Running Head: COLLABORATIVE LEADERSHIP 1

Collaborative Culture in Leadership

Tonia Swager

Student Number 607691

Siena Heights University

June 14th, 2020

Introduction

While definitions of collaborative leadership differ, they have one commonality. The

responsibility of leadership falls on the group, rather than one individual. “Collaborative

leadership is characterized by shared vision and values, interdependence and shared

responsibility, mutual respect, empathy and willingness to be vulnerable, ambiguity, effective

communication, and synergy. (2017, DOI: 10.1002/ace)”

While working in a collaborative team, the team members share information and each

take leadership, accepting responsibility for the overall project. Collaborative leaders regularly

seek differing opinions and ideas to build new strategic models and solve current issues.

Collaborative leadership creates an inclusive environment that uplifts the team, releases

creativity and manifests synergistic learning, creating a work culture that is happy and

productive. (Samur, 2019)

Structural Ingredients

Shared Goals. There are three kinds of shared goals that a team should strive to meet.

The first being Outcome goals. An outcome goal is a singular goal that the team is working

towards. They are often binary, and very straight forward. An outcome goal might include

achieving 1 million in sales in the first quarter.

The second shared goal is Performance goals. Performance goals are short-term

objectives specific to your current position. While usually related to overall company goals, they

are meant to address a specific employee’s, or teams, job responsibilities. An example of a

performance goal would be ensuring 100% of employee reviews were completed by a specified

date.
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The final kind of shared goals is the Process goal. Process goals have one or more

decision points that may need attention. Most process goals have 5 points that need to be

evaluated.

1. Define what you want.

2. Find congruence with Corporate culture

3. Create an Action Plan and Timeline

4. Take Action

5. Reevaluate and Assess

When working with process goals it is important to look not only at positive outcomes,

but who could be harmed in the process changes. Looking for potential downfalls ahead of the

changes will limit the number of times that the team needs to reevaluate the outcomes and make

further changes.

Interdependence and Shared Skills

Interdependence describes a relationship in which the participants of the team are

mutually dependent on each other. The participants may be emotionally, economically, or

morally reliant on and responsible for each other. “Interdependence is a collaborative value that

develops when a business builds a sense of community in the workforce and with this the spirit

of team support. The result is synergy, which enhances and strengthens team success. (2011,

Crampton)”

People working in collaborative, interdependent cultures work well across organizational

boundaries. They are successful in adapting to changes, drawing on internal expertise and eternal

partners. The multi talking super-power, is born of the belief that leadership is a collective team

activity, requiring mutual learning and inquiry across the team. (2020, CCL)
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Shared skills are skillsets that multiple team members each possess. Moseley writes that

there are six crucial collaborative skills that team members should possess to be successful.

1. Open-Mindedness

2. Communication

3. Organization

4. Long term thinking

5. Adaptability

6. Debate

“A truly collaborative workplace is one where everyone throughout the organization has a voice,

is on equal footing, and is able to contribute their abilities and skills to the project at hand. (2020,

Moseley)”

Accountability

“Accountability is the fact or condition of being responsible. (2020, Merriam)”

Accountability is the primary practice for successful collaboration. If no one is accountable for

their actions, the team will fail. It is the Leaders position to create an accountable team.

Thoughtful leader, lays out 5 ways that a leader can create an accountable team.

1. “Make sure you choose just one person. “Bob, you are in charge of “xyz””

2. Set Clear expectations

3. Make sure you communicate accountability

4. Make it formal

5. Follow up and Hold people to their word. (2020, Thoughtful leader)”

Following this model, you set your team up for success. When each team member has a clear

expectation of their responsibilities, they become empowered in their position to complete the

tasks required.

Behavioral Ingredients

Character. When discussing character in leadership the phrase “Treat the Janitor with

the same respect as the CEO” comes to mind. Character is the quantification of a person’s belief

and value system. It is walking with integrity and being able to cross socio-economical barriers

to treat all individuals with respect. Having this trait in a collaborative team environment is

beneficial, as the leader can facilitate interactions with employees and business partners alike.

