academic community both at home and abroad. The aim of this study lies at inquiring the influence mechanism of causal analysis for the differentiation of employee followership from the perspective of regulatory focus theory in three parts. Firstly, the internal structure and measurement of employee followership are cleared and defined in view of two different regulatory focuses. Secondly, the antecedents and their influential mechanisms on the differentiation of employee followership are under review from three aspects including the characteristic’s influence of leadership with its moderate effects of LMX, the organizational context’s influence with its moderate effects of employees’ perceived organizational justice, and the individual characteristic’s influence with its moderate effects of leadership feedback based upon trait activation theory. Lastly, the way is explored as to how the differentiation of employee followership exerts influence on job performance. On account of these schemes established, the adaptation of the followership theory to the practice of organizational followership can be achieved.

Key words:  regulatory focus theory, promotion followership, prevention followership, influence mechanism