Collaborative Leadership In Times of Crisis

Collaborative leadership influences systems thinking because this leadership style distributes power, authority, and responsibility across the organization. In addition, it promotes an interlocking network of relationships among people who are working to create a movement or force for change. As the world faces the systemic challenges of the Coronavirus which are beyond the reach of existing institutions and their hierarchical authority structures it is crucial to practice collaborative leadership among different organizations, sectors, and countries. Therefore, collaborative leadership enables learning collectively to make progress within the entire system. Any practice anchored to the myth of the heroic individual leader will prove detrimental in modern-day diverse and global systems that fail to engage in collaboration between organizations and nations. A collaborative leader creates the possibility to accelerate joint learning and guides systemic change at a scale commensurate with the scale of problems

System leaders who engage in collaborative leadership have a commitment to the health of the organization and their actions radiate to raise similar commitment in others. They have a panoramic perspective and the ability to see reality through the eyes of the team. They build relationships based on listening which nurture trust and collaboration. As a result, situations previously suffering from polarization and inaction become more open and problems become perceived as opportunities for innovation. Consequently, short-term reactive problem solving becomes more balanced with long-term value creation. People discover that the organization’s success depends on creating well-being within the larger systems.