Is Shared Leadership the right way forward?

Historically, teams of people have been lead by a single ‘manager’ or a ‘boss’. The leadership of the team has been centered on how that once person manages and controls the subordinates. This has worked well in the past as teams generally were built around one function – marketing, finance, development and the like.

Lately however, many have started questioning the efficacy of such teams and the role of a single manager, arguing that certain duties can be shared with others on the team or in the company. Increasingly, this concept of shared leadership has been gathering steam. Research shows that leadership is a process, and, like most processes, it can be shared. One person who possesses essential knowledge and skills for a project-related task takes the lead to accomplish it. Then someone else steps up to direct the next task, and this process continues until the project is complete.

Increasingly in organizations, cross functional teams form the basis for creation and execution of tasks. These teams are made up of people with highly diverse skill sets, these teams collectively have all the skills necessary to perform a task. This further begs the question of the need of Shared Leadership.

The primary difference between a cross-functional team environment and a traditional structure is the lack of conventional hierarchy. Cross-functional teams may have a leader, but the person is more likely to be on equal footing with the rest of the team and have no authority over its members outside the context of the team. This is what levels the playing field for shared leaders. Cross-functional team leadership is determined by his or her ability to relate to and influence team members, and also by the needs of the team. Everyone on the team brings a wealth of skills, experiences, knowledge and perspectives.

It may not be a simple process to implement though. The road to transformation may be a long and painful. The following question should be asked – When and how should leadership be shared? How is shared leadership developed? How do you shift between traditional and shared leadership?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

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