The role of the vertical leader in developing a shared leadership work team.

Abstract

In recent years, organizations more often make use of teams in which leadership is shared amongst its members. The present study investigated the role of the vertical leader in developing such a team. Literature suggested that this leader should develop and empower self-leadership skills in the team members. The following question is answered in the study: How can a vertical leader develop and empower self-leadership-skills in team members that contribute to the development of shared leadership work teams? Team members and vertical leaders have been interviewed using in-depth semi-structured interviews. Results showed that a vertical leader can adopt three roles. First, the leader should create a working environment with a suitable balance in autonomy and structure. In this environment team members should be helped to obtain insight in their self-leadership skills. Second, the leader should learn his new role, i.e. transferring the decision making process to the team. Third, the leader should provide clear direction and communication to the team. These results contribute to the research field of implementing shared leadership in a team with a designated vertical leader. Organizations and vertical leaders can use these results when making a transition to self-managing teams in which leadership is shared.