Shared leadership, diversity, and information sharing in teams

Abstract

Purpose– Shared leadership is increasingly important in today's organizations. The purpose of this paper is to examine the association between shared leadership and team performance, the moderating role of demographic diversity and the mediating role of information sharing on this relationship.Design/methodology/approach– The research used a field study design, quantitative data of employees from two different organizations. Data were analyzed with structural equation modeling analyses.Findings– Shared leadership was positively associated with team performance and this association was mediated by information sharing. Demographic diversity moderated the relationship between shared leadership and team performance, such that shared leadership was more strongly associated with team performance in more diverse teams and less in less diverse teams.Research limitations/implications– The results found support for moderating and mediating variables, explaining under what conditions and how shared leadership is associated with team performance in organizations.Practical implications– The findings highlight the importance of nurturing shared leadership, in particular as teams tend to grow more diverse in our todays’ work settings. They also highlight the importance of diversity in how shared leadership unfolds its potential.Social implications– The research highlights that shared leadership, diversity, and information are increasingly important in today's organizations and should be considered from a more positive standpoint.Originality/value– This research explored the association between shared leadership, demographic diversity, and information sharing with team performance. It represents a first step in examining the moderating and mediating variables of the shared leadership and team performance association.