Cross-functional teams currently form the basis for knowledge creation in organizations. Made up of people with highly diverse skill sets, these teams collectively have all the skills necessary to perform a task. But as we increasingly employ such teams, there’s a need to reexamine traditional leadership models.
Leadership has generally been considered a role where someone is at the helm, while everyone else follows orders. But research shows that leadership is a process, and, like most processes, it can be shared. One person who possesses essential knowledge and skills for a project-related task takes the lead to accomplish it. Then someone else steps up to direct the next task, and this process continues until the project is complete.
Research suggests that this model of shared leadership is more effective at achieving success for a project or organization than using one appointed leader or weak-performing teams directed by a single “boss.”
This perspective is the polar opposite of the traditional view of leading teams. Team leadership has historically centered on one person and how she or he manages and controls subordinates. Media coverage of well-known leaders has reinforced this perception. But recently, some have begun to challenge the accepted notion of leadership, arguing that certain duties can be shared with others on the team or in the company. Increasingly, this concept of shared leadership has been gathering steam.
The main difference between a cross-functional team environment and a traditional structure is the lack of conventional hierarchy. Cross-functional teams may in fact have a leader, but the person is more likely to be on equal footing with the rest of the team and have no authority over its members outside the context of the team. And as the object of the exercise is to bring diverse skill sets to the table, the leader’s knowledge base is only one of many. This is what levels the playing field.
Cross-functional team leadership is determined not by someone’s place in the traditional hierarchy, but rather by his or her ability to relate to and influence team members, and also by the needs of the team. Everyone on the team brings a wealth of skills, experiences, knowledge and perspectives that will, at any given moment, prove unique and invaluable. It is at those moments when shared leadership showcases its best aspects – and its true advantages for the organization.
Is it a simple process to implement this new vision of shared leadership? Not necessarily, and for many organizations, the road to transformation may be a long and painful one. But when teams don’t live up to their potential or fulfill the needs of the organization, and leaders carry too heavy a load, it will always prove more difficult in the end.
However, traditional leadership is not a thing of the past. It is not an either/or situation; there’s no need to choose between hierarchical and shared leadership. The questions to ask are these: When and how should leadership be shared? How is shared leadership developed? How do you shift between traditional and shared leadership? Only by finding the answers to these questions can organizations find the correct balance and learn how to use shared leadership to its best advantage.
Samantha L. Goldman, AMA Enterprise marketing manager, is a seasoned content marketing specialist with a strategic approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content.
