Leading hybrid organisations: the contribution of "leadership beacons", emotional transcendence, and transitional space to cross organisational collaboration

Abstract

Hybrid organisations contribute to solving wicked problems arising from societal issues stemming from public health, climate change, or crime. They combine at least two organisations with different institutional logics, cultures, and identities. Their collaboration across boundaries is characterised by conflicts and paradoxical tensions due to the inherent coopetition paradox arising from the need to maintain their organisational identities. My research with a Dutch public–private partnership (PPP) fighting large-scale financial crime focuses on the understanding of emotional reactions of management and leadership to these conflicts and paradoxical tensions. In a preliminary study used as a foundation I demonstrated together with colleagues that emotional transcendence is a key ingredient in facilitating collaboration. In this presented study I found that "leadership beacons", i.e.leaders with a clear and pronounced value-based leadership approach which illuminate the path towards collaboration are creating this emotional transcendence. In this article I want to first show how leadership beacons create this emotional transcendence by offering a transitional space. As a result, emotional trust and thus collaboration are strengthened. Some resulting practical advice for leaders will follow and I will conclude this article with a discussion of the results and an outlook for future research.