Introduction
Collaborative team leadership is an organizational strategy that tries to break down divisions and bring managers, executives, and employees together to function. Information is exchanged spontaneously in collaborative organizations, and everyone assumes accountability for the entire. Managers and executives can build an inclusive workplace that energizes teams, unleashes creativity, and fosters a productive and enjoyable work culture through collaborative leadership (Subri et al., 2020). However, at the XYZ Architect-Engineering business in the United States, a lack of collaborative leadership has resulted in expensive design flaws. Fiedler’s Contingency Theory is applied to Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura (RBTA) Company, which is based in Spain in collaboration with XYZ firm to improve performance. This collaborative leadership strategy, based on the model, assures a corporative work culture via the deployment of information sharing tactics and tools that enable the inclusion of internal and external stakeholders in the decision-making process.
Collaborative Leadership Model
Fiedler identified three situational variables: leader-member interactions, task structure, and leader power. Despite the fact that the model generates a very comprehensive picture, it proposes a style based on an assumed scenario. Fiedler contends that before opting on the suitable leadership style: task-oriented or relationship-oriented, leaders will consider a variety of contextual or situational criteria (Subri et al., 2020). Fiedler’s concept paved the way for many other contingency or situational leadership models.
Conditions in this model might be favorable, moderate, or unfavorable. To guarantee that the collaborative leadership plan meets the model’s standards, the leader-mender relationship, task structures, and the leader’s position power are assessed as good-poor, high-low, or strong-weak, respectively. Using this methodology, the joint strategy would be to analyze the two organizations’ environmental situations and rank them accordingly. In this regard, since RBTA creates a dynamic space instituted on the centrality of the human culture in its performance objective, it ranks higher as compared to XYZ firm (Gallardo, 2022). As such, since the XYZ has unfavorable conditions, with all of the costly design challenges caused by a lack of collaborative leadership, the relation-oriented leadership style would be lowered in favor of task-oriented to ensure high performance. The strategy would be to employ Model VII or Model VIII from the model, as described in the Fielder’s Contingency Framework.
Strategies and Goals
Enhance Onboarding and Training Practices
At times, onboarding and training appear to be unconnected. However, one of the most beneficial resources for new recruits for enhancing onboarding is a knowledge sharing platform (Babajide et al., 2019). They frequently spend a significant amount of time contributing their opinions and are scared to express themselves in a group situation. As a result, individuals gradually lose their interaction abilities and knowledge. New hires’ contributions and collaboration are just as crucial as existing workers’. Moreover, knowledge management may help with that. A mentor, for instance, can be assigned to each new recruit so that they feel confident to talk up in the group.
Incentivize the Collaborative Leadership Activities
Because business workers enjoy receiving awards, collaborative leadership sharing activities are essential. There are several ways to recognize and reward team members that practice information sharing. To begin, a social media post on the corporate page, an appreciation email, or a notice for the team member might be made. Their outstanding contribution will be recognized because it benefits both their coworkers and the corporation.
Use State-of-The-Art Knowledge Sharing Tool
The choice of a knowledge sharing tool is a crucial business option since it has a direct influence on staff productivity and business success. Effective knowledge sharing technologies enable you to improve company operations, swiftly search for material, conveniently store documents and audiovisual content, identify experts, ask questions, and much more. The correct knowledge sharing tool can enhance the effect of every employee’s important contributions to the firm.
Collaborative Process for Decision-Making
Choose a Facilitator
The first step in the collaborative decision-making process is to choose a suitable project facilitator. Notwithstanding the fact that the two organizations are located in different geographical zones, most projects require the assistance of a facilitator to guarantee that the objectives are met. The facilitator will be in charge of securing the buy-in and commitment of the major players (Wang et al., 2018). The facilitator will define ups and downs for the project so that major stakeholders from both companies comprehend how to match the effort with other goals. Finally, throughout the process, the facilitator will promote cooperation and productive debate.
