Leadership and followership within healthcare teams: Exploring the roles and collaborative dynamics in interprofessional teams

This thesis explores the dynamics between leadership and followership within interprofessional healthcare teams (IHTs), challenging the traditional focus on leadership while highlighting the critical role of active followership. Through multiple studies, the research investigates how healthcare professionals shift between leading and following roles depending on the situation, enhancing teamwork. A special focus is placed on military interprofessional healthcare teams (MIHTs), where leadership and followership are shaped by shared missions and adaptive collaborations. The findings demonstrate that both roles are fluid and context-dependent, with followership emerging as a proactive and essential element in team success. The research emphasizes the importance of communication, trust, and ongoing training for both leadership and followership to improve team effectiveness. This work suggests new ways to train, focus, and support healthcare teams to improve patient care through better collaboration.