1. Shared Leadership
Doing More with More
Elissa Perry • Think. Do. Repeat.
www.thinkdorepeat.com•415.902.3709•elissa@thinkdorepeat.com
2. Definitions and Styles of Leadership
Charismati
c
Shared Servant
Leadership
Without
Distributed
Authority
Team Democratic
2
3. Definitions
Intelligence
The ability to create something, solve a challenge
or address an issue that is of value across
communities and groups of people (based on the
definition of Intelligence from Howard Gardner’s
Frames of Mind).
Leadership
The practice of developing and exercising
intelligence in self and developing and supporting
the intelligence of others.
4. Shared Leadership
“Shared leadership in an organizational context
refers to the ways in which
authority, responsibility and accountability are
more broadly distributed and supported with
structures, communication strategies and
processes that create opportunities for fuller
participation in the leadership of the
organization by more of its staff.”
– Leadership Learning Community, 2010
4
5. The Spectrum of Shared Leadership
Variance in who leads what,through which structures, along
a spectrum between more authoritarian models, which
focus on one leader, and more inclusive models which
focus on the leadership of many.
5
6. Leader-led: Leadership capacity is primarily
is uni-directional.
Leadership capacity is Multi-directional.
People with authority are (and therefore
organizational culture is) invested in
many people having multi-directional
leadership capacity.
Many people exercising leadership
as appropriate in different contexts.
7. Technical &Adaptive Challenges
TECHNICAL & ADAPTIVE
What’s the Who Does the
Work Work
Application
Techn
of existing Authorities
ical
know-how
The people
Adapt onLearn Heifetz and Martin Linsky, 2002.
the Line by Ron new
From Leadership
with the
ive ways
challenge
8. Organizational Readiness
Explicit commitment by senior leadership to change
Up front investment of time to educate and plan
Fundamental management practices in place
Focus on engagement and accountability and
learning
Identification of and agreement on shared values
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9. Points of Entry
Transformation in mindset and role – working
with individuals
Organizational restructuring – breaking out of
what’s been
Attention to communication and decision-
making – paying attention to the how
Attention to organizational culture and
relationships – paying attention to the what
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10. What It Has Looked Like
2 years, workshops, peer
exchanges, conferences for 2 staff from 27
organizations – Strengthening Organizations
to Mobilize California
8 Month Intensive with Core Team of 8 staff
and consultants, Workshops, Team
coaching, Peer coaching – County
Collaborative
5 Month Series with 4 Workshops, Team
Coaching and Peer Coaching with 2 staff from
13 organizations – Regional Management
Assistance Organization “Partnership in
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Action” Series
11. The Bevy of Benefits
Benefits include:
Working environment aligned with values
Lower stress and risk of burnout
More empowered, engaged, responsive and responsible staff
Improved decision-making, especially re: adaptive challenges
Deeper leadership bench
More and sometimes better ideas
More and more diverse external representation and greater
community connection and relevance
Greater impact
Challenges include:
Significant time and possibly financial commitment
Stepping back and stepping up
Quite clumsyin the beginning
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12. Questions to Consider
What are other successful ways to develop and
sustain shared leadership systems and processes?
How can shared leadership be extended beyond staff
to the board and to allies?
Howdoesshared leadership within one organization
support and enhance networks and movement
building?
What are the implications for philanthropy and
supporting shared leadership in an among
organizations and movements?
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13. Resources
Doing More with More – Nonprofit Quarterly, Summer
2011
http://thinkdorepeat.wordpress.com/
Structuring Leadership – Building Movement
Project, 2011
http://www.buildingmovement.org/news/entry/277
Shared Leadership Presentation – Leadership Learning
Community, 2010
http://www.slideshare.net/leadershipera/shared-
leadership-session-alliance-for-nonprofit-management
Elissa Perry •Think. Do. Repeat.
www.thinkdorepeat.com•415.902.3709 •elissa@thinkdorepeat.com
Editor's Notes
Shared Leadership is:- deeper diffusion of authority and responsibility into the organization. the capacity that organizations need to solve the complex or “adaptive” problems they face today.Shared leadership looks like:Developing staff as leaders at all levels of the organizationIncrease in staff involvement in decision making Clear and effective accountability structuresIntentionally creating the structure and culture needed to share leadershipWhat’s possible: -Doing more effective work -Greater impact-Higher staff engagement-Less burnout-Better prepared for successionIn leadership theory we hear: “learning organizations”, “open book management”, “leaderful organizations”, etc.Joseph Raelin – a leaderful organization is one that “intentionally creates the structure and culture needed to share leadership among staff, board, volunteers, and other stakeholders.” Leslie R. Crutchfield and Heather McLeod Grant, Forces for Good, “effective organizations share leadership across staff, board members, and external networks.”
Other DefinitionsMary McCleod Bethune – The Capacity to Respond to a Given Situation
Shared leadership is a stanceShared leadership – multiple people must have capacity to lead from organizational/network perspective.Building Movement Project:Shared leadership describes a model in which the top level of executive leadership is shared internally by two or more people (for example, a co-directorship). Distributed leadership is a model in which there is one person in the executive role, but decision-making is consistently and methodically pushed down to other levels in the organization (for example, strong program directors).Organizations that exhibit shared leadership have:Adaptability within the Spectrum:Different tactics and tools for different scenarios, and the ability to know what to use and whenAn orientation toward shared leadershipStaff willing to see the big picture and an invitation for staff to assume greater responsibility and influenceA culture of trust First step takes a leap of faith. Will I be punished for taking risks? Will my staff follow through? What happens if I fail at something?Aligning values, clarifying accountability, explicitly supporting experimentation, and clear communication.
Explicit commitment by senior leadership to change“champion” supportUp front investment of time to educate and plan Most likely reduces efficiencies in the short term; long term focus on continuous improvementFundamental management practices are in placeBasics around supervision, effective communication and decision making, clear strategy, sound financial management systems, and ongoing planning mechanismsEngagement and accountability Explicit leadership responsibilities and trainingsI almost always include values when doing shared leadership work. We started with identifying values and strengths in the St. Louis series. The values piece was a part of creating the shared vision for the organizational culture they wanted to have. I will insert a slide that refers to values and we can talk about it.
Places that a consulting engagement can enter from as well as places where organizations are also originating in their thinking about and approach to shared leadership.A transformation in mindset and role – creating a culture of engagement and accountability, building own leadership skills, and bringing them to the staff. Helping staff look at their organizations holistically.Organizational restructuring – co-director models, expanding management or leadership teams, redefining staff positions and roles, developing shared metrics of success for teamsChanges in communication and in decision making processes – shifts in management, communication and decision making need to be revisited. Introduction of peer coaching and crucial conversationsintentional strategy for how decisions will be made, as well as flexibility and acceptance of emerging priorities (if you ask people for their help and ideas and don’t use them, you will loose supporters)Changing organizational culture and relationships – Focus on organization shared values, developing mutual respect, trust, and accountability through intensive and deliberative processes.
Refer to availability of article for the first example. Go into detail for the Partnership in Action (3rd) example.
Challenges were not insurmountable. Just took time and attention.
