Collaborative Leadership

Collaborative leadership is a management practice in which leadership is shared among a group of people in an organization. Collaborative leadership differs from traditional hierarchy-based leadership in that such organizations lack a formal power structure. They do not give authority to particular individuals. Instead, they expect all members to work together as a collective (group) to make decisions, solve problems, and meet goals.

This type of leadership is very suitable in circumstances in which issues or problems are very complex or in situations when no one individual is in charge and responsibility is best shared due to circumstances or the complexity of the matter at hand.

Overview

Collaborative leadership tasks a group with working together to guide an organization or project successfully to completion. Members of the group do not assume traditional management authority but instead get results by sharing responsibility and exercising influence (the ability to affect other people’s thought processes and/or actions).

Although this type of leadership can take different forms, effective collaborative leadership generally exhibits specific characteristics, including:

• The group collectively solves problems and makes decisions. Members work together to study the predicament or issue at hand and develop a goal or plan of action.
• The process is an open one; the discussion, action plan, goal, and/or other end result has been actively developed by the group as a whole.
• If a leader is involved, that person manages the process and not the people. A leader will provide guidance but not management.

Advantages

Collaborative leadership can be advantageous for organizations, especially those in which members are peers (on an equal level with each other). For example, collaborative leadership is often a good choice for a professional advocacy group (a group made up of professionals who are concerned about an issue in their industry).

Some advantages of collaborative leadership organizations include the following:

• Group members are treated as equals, so members tend to stay involved.
• Active involvement in decision-making and problem-solving helps build a sense of ownership in the organization and can cement commitment to a cause.
• The open nature of the process leads to a high degree of trust among members.

Disadvantages

As with other types of management practices, collaborative leadership has disadvantages, too. For example,

• Collaborative leadership can be a time-consuming, slow-moving style of management. Because so many people may be involved in decision-making, the organization may not be able to move quickly on time-sensitive matters.
• Collaborative leadership requires the ability to negotiate conflict. Individuals must be able to resolve differences of opinion among themselves. They must deal with a variety of diverse personalities and beliefs. This can be difficult.
• Group members must learn to put their own egos aside for the betterment of the organization. They must be able to share leadership responsibilities and accolades (praise) with a group.

Applications

Collaborative leadership can be used in a variety of circumstances. Although this type of leadership practice is sometimes seen in the business world, it is more often used in civic coalitions, community-based organizations, and alternative education.

Businesses

Most businesses are operated for a profit (they are in business to make money). To support this goal, they are usually structured in a traditional, hierarchy-based way. This involves one leader providing oversight to the entire organization and various managers overseeing operations in organizational areas.

Although most businesses are structured traditionally, modern organizations understand that collaborative leadership is needed to maximize the opportunity for success. Management and employees who are able to actively participate in the development of goals and action plans are more motivated and engaged.

Civic Coalitions and Community-Based Organizations

Civic coalitions and community-based organizations are groups of citizens who work together to solve identified social problems, either locally or in the wider community, such as a city, state, or nation. Collaborative leadership tends to work well for these groups because they are usually staffed by volunteers who operate with limited financial resources.

Educational Organizations

Most traditional educational systems are designed as bureaucracies (systems of administration in which work is divided and completed by those in a variety of specialized areas). While collaboration is a key element in gaining acceptance with the different stakeholders (persons or groups with direct interest or connection in something) involved in the school system—including administrators, teachers, parents, and the school board—these organizations typically are not designed to be collaborative.

Alternative education is broadly defined as educational programs or activities or programs outside of the traditional K–12 curriculum. These programs frequently serve at-risk students who are not well-served in a traditional classroom. Alternative education programs are often designed to be collaborative efforts to maximize the success of the student population. Collaborative leadership works because it gives different stakeholders an active voice and role in the process.

Political/Advocacy Groups

Political/advocacy groups are those that focus on important global issues, such as the environment, campaign finance reform, and terrorism. These groups work to influence government officials to develop policies or change laws to be more favorable to their position on a particular issue. Many of these groups operate as nonprofits with financial constraints; therefore, collaboration is a key way they can successfully engage a larger number of participants and advance their missions.

Bibliography

Archer, David, and Alex Cameron. Collaborative Leadership: How to Succeed in an Interconnected World. Routledge, 2009.

Harman, Beryl, and Sue Stein. The Art and Skill of Collaborative Leadership. Association for Talent Development, 2015. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=1066814&site=ehost-live. Accessed 1 Nov. 2024.

Ibarra, Herminia, and Morten T. Hansen. “Are You a Collaborative Leader?” Harvard Business Review, July-Aug. 2011, hbr.org/2011/07/are-you-a-collaborative-leader. Accessed 1 Nov. 2024.

Joubert, Shayna. "Collaborative Leadership: What It Is and Why It’s Important."Northeastern University, 20 Sept. 2024, graduate.northeastern.edu/resources/collaborative-leadership/. Accessed 1 Nov. 2024.

Kochan, F., and C. Reed. “Collaborative Leadership, Community Building, and Democracy in Public Education.” The SAGE Handbook of Educational Leadership, edited by Fenwick W. English, Sage Publications, 2005, pp. 68–81.

Samur, Alex. "Collaborative Leadership: An Inclusive Way to Manage Virtual Teams." Slack, 17 May 2022, slack.com/blog/collaboration/collaborative-leadership-top-down-team-centric. Accessed 1 Nov. 2024.

“Section 11. Collaborative Leadership.” Work Group for Community Development at the University of Kansas. Community Tool Box, 2014, ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/leadership/leadership-ideas/collaborative-leadership/main. Accessed 1 Nov. 2024.