Have you ever thought that leadership might be best conceived as a group quality, a set of functions carried out collectively? If yes, you’re not alone. This idea was proposed by social science researcher Gibb in 1954. However, the traditional leader-centric approach, which has long provided a sense of order and control for shareholders, now seems outdated and in need of revision.
Cultural conditioning and the romance of leadership pose significant barriers to this shift. People tend to attribute success and failure to individuals, making distributed leadership counter-intuitive. Yet, there are numerous examples of followers acting with integrity and adhering to common consent without enforcement. These actions exemplify the essence of distributed leadership.
Shifting to a distributed leadership model is driven by the need to adapt to modern talent acquisition processes. Creativity thrives with freedom, and talented employees require autonomy to perform tasks their way. Traditional leaders face a choice: hire from a limited talent pool or embrace distributed leadership.
Distributed leadership requires a conducive environment to thrive. Statistics show its adoption is more prevalent in Northern Europe and business management, while sectors like education and healthcare still favour traditional leadership models. The key question is: How should leadership be distributed?
Distributed leadership, often associated with shared leadership, involves a dynamic, interactive, non-formal influence process among individuals in groups. This process aims to achieve group or organisational goals through peer, lateral, upward, or downward influence.
In today’s project-based business management, forming project management teams is more practical than having a single operation manager. These teams exchange support, influence, tasks, and information necessary for project completion. The acceptance of job mobility has eliminated the concentration of knowledge that leaders once held.
Onboarding experienced employees pays off only if their expertise is leveraged. This requires listening to and adopting their ideas, the core of shared and distributed leadership. Each team member leads in specific tasks, problem-solving, or product development, contributing to the leadership process. Supporting and optimising each other’s ideas embodies the spirit of distributed leadership.
Easy access to information and countless online resources allow individuals to learn from experts worldwide, accelerating knowledge acquisition and idea generation. Distributed leadership empowers dedicated employees to take on significant responsibilities at a young age, valuing effort over tenure.
By fostering an environment of collaboration and shared leadership, organisations can harness the full potential of their teams, driving innovation and achieving collective goals.
Dr. Youssef Lamaa
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