Why Should you Consider Implementing a Shared Leadership Model?

With so many working frames available, sometimes the choice gets too large, and overwhelming with it. In this article we’re giving you the lowdown on why a shared leadership model is an effective working frame and how that could be beneficial within your organization.

So what is shared leadership anyways?

Shared leadership is a model in which multiple individuals within an organization share leadership responsibilities and influence. Traditional leadership, by contrast, rests on one single leader who decides for everyone.

Shared leadership vs traditional leadership: what actually changes?

The difference is not a matter of tone, nor of how approachable the boss is. It sits in who holds the authority to decide, and in where that authority comes from. In a vertical model, authority is attached to a position. In a shared leadership model, it is attached to a role, and several people hold one at the same time.

One clarification is worth making here, because the two are often mixed up. Shared leadership is a behaviour inside a team: several people take the lead on what they know best. Shared governance is the formal framework an entire organization adopts, with circles, written decision-making processes and elections without candidates. A team can practise shared leadership in a company that has kept a classic hierarchy. And whichever style you start from, transactional or transformational, the shift concerns the same thing: what a leader keeps, and what they hand over.

What are its benefits?

Having a shared leadership model within your organization offers a myriad of benefits that not only could benefit your organization, but also teams. With great benefits comes a boost of performance. And as we had stated previously, working with agile working frames, the performance team gets higher. So get ready because here are some benefits your organization could be benefiting from:

Increased Innovation and Creativity:

• Shared leadership models allow diverse perspectives and ideas to be considered, fostering a culture of innovation and creativity. Different leaders bring unique insights, experiences, and approaches, leading to more effective problem-solving and decision-making.

Enhanced Decision-Making:

• With shared leadership, decisions are often made collaboratively, drawing on the collective wisdom and expertise of multiple leaders. This can result in better-informed decisions that consider a broader range of factors.

Adaptability and Flexibility:

• Shared leadership promotes adaptability and flexibility in response to changing circumstances. In dynamic environments, having a team of leaders who can collectively respond to challenges and opportunities enables the organization to be more agile.

Employee Engagement and Satisfaction:

• Shared leadership can contribute to increased employee engagement and satisfaction. When employees see that their ideas and contributions are valued, and they have opportunities to take on leadership roles, it can lead to a more positive and motivated workforce.

Development of Leadership Skills:

• Shared leadership provides opportunities for leadership development at various levels within the organization. It allows individuals to hone their leadership skills, fostering a pipeline of capable leaders and ensuring a more resilient leadership structure.

Reduced Dependency on a Single Leader:

• Relying on a single leader can pose risks, especially if that person leaves the organization or faces challenges. Shared leadership distributes responsibilities, reducing the organization's vulnerability to the absence or limitations of a single leader.

Improved Communication:

• Shared leadership encourages open communication among team members. The regular exchange of information and ideas promotes transparency, trust, and effective communication channels within the organization.

Cultural Diversity and Inclusion:

• Shared leadership can contribute to a more inclusive and diverse organizational culture. When leadership roles are distributed, it creates opportunities for individuals from different backgrounds and perspectives to have a voice in decision-making processes.

Better Utilization of Talent:

• Shared leadership allows organizations to tap into the diverse skills and expertise of their workforce. It ensures that the right people are in leadership roles, based on their specific strengths and capabilities.

Enhanced Resilience:

• In times of crisis or change, shared leadership can provide greater organizational resilience. The collective leadership approach ensures that the organization can navigate challenges with input from multiple leaders, reducing the risk of being adversely affected by the limitations of a single leader.

A quick video on how to delegate tasks effectively and efficiently in a model such as shared leadership. 

Article tip: Strategies for a successful organizational transformation 

What does the research actually say?

The benefits above are widely claimed, and the evidence behind them is narrower than the claims. One of the clearest measurements comes from a 2021 study by Qiong Wu and Kathryn Cormican, published in Frontiers in Psychology. The authors surveyed 26 engineering design teams, 119 people in total, and found that shared leadership went together with team task performance (r = 0.52), with team viability (r = 0.43) and with overall team effectiveness (r = 0.50).

Two caveats matter before you turn that into a promise. It is a correlational study on a small sample in a single industry: it shows that the two travel together, not that one causes the other. And the same study found the link stronger in the early phase of a project, the one spent planning and generating strategy, than in the later phases. Shared leadership is not equally useful at every moment: it pays most while the work is still being framed, and less once the team is executing a plan already set.

Article tip: Impact of self-leadership and shared leadership on the performance of virtual R&D teams

But what are its cons?

If we share its pros, it’s only fair we share its cons, too! And here is the downside of a shared leadership model.

According to Manuel Pistner, some of its cons are : 

• Room for conflict: Having different opinions and viewpoints on a specific topic can bring a lot of conflict between team members and make the decision making slower. 
• A shared leadership model can be difficult to implement and tedious at the beginning. Traditional hierarchy has been so ingrained in our working system, that detaching from such practice can be overwhelming for some. 

Still curious about the shared leadership model?

If you’re curious about this particular working model and wish to explore the ins and outs, here are quick tips on how to practice them:

Build Trust:

• Establish a foundation of trust within the team. Trust is essential for open communication and collaboration.

Clear Communication:

• Encourage open and transparent communication. Ensure that team members feel comfortable expressing their ideas and opinions.

Define Roles and Responsibilities:

• Clearly define roles and responsibilities for each team member. This helps in avoiding confusion and ensures that everyone knows their contribution to the team's success.

Set Common Goals:

• Establish clear, common goals for the team. Shared objectives create a sense of purpose and unite team members toward a common vision.

Encourage Initiative:

• Foster a culture where team members feel empowered to take initiative. Encourage them to contribute ideas, propose solutions, and take ownership of tasks.

Value Diversity:

• Acknowledge and appreciate the diverse skills, experiences, and perspectives of team members. A variety of viewpoints can enrich the decision-making process.

Provide Training and Development:

• Offer training and development opportunities to enhance team members' skills and capabilities. This can contribute to a more capable and empowered team.

Create a Supportive Environment:

• Foster a supportive and inclusive workplace culture where individuals feel comfortable expressing their opinions without fear of judgment.

Seek Feedback:

• Regularly seek feedback from team members on how the team is functioning and how shared leadership can be improved. Use this feedback to make necessary adjustments.

Lead by Example:

• Leaders should model the behavior they expect from their team. Demonstrate collaboration, openness, and a willingness to share leadership responsibilities.

Emphasize Continuous Improvement:

• Encourage a culture of continuous improvement where the team is always looking for ways to enhance processes and collaboration.

What to remember?

Remember that a shared leadership model is an ongoing process, and it may take the team time to adapt. Start with one team and one clear scope rather than the whole organization, write down who decides what, and review it after a quarter. If decisions keep piling up on the same two people, what you have is decision fatigue, not a shared model. And if you need a tool to support shared leadership, Talkspirit maps roles and responsibilities in a dynamic organizational chart and keeps decisions and their rationale visible to everyone: book a demo to see how it would fit your organization.

Want to know how to implement shared leadership in your company and explore other organizational models out there? Download our latest white paper packed with expert insights 👇

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In our white paper "The Ultimate Guide to Organizational Models", you'll get: a comprehensive overview of innovative organizational models (like Agile, Teal, Holacracy, Shared Governance, and more), testimonials from pioneer organizations that have successfully adopted it, best practices for choosing, implementing and measuring the effectiveness of our model, as well as digital tools to facilitate the transition.