Afghanistan and Iraq War Veterans’ Understanding of Followership and Following in the Civilian Workplace

Abstract: Numerous service personnel who served during the US Afghanistan and Iraq Wars have returned to civilian life. The purpose of this phenomenology study was to examine and explore how these veterans understood the followership phenomenon, their civilian workplace follower roles, and how they defined the word followership through their own lenses. Six veterans who reintegrated from military service into a civilian workplace volunteered for this study. This article explores transition from the military to civilian workplace, using the followership phenomenon defined as: the actions of a subordinate in a workplace. 6 veterans were interviewed who all defined the word followership through their own lenses.  The research analysis identified five themes: (a) my identities (b) organizational principles, (c) organizational knowledge, (d) organizational support, (e) and valuing of supporters. The findings can provide policymakers and organizational leaders data to plan training, coaching, and mentoring program