Abstract

Although the concept of followership has existed for several decades and is related to effective leadership, the concept is poorly understood and not well integrated into nursing education, practice and research. This paper reports the findings of a scoping review of 21 articles on followership in nursing. The literature discloses that followership and leadership roles are co-constructed, interdependent and synergistic and influence organizational success and patient safety. The lack of scholarship on followership in nursing is notable and points to the need for a greater understanding of the follower–leader dynamic and effective follower behaviours in the healthcare context.