Shared Leadership in Teams:  Expanding Traditional Approaches to Leadership to Make Teams and Organizations More Effective

Paul TeslukCenter for Leadership and Organizational EffectivenessUB School of Management

“Leadership…the ability of an individual to influence, motivate, and enable others to contribute toward the effectiveness and success of the organization” House et al., 1999

Why and how is leadership evolving to increasingly be more shared, distributed and networked, what might be the advantages for teams and organizations and what are potential approaches to build systems of shared leadership?

Changing nature of work and organizations = greater reliance on teams that…

Complex and ambiguous tasks

Dynamic environments

Differentiated, distributed expertise

Flatter systems

Evolving Nature of Leadership

Morning Star

• No one has a boss/manager• Colleagues negotiate

responsibilities with peers• Each individual and team is

responsible for acquiring own tools to do their work

• No titles or promotions• Compensation decisions are

peer-based

Shared Leadership Distribution of leadership influence across multiple team members Influence “claiming” and “granting” exchangesMutual influence embedded in team member interactions related to providing direction, motivation and support 

Greater utilization of knowledge and expertise Team identification and mutual accountability Commitment/engagement

= Superior Relational Coordination,Employee Engagement,Customer Focus

• Customer Satisfaction

• Customer Loyalty

Greater utilization of knowledge and expertise

Team identification and mutual accountability

Commitment/engagement

Shared Leadership Performance

Sources:Wang, D., Waldman, D. A., & Zhang, Z. (2013). A meta‐analysis of shared leadership and team effectiveness. Journal of Applied Psychology, 99(2): 181‐198.D’Innocenzo, L., Mathieu, J.E., Kukenberger, M.R. (2014). A meta‐analysis of different forms of shared leadership‐team performance relations.  Journal of Management, on‐line version.

• What are potential boundary conditions of shared leadership and its relationship with team performance?

Team Performance

Shared Leadership

HighLow

Low TeamCompetence

High TeamCompetence

5.0

3.0

4.0

Source:  Chiu, C, Tesluk, P. E., & Owens, B.,  (2014). Initiating and Utilizing Shared Leadership in Teams: The Interactive Effects of Leader Humility, Team Social Context, and Team Composition.  Working Paper.  UB School of Management.

• What are the enabling conditions that seem to promote the development of shared leadership?

Shared Leadership Enablers• Shared purpose

– Common understanding of team’s goals and purpose

• Social support– Team members’ efforts to provide 

emotional and psychological strength to each other

• Voice– Team members’ input into how the 

team carries out its purpose

• Team trust– team members’ willingness to assume 

vulnerability with others on the teamSource:  Carson, J. B., Tesluk, P. E., & Marrone, J. A. 2007. Shared leadership in teams: An investigation of antecedent conditions and performance. Academy of Management Journal, 50: 1217–1234.

• What is the role and forms of external team leadership that promote the development of shared leadership?

Evolving Nature of Leadership

• Shared purpose

• Social support

• Voice

• Team trust

•Empowering Leadership– Emphasize significance of work– Encourage participative decision making

– Build efficacy of the team– Reduce bureaucracy

•Leader Humility–Demonstrate self‐awareness– Acknowledge strengths and contributions of others

–Open to new ideas and feedback

SharedLeadership

Leader Humility

HighLow

Non ProactiveTeam

Highly ProactiveTeam

1.0

0.4

0.7

Source:  Chiu, C, Tesluk, P. E., & Owens, B.,  (2014). Initiating and Utilizing Shared Leadership in Teams: The Interactive Effects of Leader Humility, Team Social Context, and Team Composition.  Working Paper.  UB School of Management.

• Shared purpose

• Social support

• Voice

• Team trust

•Empowering Leadership– Emphasize significance of work– Encourage participative decision making

– Build efficacy of the team– Reduce bureaucracy

•Leader Humility–Demonstrate self‐awareness– Acknowledge strengths and contributions of others

–Open to new ideas and feedback

•Active Coaching–Help identify unique challenges– Assist with developing problem solutions

– Facilitate team learning and adaptation

Adaptive Performance

Shared Leadership

HighLow

Little Active Coaching

High Active Coaching

100%

0%

50%

Source:  Campbell, E.M., Bartol, K.M., Parke, M.R., Tesluk, P.E. (2014). Leading from Afar: How Virtual Team Leaders Facilitate Emergence and Effectiveness of Shared leader.  Working Paper.  University of Maryland and UB School of Management.

1. Shared leadership is well suited for the evolving nature of work and can best utilize expertise 

2. Teams need to have a clear sense of purpose and a high level of social support, trust and voice to engage in sharing leadership

3. Formal team leaders can enable shared leadership in their teams by engaging in empowerment, demonstrating humility, and using active coaching

1. Shared leadership is well suited for the evolving nature of work and can best utilize expertise 

2. Teams need to have a clear sense of purpose and a high level of social support, trust and voice to engage in sharing leadership

3. Formal team leaders can enable shared leadership in their teams by engaging empowerment, demonstrating humility, and using active coaching

Current shared leadership projects:• Buffalo Public Schools• Interdisciplinary health care teams• Sustainable urban transformation 

Additional Resources• Recommended academic research

– Carson, J. B., Tesluk, P. E., & Marrone, J. A. 2007. Shared leadership in teams: An investigation of antecedent conditions and performance. Academy of Management Journal, 50: 1217–1234.

– Wang, D., Waldman, D. A., & Zhang, Z. (2013). A meta‐analysis of shared leadership and team effectiveness. Journal of Applied Psychology. 99(2): 181‐198.

– D’Innocenzo, L., Mathieu, J.E., Kukenberger, M.R. (2014). A meta‐analysis of different forms of shared leadership‐team performance relations.  Journal of Management, on‐line version.

• You tube clip on shared leadership concept– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haqy9ff2BS8

• Great example of shared leadership (and followership) in sports – leadership philosophy of coach Phil Jackson– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVWqTQn‐jU4– See also, Jackson’s book, “11 Rings”

• Ted Talk by General Stanley McCrystal where shared leadership is covered– http://www.ted.com/talks/stanley_mcchrystal

• Wall Street Journal editorial column– http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB121441363110903891

Contact information:

Paul TeslukCenter for Leadership & Organizational Effectiveness (CLOE)School of ManagementUniversity at Buffalo, State University of New YorkJacobs Management CenterBuffalo, NY 14260‐4000phone: 716‐645‐3246email: ptesluk@buffalo.eduhttp://mgt.buffalo.edu/faculty/academic/resources/cloe