In today's working world, quick decisions are required. Projects are becoming more complex and there is no time for long deliberations in order to keep up with the competition. The concept of shared leadership is based on the idea that responsibility is spread across several shoulders. Today, tasks usually require not just the expertise of one individual, but a wide range of specialist knowledge. The leader is no longer the person who has the most expertise in one specialist area, but heads a pool of experts who each contribute specialist knowledge from their own field. How can leadership work in this world of work?
Shared leadership means "shared leadership". The idea behind this is that management responsibility is distributed across several shoulders. The transfer of management responsibility is usually temporary. Employees take on responsibility for a project until it is completed. In the meantime, the manager withdraws. The old pattern of employees merely following tasks instead of actively helping to shape them has been broken since Generation Y and Generation Z at the latest. Employees do not want to be forced into a strict leadership role, but still want to take on responsibility.
These are the characteristics of shared leadership:
Shared leadership does not have to be implemented as a new management model; it can also be integrated into existing management concepts. The model is flexible. Employees can be assigned management tasks on a temporary and project basis, but these do not have to be permanent. No one rests on their laurels in one position, but has to prove their skills and competencies again and again.
How shared leadership is integrated into existing management models must be carefully considered in advance. As several team members take on responsibility, complexity also increases, placing greater demands on teamwork and communication. It can also happen that leaders - consciously or unconsciously - use the leadership model to outsource unpleasant leadership tasks, which in turn can have a negative impact on morale. In addition, a particular challenge arises from the fact that teams also work together across project boundaries and other people are always the decision-makers. Shared leadership therefore requires a clear definition of competencies in advance, which are communicated to all team members.
The goal of shared leadership is the same as in all other leadership models: Good cooperation within the team. Shared leadership responsibility should increase motivation and willingness to perform and also improve the individual's identification with their role within the team. Shared leadership is positively related to the willingness to help each other instead of standing out as an individual. Employees often feel more satisfied in shared leadership and are more loyal to their employer. Satisfied employees are ultimately more productive.
The shared leadership model is particularly beneficial to companies that have to manage complex tasks and are reliant on innovation for their future viability. Where projects and tasks become more complex, it is worth breaking up hierarchical models and making better use of individual resources instead.
If you would like to learn how to incorporate the concept of shared leadership into your company, please contact us!