An important assumption when it comes to leader-follower relationships is that compliance and subordination are basically voluntary. In this article, we problematize and develop this assumption and discuss different circumstances in which voluntariness in terms of followership may be compromised. Based on this discussion, we also suggest a tentative model of follower voluntariness, indicating dimensions in which voluntariness can be infringed upon and followership corroded and when it might be more productive to depict an asymmetrical relationship as something else than followership.

Ordet innovation har nästan blivit det nya svarta. Fokus ligger på hur företag, offentliga organisationer och ideella föreningar kan bli mer innovativa. Boken presenterar teorier, modeller, metoder och verktyg som i projektet Ledarskap i Småland använts för att hjälpa ledare att öka organisationens innovationsförmåga. Citat och exempel från ledares vardag i framför allt små och medelstora organisationer används som illustrationer. Med begrepp som 0,5-steg och att tända många eldar riktar sig boken i första hand till praktiskt verksamma ledare – i och utanför Småland. Detta är projektets andra bok. Den första heter Småländskt ledarskap – inledande betraktelser. 

This paper argues for the need for methodological development within international business (IB) research. This need is born out of the dominance of positivistic research within the field which both marginalizes other scientific approaches and jeopardizes practical relevance. The purpose of this paper is to consider collaborative research, almost non-existent within IB research, as a possible way forward. A performed collaborative research project and its methodology is described and lessons learned, challenges and possibilities are discussed. Our conclusion is that collaborative research may bridge the possible gap between scientifically valid and practically relevant results, but that this requires collaboration and interaction to permeate the whole research process, from planning, through execution to post-project activities.