Identify and Understand the Problem
The approach would also include identifying and comprehending the problem. The entire decision-making process may collapse if the problem is not clearly identified, which may lead to team discouragement and uncertainty. As a result, the first step toward sustainability is to guarantee that each member can describe the problem effectively (Wang et al., 2018). The following step is to make a list of the unknowns around the problem and to keep track of what information has yet to be learned.
Collect Data
The collecting of data is the next phase in the collaborative decision-making process. Data must be obtained to support prospective solutions after they have been gathered. The project team will examine and analyze the value of the data obtained in relation to its capacity to support the stated successful metrics without becoming bogged down in minor details that are unimportant in the context.
Alternative Solutions for Drafting an Implementation Plan
Once the implementation is complete to select the best solution to the problem, the facilitator can assist team members in structuring their views on each suggested option using particular tools such as the decision matrix or complementary tools such as cost-benefit analysis. This will assist the team in selecting the optimal solution for the company objectives. A successful implementation plan considers the end objective and focuses on developing stages and activities that will set the solution in motion (Wang et al., 2018). If unforeseen barriers or impediments are identified, the team will not be alarmed; this is a regular occurrence throughout the project execution.
Internal and External Stakeholders
Internal stakeholders are those who have a direct interest in a firm, such as occupation, administration, or financing. External stakeholders, on the other hand, are those who do not explicitly work with a firm but are influenced in some way by the company’s activities and consequences. Internal stakeholders, also known as key stakeholders, are involved in the decision-making process. These stakeholders provide services to the firm and are heavily impacted by the company’s outputs, actions, and achievements. Internal stakeholders can have a considerable effect on a firm’s operations. Owners, for example, are the ones who make crucial company choices. Furthermore, managers and workers are actively involved in a company’s normal operations and make many judgments on a daily basis on various commercial activities.
External stakeholders are persons, groups, corporations, and organizations who are not directly impacted by the business’s success. The company’s business environment is made up of these external stakeholders. They examine the company’s financial statistics and other external data to learn about its stability and profitability. External stakeholders are not engaged in an organization’s day-to-day operations; yet, organizational actions have an influence on them. They are unaware of the company’s internal troubles and must deal with them from the outside. Clients, manufacturers, investors, creditors, adversaries, middlemen, the general public, and the government are examples of external stakeholders.
The success of a project can be determined by key stakeholders. Even if all targets and objectives are fulfilled, if the primary stakeholders lack collaborative leadership, the program is considered a failure. It is critical in this scenario to increase collaboration with key stakeholders. To enhance significant stakeholder collaboration, a key stakeholder’s analysis is necessary initially (Heslinga et al., 2019). The project manager, in this case, will conduct a stakeholder analysis, or an evaluation of the major participants in a project and how the initiative will affect their issues and requirements. Second, the project manager will evaluate the importance of the project’s primary stakeholders. In this situation, the project manager will assess how much impact stakeholders have over the project. The more impressive a partner, the more a task supervisor will need their support.
At last, get their assumptions by characterizing specific partner assumptions. Subsequently, request explanation as important to guarantee that they are totally perceived. The undertaking administrator ought to keep partners informed and habitually evaluate every partner’s capacity to draw in and stick to plan limits. Moreover, one ought to keep the partners informed: Send out regular status reports and orchestrate project gatherings depending on the situation. Besides, the undertaking director ought to have the option to answer partners’ requests and messages as soon a possible. Subsequently, the venture chief will have improved the cooperation of partners inside the two firms.
Organizational Culture Changes
At the point when project partners never share a typical culture, project executive will adjust its associations and work cycles to adapt to social contrasts. For example, in light of this arrangement, which incorporates the use of two different societies, the U.S-based and the Spanish based culture, the arrangement would involve decreasing the social distinctions for successful cooperative administration. One of the significant parts of social distinction that would require imposing culture changes is communication, which lowers relational misperceptions in the workplace (Byron & Landis, 2020). The boundary to communication can impact project execution where fast and precise trade of thoughts and data is basic. Since language is a hindrance in communication particularly in a diverse culture, a mediator ought to be utilized to mirror the degree of setting social articulations of thoughts and comprehension of data.
