In a previous research topic "the strength of the leaders within the team" we highlighted already that team members who occupy a leadership role can generate a significant impact on the team, both on its effectiveness and the well-being of its members. In this section, we shed light on our research that surpasses the individual level and takes a group-level perspective to study shared leadership.
Shared leadership and releasing control sometimes feel as a leap of faith. However, sharing responsibilities appears to entail a variety of benefits. Indeed, research revealed that identifying, recognising, appointing, and developing the leaders within the team has a significant impact on the team's functioning. Research revealed that teams with high-quality leaders demonstrated a stronger cohesion in their team, had a shared purpose, and were more committed to attain this purpose. Furthermore, these teams showed more team confidence, higher team resilience, and an enhanced task-oriented climate (i.e., an environment focused on cooperation in order to perform better as a team, rather than individual profit). Furthermore, teams who engage in shared leadership practices also appear to perform better than teams who still adopt the hierarchical top-down model. In sport teams, for example, our findings demonstrated that teams in which different players occupied the roles of task, motivational, social, and external leadership ended higher on the team ladder than teams with a single team captain who outscored the others on each of these roles.
Our research in organisational settings reveals that hierarchical teams can over time naturally evolve towards a structure of shared leadership. Important here is that we also found that the teams who were most successful in optimally using the talents in their team and in embracing shared leadership were also the teams who performed best. Choosing to guide your team throughout this transition is therefore a wise choice. Have a look here to see how our services can help you throughout this process.
Read more about our studies on this topic:
The power of peer leaders: Exploring the link between peer leadership behaviors and sustainable work outcomes
Edelmann, C. M., Boen, F., Stouten, J., Vande Broek, G., & Fransen, K. (2024). The power of peer leaders: Exploring the link between peer leadership behaviors and sustainable work outcomes. Behavioral Sciences, 14(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14010002
The advantages and disadvantages of different implementations of shared leadership in organizations: A qualitative study
Edelmann, C. M., Boen, F., Stouten, J., Broek, G. V., & Fransen, K. (2023). The advantages and disadvantages of different implementations of shared leadership in organizations: A qualitative study. Leadership, 19(6), 467-507. https://doi.org/10.1177/17427150231200033
Unlocking the power of ‘us’: Longitudinal evidence that identity leadership predicts team functioning and athlete well-being
Fransen, K., Boen, F., Haslam, S. A., McLaren, C. D., Mertens, N., Steffens, N. K., & Bruner, M. W. (2022). Unlocking the power of ‘us’: Longitudinal evidence that identity leadership predicts team functioning and athlete well-being. Journal of Sports Sciences, 40(24), 2768-2783. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2023.2193005
Leading the way together: A cluster randomised controlled trial of the 5R Shared Leadership Program in older adult walking groups
Fransen, K., Cruwys, T., Haslam, C., Iserbyt, P., Seghers, J., Vanderlinden, J., Van Uffelen, J. G. Z., Verbaanderd, E., & Boen, F. (2022). Leading the way together: A cluster randomised controlled trial of the 5R Shared Leadership Program in older adult walking groups. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 19, 63. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-022-01297-x
Harnessing the power of ‘us’: A randomized wait-list controlled trial of the 5R Shared Leadership Development Program (5RS) in basketball teams
Mertens, N., Boen, F., Haslam, S. A., Steffens, N. K., Bruner, M. W., Barker, J., Slater, M., & Fransen, K. (2021). Harnessing the power of ‘us’: A randomized wait-list controlled trial of the 5R Shared Leadership Development Program (5RS) in basketball teams. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 54, 101936. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2021.101936
Will the real leaders please stand up? The emergence of shared leadership in semi-professional soccer teams.
Mertens, N., Boen, F., Steffens, N. K., Haslam, S. A., & Fransen, K. (2021). Will the real leaders please stand up? The emergence of shared leadership in semi-professional soccer teams. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 24, 281-290. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2020.09.007
Leading together towards a stronger ‘us’: An experimental test of the effectiveness of the 5R Shared Leadership Program in basketball teams.
Mertens, N., Boen, F., Steffens, N. K., Cotterill, S. T., Haslam, S. A., & Fransen, K. (2020). Leading together towards a stronger ‘us’: An experimental test of the effectiveness of the 5R Shared Leadership Program in basketball teams. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 23(8), 770-775. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2020.01.010
The power of empowerment: Predictors and benefits of shared leadership in organizations
Edelmann, C., Boen, F., & Fransen, K. (2020). The power of empowerment: Predictors and benefits of shared leadership in organizations. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 582894. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.582894
The impact of identity leadership on performance and well-being in team sport: Is psychological safety the missing link?
Fransen, K., McEwan, D., & Sarkar, M. (2020). The impact of identity leadership on performance and well-being in team sport: Is psychological safety the missing link? Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 51, 101763. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2020.101763
All for us and us for all: Introducing the 5R Shared Leadership Program
Fransen, K., Haslam, S. A., Steffens, N. K., Mallett, C. J., Peters, K., Mertens, N., & Boen, F. (2020). All for us and us for all: Introducing the 5R Shared Leadership Program. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 51, 101762. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2020.101762
How many leaders does it take to lead a sports team? The relationship between the number of leaders and the effectiveness of professional sports teams.
Leo, F. M., García-Calvo, T., González-Ponce, I., Pulido, J. J., & Fransen, K. (2019). How many leaders does it take to lead a sports team? The relationship between the number of leaders and the effectiveness of professional sports teams. PLoS ONE, 14(6), e0218167. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0218167
The emergence of shared leadership in newly formed teams with an initial structure of vertical leadership: A longitudinal analysis.
Fransen, K., Delvaux, E., Mesquita, B., & Van Puyenbroeck, S. (2018). The emergence of shared leadership in newly formed teams with an initial structure of vertical leadership: A longitudinal analysis. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 54(2), 140-170. doi:10.1177/0021886318756359
An examination of the relationship between athlete leadership and cohesion using social network analysis.
Loughead, T. M., Fransen, K., Van Puyenbroeck, S., Hoffmann, M. D., & Boen, F. (2016). An examination of the relationship between athlete leadership and cohesion using social network analysis. Journal of Sports Sciences, 34(21), 2063-2073. doi:10.1080/02640414.2016.1150601
Who takes the lead? Social network analysis as pioneering tool to investigate shared leadership within sports teams.
Fransen, K., Van Puyenbroeck, S., Loughead, T. M., Vanbeselaere, N., De Cuyper, B., Vande Broek, G., & Boen, F. (2015). Who takes the lead? Social network analysis as pioneering tool to investigate shared leadership within sports teams. Social Networks, 43, 28-38. doi:10.1016/j.socnet.2015.04.003
The art of athlete leadership: Identifying high-quality leadership at the individual and team level through Social Network Analysis.
Fransen, K., Van Puyenbroeck, S., Loughead, T. M., Vanbeselaere, N., De Cuyper, B., Vande Broek, G., & Boen, F. (2015). The art of athlete leadership: Identifying high-quality leadership at the individual and team level through Social Network Analysis. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 37(3), 274-290. doi:10.1123/jsep.2014-0259
The myth of the team captain as principal leader: Extending the athlete leadership classification within sport teams.
Fransen, K., Vanbeselaere, N., De Cuyper, B., Vande Broek, G., & Boen, F. (2014). The myth of the team captain as principal leader: Extending the athlete leadership classification within sport teams. Journal of Sports Sciences, 32(14), 1389-1397. doi:10.1080/02640414.2014.891291