I recollect paying attention to the term “Shared Leadership” in 2015 while conducting an interview for a research project. During the interview, the leader proudly shared how their system was based on shared leadership, where everyone—from the top of the hierarchy to the bottom—was empowered, and the onus of achieving organizational goals was on everyone.
My initial reaction was one of intrigue, followed by a touch of skepticism regarding the practicality of successfully applying shared leadership in organizational structures. Over time, I began observing examples of this being consciously or unconsciously implemented in corporate and social settings.
Mother-Father Leadership Duo
The best natural example of shared leadership, in my opinion, is the smallest family unit: mother, father, and child.
- In addition to their unique roles, the mother-father leadership duo often shares responsibilities like:
- Financial security,
- Home-keeping,
- Decision-making,
- School commutes,
- Diaper changes, and
- Homework assistance.
What enables this is their shared purpose—the child’s wellbeing.
Furthermore, this leadership duo also manages and sustains a whole system that includes:
- Extended families,
- Social circles,
- Household service providers,
- Education and healthcare providers, and more.
Observing Shared Leadership
In recent years, I’ve had opportunities to witness how some organizations organically embrace shared leadership, often without realizing it.
Interestingly, studies on shared leadership focus primarily on the education and healthcare industries. Other organizations implementing shared leadership typically:
- Apply it to specific leaders and roles, or
- Create teams without an appointed leader—the latter being the model my current teams follow.
The Forces at Play
Traditional Hierarchies
While traditional hierarchies or vertical leadership structures have been effective in running organizations, they come with challenges:
- Over-dependence on a single individual for leadership, especially in the absence of a succession plan.
- Sustainability issues, as organizations struggle to ensure continuity of operations and implement long-term plans.
- Untapped potential, as hub-and-spoke structures limit individuals’ abilities to contribute.
External and Internal Influences
External Factors:
- The VUCA world (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity) is pushing organizations to deliver more, in tighter timelines, amidst tough competition.
- The pandemic has made it clear that returning to the old “normal” is not an option; organizations must innovate and adopt flexible work practices.
Internal Factors:
- Changing employee needs are compelling organizations to rethink structures and power distribution.
- Trends like The Great Resignation have made employee priorities—like making meaningful impacts and questioning traditional norms—more evident.
What is in it for Organizations?
Among the definitions of shared leadership, the one that resonates most with me is from Carson et al., 2007, which defines shared leadership as:
“A team characteristic where leadership is distributed among team members rather than focused on a single designated leader.”
At SCI, we have followed this model for the past 10 months, enabling us to tackle the “Unholy Trinity” Prof. Peter Hawkins describes:
- Do more,
- With fewer resources,
- While maintaining higher quality.
Attributes that Make Shared Leadership Work
- Similar yet complementary skills among team members.
- Small team sizes for better collaboration.
- A sense of equality that fosters self-leadership and accountability.
- Above all, a learning mindset.
Benefits of Shared Leadership
- Develops leadership capacity.
- Distributes risk through shared responsibility.
- Contributes to organizational goals.
- Sustains the implementation of improvements.
- Encourages constant deliberation and dialogue, generating collective wisdom that drives innovation.
In other words, shared leadership could be the fireball needed to propel an organization into a superior performance curve.
Lakki Nair, Co-Founder, SCI
Stay tuned for subsequent articles exploring:
- Attributes needed for organizations to transition into a shared leadership model.
- Challenges and considerations in shared leadership.