In any case, since not all social differences are connected with global tasks, corporate societies and territorial contrasts can make social disarray a venture. According to Nyssen GuillĂ©n and Deckert (2021), firms that have steady societies are probably going to find success, while firms that have deficient “fit” in technique and culture will change since it is culture which upholds the system. Because of the different culture of the two Companies from two assorted social nations, a Culture Map would be initiated for the arrangement. As designated by Nyssen GuillĂ©n and Deckert (2021), Culture Map is an apparatus that focuses on representative turn of events by zeroing in on ways of behaving, and results in planning and empowering of influences. This is by plan, accentuations on components that are in charge of the group that advance change inside the association, hence can preferably plan and model their association culture.
Tools of Best Practice
Digital Asset Management
In digital asset management, facilitators will never release their emails or let their email miss from their fundamental records, old task management software’s, or communication channels. In this case, the workers can look, tag, order, and observe the computerized resources they need with no problems. An example of computerized resource project managers one can use is technology in the form of Corporate Intranet which is well equipped at RBTA. Having a selective technology establishes a stage that advances social coordinated effort alongside data dividing between representatives (Bin Mahfodh & Obeidat, 2020). Through an intranet, one can permit workers to impart information to associates. As a matter of fact, numerous intranet items permit the utilization of subject marks or hashtags to make previously shared information simple to be looked. Along these lines, laborers can advantageously look for and share information about normal issues, in this manner, lessening the requirement for managers to intercede.
Note-Taking Apps
At times, laborers require a more loosened-up approach for offering best practices to partners. Note-taking apparatuses, for example, Evernote fill in as an excellent multi-stage device for such events. It permits laborers to create and share composed notes, pictures, carefully written by hand notes, screen captures and sound procedures with their coworkers (Bin Mahfodh & Obeidat, 2020). In addition, such apparatuses additionally permit adjusting notes from cell phones to the computer or workstation consequently. Such a casual, laid-back communication among representatives can urge them to enjoy more repetitive communication and when employees collaborate often, sharing prescribed procedures and information happens routinely, which is a procedure XYZ was lacking.
Re-Usable Templates for Link Management
Despite possessing a feature-rich DSLR camera, why do most individuals shoot photos using their phones? The reason for this is convenience and the desire to capture the moment. The same is true for knowledge-sharing sites. When choosing a knowledge management platform, prioritize capabilities such as rapid link sharing, accessibility, adaptability, social collaboration, writing, role-based access controls, and the rest is a plus (Bin Mahfodh & Obeidat, 2020). These designs are customizable, save time, and offer an overview of the firm’s options.
Pertinent Issues
One of the important pertinent concerns is the utilization of a knowledge sharing platform. In this strategy, for example, the platform will be utilized to drive workplace innovation for both organizations. Sharing best practices in knowledge management encourages people to share their unique ideas and contribute to improved results. Employees are more productive when knowledge is stimulated and ideas are shared more widely. Furthermore, a knowledge sharing platform fosters a corporate community within a company (Bin Mahfodh & Obeidat, 2020). Sharing information is one of the most natural methods to establish a close-knit group in this scenario. A specialized platform for information exchange and management assists firms in capturing and storing knowledge in the most accessible manner possible.
Conclusion
Finally, Fielder’s Contingency Framework model supports a corporative work culture through the implementation of initiatives such as onboarding and training procedures, the use of cutting-edge information sharing tools, and the application of incentives for collaborative leadership activities. As indicated, the strategy includes a collaborative decision-making process, such as selecting the best facilitator from either XYZ or RBTA companies for identifying and understanding the XYZ management problems. In this case, the facilitator gathers data and provides alternate project ideas to be used in developing an execution plan for collaborative leadership inside the two businesses. This includes the usage of technologies like digital asset control, note-taking applications, and reusing link management layouts. However, because the businesses originate from two different cultural backgrounds, a culture map is employed for organizational cultural development after identifying both internal and external stakeholders.
References
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