What is shared leadership?

I believe that good policy development is based upon wise decisions evolved from polling a group of diversely informed individuals. Shared leadership can enhance and make more effective the process of policy development.

Leadership has been historically conceived around an individual and that individual’s relationship to subordinates or followers. The leadership field has focused its attention on the behaviors, mindsets, and actions of the leader in a team or organization. However, the fastest growing organizational unit is the team, specifically cross-functional teams. What distinguishes these groups from traditional organizational forms is often the absence of hierarchical authority. Leadership is not determined by positions of authority, but rather by an individual’s capacity to influence peers, and by the needs of the team in any given moment. Each member of the team brings unique perspectives, knowledge, and capabilities to the team. For each there are moments when background characteristics provide a platform for leadership. I was at a seminar presentation on shared leadership.

I was more than a bit skeptical, when a gentleman ahead of me raised his hand and expressed my thinking. “Shared leadership sounds great but I see successful organizations with someone leading the charge up the hill.” The presenter (a skilled consultant, Leslie Dashew) said, “Are you married, sir, and do you have children? May I ask if that is how your children were raised? By your command?” The gentlemen smiled good naturedly and said, “I take your point.” I was glad I had not been the first to question, and my interest has continued.

See an excellent treatment of this subject, Shared Leadership, Craig L. Pearce and Jay A. Conger, Editors, All those Years Ago: The Historical Underpinnings of Shared Leadership, Craig L. Pearce and Jay A. Conger, Sage Publications, 2003.