Introduction
In today’s aggressive and competitive business environment, cooperation and collaboration within the internal and external business environment is crucial to the success of a business. As such, the need to have collaborative leaders is of utmost importance towards the success of an organization. With this in mind, this paper shall summarize an article that focuses on collaborative leadership. This shall be done by analyzing and highlighting the general ideas of the article, the learning concepts propagated by the authors and the relevance of the article.
General ideas of the article
In their article “Are you a Collaborative Leader: How CEOs keep their teams connected”, Herminia Ibarra and Morten T. Hansen state that the current business environment is characterized by hyper connectivity as a result of increased and improved social media, globalization and demand for leaders who have the ability to forge, maintain and improve internal and external alliances/connections. As such, the authors’ main ideas advocate for collaborative leaders who make global connections that can help them spot and seize opportunities. The authors suggest that more opportunities can be availed through global connections as compared to those acquired through internal connections.
Similarly, the authors state that collaborative leaders should be able to engage diverse talents regardless of their origin in order to encourage innovation and produce positive results. Embracing diversity gives an organization a competitive edge against its rivals because it enables workers to exchange ideas and perspectives regarding business operations. According to the authors, engaging diverse talents from everywhere is more effective than relying on homogenous teams in the generation and development of new ideas.
On the same note, the authors advocate for a system of collaboration at the top that focuses on modeling logical and attainable expectations rather than collaborative measures that serve political and parochial agendas. In order to attain positive and productive results, leaders should engage top management in discussions or strategies that help the organization meet the set goals and missions rather than ideologies that are selfish, or serve the interests of a few individuals.
Finally, the authors state that collaborative leadership entails agility, focus and strong principles when it comes to decision making. They assert that these qualities facilitate speedy decision making and conflict resolution processes as compared to leadership styles that allow teams to waste time and resources debating conflicting ideas in a bid to reach a consensus.
Learning concepts derived from the article
From the ideas mentioned above, the concept of collaborative leadership relies on fostering both internal and external connections in order to produce the desired results. For example, the authors explain the importance of having a diverse workforce. They assert that diversity encourages innovation and creativity, which are crucial in today’s competitive business environment.
Similarly, collaborative leaders should ensure that the organizational structure is dispersed and has a cross-organizational network. This means that every system within an organization should be connected and working as a unit towards the achievement of set goals through seamless interdepartmental collaboration and coordination. In addition, information provided by employees, stakeholders and senior management should be considered as relevant in order to develop a working environment based on teamwork and oneness (this helps involved parties develop a sense of belonging and loyalty to the organization).
On the same note, it is evident from the article that collaborations work well when accountability is based on performance levels exhibited during the execution of shared goals. Additionally, collaborative leaders should play the role of global connectors by engaging in activities that foster external networks, which are useful in spotting opportunities, attracting diverse talents and acquisition of new, better and viable strategies of business and human resource management.
Relevance of the article
This article provides leaders with the necessary skills needed to transform an organization into a successful and collaborative entity. In most cases, organizations fail because leaders adopt leadership approaches based on consensus building or command and control. While these leadership styles may be effective in the short-run, they become inadequate when an organization competes in a global setting.
In addition, the article provides credible examples and research findings, which showcase the importance of collaboration in today’s business environment. The four factors (playing the role of global connector, attracting diverse talent, modeling collaboration at the top, and showing a strong hand during decision making processes) that facilitate effective collaborative leadership are easy to understand and applicable in any business setting. As such, leaders who wish to transform their leadership style can use this article’s content as a foundation to the development or improvement of their leadership skills.
Conclusion
Leadership skills play an important role in the management, organization and planning of organizational resources. However, the leadership style adopted by a leader may be beneficial or detrimental to an organization’s success. The summary presented herein is indicative of the fact that collaborative leadership is not only important, but also necessary for today’s businesses. As such, leaders should adopt a collaborative approach of leadership in order to effectively cope with the challenges that characterize today’s business environment.