Does Sharing Leadership Actually Work?

Abstract

Shared leadership is being utilized in increasing measures across a spectrum of organizations. It appears to afford numerous advantages within the context of the evolving modern workforce. Most of the studies on shared leadership have focused on its benefits, but few have considered potential weaknesses. This research sought to ascertain whether the benefits that have been correlated with this leadership model are valid and what drawbacks and limitations might be associated with it. This was accomplished by surveying prominent leaders from several faith-based organizations in the United States that utilize shared leadership. Thirteen leaders from 7 organizations were interviewed. An emergent design and a qualitative approach were employed, along with a purposive sampling technique. A descriptive approach based on semi-structured interviews was adopted to help elucidate the benefits and drawbacks these groups encountered. Ten benefits that were found in the academic literature had also been observed in the organizations surveyed. These included exceptional outcomes, enhanced decision-making, complex problem solving, creative innovation, team-member fit, team synergy, organizational vitality, healthy organizational culture, individual wellbeing, and sustained growth. Five drawbacks were also discovered. These included the difficulty of the model, a potential lack of follow-through, a possible lack of efficiency, a general lack of acceptance of the model, and the danger of immature or usurping team members. The description of these five limitations is a novel contribution to this field of inquiry.