Building relationships that can be beneficial to the company and overall team performance.

YScouts lists, “10 distinguishing character attributes of a strong collaborative Leader.

1. Balanced Motivations

2. Not a Control Freak

3. Transferable Skills

4. Horizontal Leadership

5. Risk taking is encouraged

6. Contextual intelligence

7. Openly share information

8. Constructive conflict

9. Intellectual Thread

10. Strong Network (2020,YScouts)”

Commitment
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“The depth of the commitment of team members to work together effectively to

accomplish the goals of the team is a critical factor in team success. (2019, Hatfield) Team

commitment is a crucial item in the collaborative process. Team members become committed to

a project when clear outcomes and goals are set and they can see how that ties into the overall

corporate culture and goals. In addition, a team member that feels valued and heard is more

likely to have a higher level of commitment to the team.

Authentic Communication

Authentic communication involves not only the way you communicate with others, but

how you listen and show empathy to those around you. More often than not, it is listening and

responding appropriately to the mood of the room. Authentic communicators sometimes share

their own personal history to build trusting relationships with team members. This can help build

effective networks for future teams. Authentic Communication is ultimately taking responsibility

for the message you are conveying. Thorton, gives us 5 tips to help build authentic

communication.

1. “Build identity and image of the company above the competition,

2. Enable consumers and other stakeholders to relate to the business,

3. Help people understand what a company offers is of benefit to them,

4. Build the company’s identity and image,

5. Give substance to a company’s business, which defines them as reliable and

trustworthy. (2018, Thorton)”

Team Failures

Even with the best of intentions teams can fail. Teams fail for a variety of reasons. Team

failure can affect employee morale as well as the bottom line of the company. Because of this it
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is important to evaluate what causes team failures and try our best to avoid making these

mistakes. Environmental issues can be one reason for team failure. Examples of environmental

issues would be lack of recognition from employers, or distance between team members.

Communication is a key component in success. If the team members cannot meet regularly or

they have inadequate access to technology to communicate, it could be the first barrier to

success.

Goals and roles in the team can be another reason for failure. If the team does not

adequately define and communicate their goals and the roles that they play within the team, there

will be no accountability. Processes and relationships can also cause success barriers for teams.

If there is no process to follow when trouble arises, and the employees have not built

relationships of trust with the other members on their team, the employee could sit stagnant

instead of being productive. This would lead to upset in the success of the team’s goals. And

ultimately their success.

Conclusion

Collaborative culture in the workplace is important as it allows a company to solve issues

faster and with greater efficiency. It combines varied expertise levels, perspectives and ideas to

find more efficient solutions. Some companies have even removed traditional workplace offices,

opting instead for communal areas that encourage employees to interact and share new ideas

through collaboration. This also helps build trust, an essential component in collaboration, in the

workplace.
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References

Crampton. (2011). Retrieved 10 June 2020, from https://www.corevalues.com/culture/team-

cultures/interdependence-the-glue-that-binds-teams-builds-success/ Crampton, 2011.

Definition of ACCOUNTABILITY. Merriam-webster.com. (2020). Retrieved 10 June 2020, from

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accountability.

Hatfield. (2019). How to Increase Team Member Commitment for Successful Teams. The

Balance Careers. Retrieved 10 June 2020, from https://www.thebalancecareers.com/role-

of-team-commitment-in-team-building-1919254.

Library Databases Redirect. Web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.sienaheights.edu. (2020). Retrieved

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10.1002/ace.

Moseley, C. (2020). 6 crucial collaboration skills (and how to foster them). Blog.jostle.me.

Retrieved 10 June 2020, from https://blog.jostle.me/blog/6-collaboration-skills-and-how-

to-foster-them.

Samur. (2019). Collaborative leadership: moving from top-down to team-centric. Several People

Are Typing. Retrieved 10 June 2020, from https://slackhq.com/collaborative-leadership-

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The Four Arts of Interdependent Leadership - Center for Creative Leadership. Center for

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https://www.ccl.org/articles/leading-effectively-articles/the-four-arts-of-interdependent-

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