Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how non-supervisory Department of the Navy (DoN) information technology (IT) employees experienced organizational downsizing, employee engagement, and followership in a resource-constrained, team-based work environment. The study focused on how workforce reductions shaped daily work conditions, affected employee engagement, influenced followership behaviors, and interacted with organizational resources and mission readiness.The study was guided by the Job Demands–Resources model, Kahn’s theory of employee engagement, followership theory, and Leader–Member Exchange theory. These frameworks helped explain how increased job demands, reduced resources, employee motivation, follower behaviors, and leader–employee relationships influenced employee experiences during downsizing.
Participants included 16 non-supervisory civilian employees in the DoN IT workforce who had direct experience working in team-based environments affected by workforce reductions. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. A qualitative descriptive design was used, and the data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis to identify patterns in participants’ experiences.
Five themes emerged from the analysis: Organizational Capacity Erosion, Organizational Instability and Eroded Trust, Adaptive Overextension in Reduced-Capacity Environments, Adaptive Followership Under Reduced Structure, and Psychological Engagement Under Adversity. Findings showed that downsizing reduced organizational capacity through staffing shortages, knowledge loss, limited resources, disrupted coordination, and weakened trust. Participants described heavier workloads, expanded responsibilities, stress, burnout, reduced motivation, and job insecurity. Despite these challenges, employees continued to support the mission through adaptive followership behaviors, including self-directed problem-solving, peer collaboration, informal coordination, and professional commitment. The study concluded that workforce reductions affected more than staffing levels; they also disrupted trust, engagement, team functioning, and organizational capacity. While adaptive followership helped employees maintain workflow and mission readiness, individual adaptability could not fully replace adequate staffing, clear communication, leadership support, and knowledge-retention practices.
Further research is recommended in other federal, defense, and non-defense IT settings to determine whether similar patterns occur in different organizational environments. Future studies should also examine how leadership communication, workload management, and formal followership development can help sustain employee engagement during downsizing.