Herding the Gazelle - Leadership Style and Followership Behavior in High-Growth Firms.

Abstract: High-growth firms are creating the majority of new jobs in society, but what the leadership of these firms looks like is virtually unknown. This paper aims to investigate how leadership, and the nascent research field of followership, relate to firm growth and firm size of high-growth firms. Online surveys were sent out to CEOs and employees of 74 of Sweden's fastest growing companies, so-called gazelles. Exploratory factor analyses for Podsakoff's Transformational Leadership Inventory and Kelley's followership questionnaire were conducted, suggesting new factor structures. 19 hypotheses were assessed through multiple hierarchical regressions. Indicative results suggest a negative relation between transactional leadership and firm growth, and differential effects of follower commitment on firm growth. Suggestions for further research and methodological development are discussed.