Leadership for the public good

Abstract

Some of society's most persistent and vexing problems, such as disproportionately low post-secondary degree attainment rates, have led to the emergence of cross-sector collaboration (CSC) as an increasingly common approach to solve these problems (Bao, Wang, Larsen, & Morgan, 2012). Leaders have been identified as a key ingredient to the success of such collaborative networks (Crosby & Bryson, 2010). Unfortunately, there is a deficit of empirical evidence that describes the lived experience of organizational leaders involved with advancing CSCs (Sydow, Lerch, Huxham, & Hibbert, 2011). This deficit is particularly pronounced with regards to the experience of organizational leaders representing each of the major economic sectors (nonprofit, private, and public) in the same CSC (Sakarya, Bodur, Yildirim-Öktem, & Selekler-Göksen, 2012). This qualitative study used Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis to consider how six organizational leaders from the nonprofit, private, and public sectors who are leading an education-oriented CSC make sense of collaborative leadership. The study identifies five superordinate themes that define how these organizational leaders understand collaborative leadership: relationships are fundamental; involves practice of sharing leadership; collaborative mindset in place of competitive mindset; value exchange of collaboration; and role of systems change. These superordinate themes informed four conclusions. First, collaborative leadership demands a shift in orientation and mindset. Second, collaborative leadership involves a broader, multi-level understanding of value. Third, the right conditions are required to facilitate collaborative leadership and collaborative advantage - as opposed to collaborative inertia (Huxham & Vangen, 2000). Fourth, sector-oriented activities and values influence collaborative leadership.