Shared leadership
Leadership is a team responsibility
Shared, distributed, collective, participative - synonyms for how leadership should look today.
The power of shared leadership
Shared leadership means leadership sits with a group instead of with a single role: whoever has the most oversight or knowledge at a given moment takes the lead, and that shifts per topic. Hierarchy does not disappear, exclusivity does. Ownership is encouraged. The framework comes from the research of Koen Marichal and Karen Wouters at Antwerp Management School.
More on the approach at Antwerp Management School - towards shared leadership and in the book Naar gedeeld leiderschap (Pelckmans, 2018).
Shared leadership revolves around the idea that leadership is no longer limited to one person with all the power, but rather to taking on different roles within a team.
It happens at all levels of an organisation, from the top to the shop floor. It is a process of building and maintaining trust, where everyone can take the lead or be led at different moments.
It's about using everyone's capabilities and talents to achieve the maximum result. All team members are crucial for optimal performance.
Why choose shared leadership?
Research shows that shared leadership increases a team's effectiveness. When each member sticks to their job description, the team doesn't function optimally. Stimulating ownership and autonomy forms a strong bond between team members.
Does it always lead to better teams?
Not with certainty. Some employees may experience more autonomy as a burden, especially if imposed from above.
Our research, such as the workability survey, does show a positive link between autonomy and how workable people find their job. Employees thrive and feel more valued when they:
- Have varied tasks.
- Have decision-making authority.
- Have a voice in their work planning.
- Have access to essential information to do their work well.
How do you implement it successfully?
It starts with an organisational culture where having a voice is possible. Shared leadership requires a break with classical hierarchical structures: the accent shifts to autonomous teamwork. Hierarchical leaders remain important - as role models and providers of direction.
In short: shared leadership is an integral story, in which both the structural and cultural aspects of the organisation are addressed together.
The structural lens
Looking at leadership through a structural lens means focusing on the organisational set-up: how are authority and responsibilities distributed?
Key questions:
- Which regulatory tasks and decision-making authorities are placed where in the organisation?
- What are the specific roles of direct leaders and team leaders?
The cultural lens
The cultural lens looks at how the leadership role is fulfilled, including leadership style. We analyse the behaviour, style and identity of leaders in the organisation.
Key questions:
- How do leaders see their own role? Is their leadership identity clearly defined?
- Do leaders work together as a team?
- Is there a shared norm regarding leadership?
A collective vision on leadership
Forging a shared vision on leadership is no small feat. With the LeadershipGround card set we grow alignment and support.
Frequently asked
Leadership that sits with a group instead of with a single role. Whoever has the most oversight or knowledge at a given moment takes the lead, and that shifts per topic. It requires clear agreements about who may decide what, otherwise it becomes ambiguity.
No. Hierarchy does not disappear, exclusivity does. Someone remains ultimately accountable, and it is precisely that person who has to make and keep room. Programmes usually do not stall on teams that are unwilling, but on a top that does not move along.
Not with a training course, but with one real decision that you move to the team, including the budget and its consequences. Then look at what happened. We use LeadershipGround to make that conversation concrete rather than a matter of principle.