Unpacking shared leadership

If you’ve been to a Strategic Doing training, you’ve probably heard the idea that it provides an avenue for shared leadership on a team. What does that look like, and what difference does it make?

What is shared leadership?

Putting aside the academic arguments about the precise definition (which are many!), in practice shared leadership is collective leadership – leadership by more than one person. It can take many forms: two people sharing the leadership title/role or rotating leadership among group members are the most common. A more expansive way to think about shared leadership is to shift your mindset away from the title of “leader.” Instead, consider “who is doing the things that need to happen to move the group forward?” This can be everyone on a team. In fact, we often use Shoals Shift as an example of effective, shared leadership: if you asked someone, “Who’s in charge?” the answer would be, “We all are!”

What difference does it make?

Shared leadership has a strong track record of contributing to high team performance by enhancing creativity, learning, team cohesion, and psychological safety; it also can help reduce team conflict. It also helps teams build in resilience (if a team leader needs to step back, the team’s work doesn’t need to come to a halt), and it’s a great way to give younger team members important growth opportunities. On teams that include members from multiple organizations, it can serve as an important signal that collaboration will be authentic – there’s no one “behind the curtain” calling the shots. All the same, it isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. There are some contexts in which having one individual controlling the work of the team makes sense, such as fast-response teams in emergency situations.

But isn’t this just a fad?

Shared leadership has been around a long time – there are mentions of it in management research going back to the 1940s, although it’s been overshadowed by the focus on the traits and behaviors of strong individual leaders. It is getting increased attention in recent years: its role in outcomes like creativity and learning makes it a logical choice for teams facing complex challenges where the way forward isn’t clear. The International Leadership Association’s recent global conference included a well-attended session on “re-booting” a dormant community focused on collective leadership, a community the Lab is eager to actively participate in.

How can teams move to shared leadership?

If an organization has a strong culture of individual leadership, the person who is currently the team leader may feel a strong need to be the leader (here, tread carefully) – or they might welcome the idea of partners sharing the load. If you’re the team leader, a conversation about the idea of leadership among your team might be the first step to shifting that mindset. Most importantly, remember that the leadership structure your team chooses should reflect the team’s goals: what’s the best way to maximize our chances of success?

If you’re looking to build shared leadership into an initiative, Strategic Doing can give your group a process to make it happen.

Learn more about our workshops.