Dictionary Series: What is Collective Leadership and can it help us work differently?
At the Edinburgh Futures Institute (EFI) we focus on supporting multi-stakeholder, systemic challenges that are by nature interdisciplinary. We convene ‘spaces’ for collaboration and co-produce ‘different ways of working’. In our work, learning more about how multiple stakeholders work and lead together, in pursuit of shared outcomes, helps us to think about collaboration in broader terms.
By Kristy Docherty, Edinburgh Futures Institure
What is collective leadership?
Generally, when it comes to collaborating, our attention is naturally concentrated on ‘what do we want to achieve?’ This answer is almost always focused on the task or the reason for collaborating in the first place. This is not wrong, however, what if we took the time to think about how we would like to work as a group, to notice how we work, how we are interacting, and how we are behaving, as we collaborate? Could capturing this data help us to collaborate well and provide much needed insights around what makes collaboration effective?
Collective leadership is one theory or approach that we can draw from to support the work of complex collaboration, but what is it and what does it ‘look like’ in practice?
Importantly, there is no single definition of ‘collective leadership’ within the academic literature. This is in part due to a theoretical leadership landscape riddled with challenges, combined with a lack of empirical research focused on collective leadership and collaboration. This ‘gap’ was of great interest to me and led to an exploration of, 1) wicked and complex issues, 2) critical and post-modern conceptions of leadership such as ‘collective leadership’ and 3) multi stakeholder collaboration, which fast forward a few steps led me to question -
Could understanding more about ‘collective leadership’ in relation to collaborative work, help us to address some of the bigger, more persistent problems around us - the problems that don’t seem to go away or improve, no matter what we do or how much money or resources we provide?
Drawing from collective leadership, leadership-as-practice (LAP) and relational leadership theories + listening and learning from those who are attempting to collaborate differently in practice (see for example, Collective Leadership for Scotland and Project Lift), I developed a framework as a contribution towards the discussion about leadership, complex issues and collaboration.
This framework has been helpful for me and my work within EFI, is of interest to others who are finding collaborative work tricky and frustrating and has proven helpful as a starting position to frame an alternative, more intense, approach to collaborative work.
Collective Leadership in practice
Collective leadership can be the result of building collaborative capacity through intense individual and group work. Relationships and relational work are privileged, and complex problems faced , in the pursuit of learning and discovering what can be achieved together.
The four-principle approach presented in the figure below helps to explain this by conceptualising collective leadership as a process. Adopting this process will contribute towards the development of capability and capacity for cross boundary collaboration.
The principles – systems thinking, working emergently, relationality and inquiry – each represent, in some form, a requirement to adjust current ways of thinking and working when operating in a collaborative context. It presents a particular way of working that supports the adjustment of behaviours to better suit the nature of complex collaborative work.
Each element is identified as a unique and important characteristic; however, it is the combination of all four activities (the sum of the parts) which form the collective leadership process. By attending to the effects of this approach it is possible to discover aspects of growth and value as collaborative groups engage with each of the principles, with ideas, thoughts and action forming and informing the other.
The four principles are explained in more detail below.
System-Focused
The concept of systems is made up of a collection of parts that function as a whole, and in order to respond to wicked and complex issues a systemic perspective is required. Taking a systems approach to address challenging public service issues is (1) a fundamental and important step towards responding to them, (2) essential to achieving improved outcomes and (3) supports the effectiveness of collaborative work.
Emergent Working
Working in an emergent way is useful when grappling with complex issues. This approach stimulates a new way of working, where other planned approaches or ‘solutions’ have not worked. It can be described as the conscious resetting of typical work patterns and as an unstructured method, it allows for the unpacking of issues that trouble the day-to-day practice of policy and service delivery, detrimentally impacting on long-term goals and change objectives.
Inquiry-Led
Beginning an inquiry into how we work together in groups, complex issues and our own values, behaviours and beliefs will support the development of an inquiry mind-set for shaping a different way of working. This approach is particularly helpful when new voices and experiences are considered necessary inputs, or when concerns over a complex issue reach a point where there is a collective will to make a difference.
Relational
Taking a relational approach or ‘relating together’ is a process of interconnection. This means moving beyond politeness towards a constructive ‘challenge’ space and places emphasis on the person rather than their role or organisation.
The four principles support the agitation of traditional working practices in order to improve joint working and the work experience in general, address complex issues and bring in a diverse range of views, ideas and experiences from across the system, including communities and citizens. All of the principles interrelate and the boundaries between them are blurred, but when applied together they reinforce each other, providing a distinctive approach to working.
This model builds on recent scholarship on collective leadership and practice perspectives, it is rooted in a particular context, one where cross-boundary collaboration and whole system engagement is a necessary and important part of the public service work we do at EFI. But this is bigger than us - how we work together, across boundaries and disciplines is important to everyone, and critical for all of our futures.
Kristy is currently working with partners in Police Scotland and Public Health Scotland to establish a ‘Prevention Hub’ to be based at the Edinburgh Futures Institute. The Hub is focused on reducing inequalities through actions to improve health and wellbeing. Building the capability and capacity for more effective collaboration across Scotland underpins its vision and work.