Collaborative Leadership

Collaborative Leadership

Collaborative leadership is all about collaborative problem-solving and decision-making or can also be defined as the leadership of a collaborative effort. . The term started to appear in the mid-1990s in response to the formation of long term public-private partnerships to rebuild public infrastructure. Learn how you can use principles of collaborative leadership to enhance your leadership skills for being an effective leader.

What is Collaborative Leadership?

There could be two ways to define collaborative leadership, first, it could be the leadership of a collaborative effort and second, it could be leadership as a collaborative effort.  The term Collaborative Leadership describes an emerging body of theory and management practice which is focused on the leadership skills and attributes needed to deliver results across organizational boundaries. Collaboration is a purposeful relationship in which all parties strategically choose to cooperate in order to accomplish a shared outcome. A collaborative leader is the one who has the ability to take responsibility for a heterogeneous team to accomplish a shared need/purpose.  Collaboration requires managers to achieve success through people and resources outside their control.

Some common themes that appear from these definitions are listed below:

1. There exists a common purpose or shared need

2. Successful outcome of the shared need depends on contributions from the heterogeneous team, more or less in the nature of voluntary contributions

3. Everyone is on an equal footing and enjoys the same rights and responsibilities

4. All need to work together to solve a problem, create something new, or run an organization or initiative; different talents or abilities are called for success

5. The leader is not the formal leader, does not have absolute control of the group, but has assumed the responsibility for guiding and coordinating the process by which the group decides upon and carries out actions to accomplish its goals

6. Leadership is permanently shared by all or several, members of the group. Group guides itself

Characteristics of Collaborative Leaders:

1. Willingness to take risks, finds the personal motive for collaborating

2. Eager listeners and likes building relationships

3. Passion for the cause; have long term vision

4. Optimistic about the future

5. Able to share knowledge, power, and credit

6. Effective Communicators; ability to simplify complex situations for the group

7. Ability to handle group conflict

8. Ability to motivate, inject energy, passion, and drive into the team

Situations where Effective:

1. Public-Private Partnerships

2. Global Supply Chains

3. Civic collaboration to solve complex community problems

4. On-line collaboration – Linux, Wikipedia, etc.

5. Political collaboration to tackle global issues such as the credit crunch, climate change, and terrorism

6. Situations where problems are serious and complex

7. Situations when there are a number of diverse stakeholders

8. Situations when stakeholders have varied interests

9. Situations when an issue affects a whole organization or a whole community

Leadership Tasks for Collaborative Leader:

1. Inspiring commitment and action

2. Proving guidance and helps people develop the vision and passion

3. Facilitator and a great problem solver

4. Inclusiveness/building broad-based involvement

5. Motivation and participation

6. Fostering close relationships among staff members

7. Restating arguments, ideas, or issues so that everyone's clear on them

8. Ensuring all voices are heard

9. Keeping the focus on what's best for the group

10. Helping the group to identify and obtain the necessary resources to do the work

Related Links

Creation Date Friday, 08 March 2013 Hits 17342 leadership studies, Leadership Theories, theories of leadership, types of leadership

You May Also Like

  • Agile Leadership Style

    Agile Leadership Style

    Charles Darwin had once commented that “It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” Agility means the capability of rapidly and efficiently adapting to changes and recently, agility has been applied in the context of software development, agile enterprise, and agile leadership. Agile leaders play an important, even essential, role in scaling agility in an organization. Understand how being an agile leader helps in effectively catalyzing organizational change.

  • Factors of Leadership

    Factors of Leadership

    There are four major factors in leadership called Leader, Follower, Communication, and Situation. The success of the leader is dependent on how the leader is effectively able to communicate and motivate followers to perform desired tasks using the appropriate leadership style best suited for the given situation. Interdependencies and dynamics of these four factors of leadership must be considered by a leader to be effective.

  • Charismatic Leadership

    Charismatic Leadership

    Charisma is a certain quality of an individual personality, by virtue of which he is set apart from ordinary men. Charismatic Leader gathers followers, through dint of personality and charm. Understand the meaning and concept of Charismatic Leadership and the qualities of a charismatic leader. Gain an understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of using charismatic leadership. Finally, explore the difference between charismatic and transformational leadership.

  • Facilitative Leadership

    Facilitative Leadership

    Facilitative Leadership is all about involving the employees in the decision-making process at all levels enhancing their sense of ownership, responsibility, and motivation. Facilitative leadership style uses a number of indirect communication patterns to help the group reach consensus and build commitment for the decision taken. To be effective in modern organizations, managers need to become facilitative leaders, learn what it means to be a one.

  • Adaptive Leadership Style

    Adaptive Leadership Style

    Adaptive leadership is a style of leadership that emphasizes the importance of each and every person and role within the company. Adaptive leadership views the organization as an ever-changing, living organization, where employees can learn, adapt, and grow. Adaptive leaders mobilize people towards a common goal and also have the courage to experiment with new ideas and approaches. Adaptive leadership is the practice of mobilizing groups of people to tackle tough challenges and thrive. Learn how to adopt this style and how to become an adaptive leader!

  • Scientific Management Style

    Scientific Management Style

    Frederick Winslow Taylor started the “Scientific Management Movement”, and attempted to study the work process scientifically. Scientific management, also called Taylorism, was a theory of management that analyzed and synthesized workflows. It is a system for increasing the efficiency of manpower to its maximum potential and streamlining production to improve efficiency. This article explores this theory in more detail.

  • Bureaucratic Leadership Style

    Bureaucratic Leadership Style

    Bureaucratic leadership relies on a clear chain of command and strict regulations. Bureaucratic leadership style is a very decent style for work involving serious safety risks, such as handling toxic substances, moving large objects. The focus is on compliance with rules and laid down procedures to make sure that the group is doing their job correctly and safely. Learn some advantages and disadvantages of this style and situations in which this style could prove to be effective.

  • Cross-Cultural Leadership

    Cross-Cultural Leadership

    Understanding of how individuals of different cultures interact with each other is very important. Not all individuals can adapt to the leadership styles expected in a different culture whether that culture is organizational or national. In a fast-paced business environment, developing a richer understanding and sensitivity to other cultures is a skill that leaders must possess. Learn to be effective in a cross-cultural setting.

  • Authentic Leadership Style

    Authentic Leadership Style

    Authentic leadership is an approach to leadership that emphasizes building the leader's legitimacy through honest relationships with followers which value their input and are built on an ethical foundation. The authentic leader acts upon his or her values and beliefs, and inspires others to do the same, is committed to know and develop oneself. Are you committed to developing yourself; know your motivations and the purpose of your leadership? Read this article to know more about authentic leadership style and discovering your authentic self. 

  • Bad Leadership Style

    Bad Leadership Style

    A good leadership style is something that every effective leader must have in order to succeed, but identifying what that entails or does not entails might be difficult to understand. Most of the research on leadership focuses on the exemplary, best practices, and positive attributes of effective and successful leaders. This article talks about a new approach to learn leadership using lessons from bad leadership. That is the lessons to be learned by examining leaders who have not effectively exercised their power, authority, or influence.

Explore Our Free Training Articles or
Sign Up to Start With Our eLearning Courses

Subscribe to Our Newsletter


© 2023 TechnoFunc, All Rights Reserved