AbstractsEconomics

Shared Leadership and its Future Potential

by Johansson Victor




Institution: Linnæus University
Department:
Year: 2015
Keywords: Shared leadership; team; vertical leadership; performance; trust; implementation; Social Sciences; Economics and Business; Business Administration; Samhällsvetenskap; Ekonomi och näringsliv; Företagsekonomi; Leadership and Management in International Context, magisterprogram, 60 hp; Leadership and Management in International Context, Master Programme, 60 credits; Ledarskap och organisation; Management and Organization
Record ID: 1349553
Full text PDF: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-43689


Abstract

Leaders are often called upon to make sense out of complicated situations and give direction to others, and the situations have increased in both number and complexity. A solution to this problem has been identified in sharing leadership and engaging the potential of entire organizations. Therefore the purpose of this literature review is to map and identify interesting areas about shared leadership. Investigating if shared leadership can help organisations become more efficient in a world of growing complexity. Focusing on why organisational actors should consider a shared leadership approach. Critically examine the potential outcome from shared leadership and how an organisation could move towards adopting a shared leadership approach, including steps, conditions and actions that would be required. Literature about shared leadership and similar concepts has increased extensively, causing dissension in the area. Aiming to explore, understand and express what the literature says about shared leadership we adopted the systems view with an inductive and qualitative approach. Realising that shared leadership most commonly is practiced and studied in teams we adopted this scope and went deeper into the social process and conditions for creating shared leadership in teams. Shared leadership was found to solve demands for increased knowledge, skill and ability among modern leaders. Preferably implemented successively by vertical leaders into cross-functional teams conducting knowledge work. Tasks to simple or time to urgent however makes shared leadership ineffective, while misaligned perceptions and purposes between team members might diminish trust and neglect shared leadership. This review then makes valuable implications for future research, suggesting deepened empirical research in the implication of shared leadership.