Collaborative leadership is a style of leadership where the promoters and the corporate management take active roles in the organization till the grassroot levels. In the last few decades, the world has seen a massive shift in technology and towards entrepreneurship. The average age of first-time entrepreneurial millionaires is around 35 years.

Millennials have taken over the world. They do not understand the concept of working under somebody as a traditional organizational setup with hierarchy.

Leadership styles have become more collaborative and inclusive. Till 2050 the world is going to see an upheaval of the younger population take the center stage in corporate development.

What is Collaborative Leadership Style

In collaborative leadership, people function as a flat structure. Though the hierarchical reporting structures may remain for accountability, that doesn’t stop the management or the executive level employees from working together on a common goal. There is closer coordination across all departments to function together as a team. Everyone becomes a stakeholder for the task well done.

Collaborative Leadership Practices

• Include the entire team to brainstorm and find solutions or create something of value.
• Draw energy from the creative power of the team.
• They do not show authority to complete a task. People are empowered to complete tasks collectively.
• The team is not blamed for inefficiency if any. Ownership lies with the team and the team leads to help each other meet deadlines.
• Performance benefits are passed on individual/collective performances and not based on hierarchy.
• Everybody has the freedom to approach a person at any level to get a job done.
• Workplace rules and practices are put in place taking the consent of everybody.
• Transparency in communication among all the team members.
• Freedom to voice concerns, ideas and make changes that can promote growth.

Common Traits of a Collaborative Leader

• Maintains a workstation where one is easily approachable and accessible to their teams and everyone.
• They draw the respect of their team through offering support and growth rather than through authority.
• They command the team by empowering their individuality and contribution.
• They jump in to solve a problem where necessary by including the contribution from the team and never take credit for the success by themselves.
• They mentor and encourage an individual to evolve personally and professionally.
• They encourage collaboration and not individual performance alone.
• They lead by example even if the task to be performed may be considered menial.

Collaborative Leader Organization

Traditional organization culture works on systems that are rigid and ensures that people fall in alignment with the pre-defined set of policies.

On a lighter note, If you spend time with a few Millenials, you will realize that they shy away from addressing their boss as ‘sir.’ They will be uncomfortable even to take orders. All they love to do is find a task and finish it.

The collaborative leadership organization requires a leader of great maturity. It is an organization where the promoter believes that he doesn’t run the show, but it is a collective effort and contribution of the people. And the belief has to be ‘real’ and not just words.

Such organizations can be run by a leader who takes a great interest not only in the growth of the organization but the growth of people as a whole.

Changing Workplace Culture and Expansion

The use of technology especially post the COVID 19 lockdowns has broadened the scope of collaborative leadership. Newer job roles have emerged where they were non-existent a year back. Work from home culture has expanded the extent and scope of collaboration. Freelancing has become the buzz. Geographical boundaries are re-drawn with the use of video conferencing and the growth of broadband across the world.

For an organization to go global, there never has been a better time than now. And global organizations today work best with a collaborative culture. EA is one of the best examples of the intent of this article that is worth mentioning.

ELECTRONIC ARTS (EA)

Electronic Arts is a gaming giant that has a culture of collaborative leadership. 

Below is an extract from the Electronic Arts website 

(Source Ref: https://ea.com/commitments/people-and-culture)

“Electronic arts celebrates a culture of openness that thrives on curiosity and values constructive dialogue among our teams and people. We hire curious, creative, inclusive people with diverse backgrounds, approaches, and experiences who will positively add to our culture and games.

We invest in our managers and employees to help them learn and grow. A key part of that is nurturing the development of inclusive leaders who foster a belonging culture-a place where everyone can thrive and do their best work.”

EA Building Culture through Inclusion

“Our culture is built by all of us at Electronic Arts, so we offer inclusion training and resources for all levels of the organization. We strive to lead the way for our industry to transform and for EA to be viewed as a destination for great talent.”

Final Notes

The Way Forward: It is not an absolute necessity for all organizations to shift to a collaborative culture. Manufacturing plants cannot be run by this culture. But the management that works in the background can adopt such a culture in limited possibilities to increase employee contribution. We live in an information age, and the source of all information is people. When we broaden the scope of inclusion among people, value generation is infinite possibilities