ORIGINAL QUESTION
Topic 6 DQ 1
Does invoking a collaborative leadership model influence systems thinking as a whole in an organization? If so, how and to what extent. If not, why not? Support your view.
STUDENT ONE- LARISS
Collaborative leadership is defined as what happens in practice and not necessarily an individualistic trait (Robinson &Riddel, 2022). General systems theory focuses on the interconnectedness of the parts of the organization and how they work together (Tadros, 2020). General systems theory works toward synergy of the subparts within the organization (Chatterjee et al., 2021). Collaborative leadership can influence systems thinking within an organization through the very nature of the meaning behind collaborative leadership (Robinson & Riddell, 2022). Collaborative leadership is less about what individuals think and more about what individuals are accomplishing together creating leadership (Robinson & Riddell, 2022). Collaborative leadership leads to open innovation and the collaboration amongst experts in an organization (Laguna-Sánchez et al., 2021).
Chatterjee, S., Sarker, S., Lee, M. J., Xiao, X., &Elbanna, A. (2021). A possible conceptualization of the information systems (IS) artifact: A general systems theory perspective. Information Systems Journal, 31(4), 550–578. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1111/isj.12320
Laguna-Sánchez, P., Segovia-Pérez, M., Fuente-Cabrero, C. de la, & Vargas-Pérez, A. M. (2021). A collaborative model for leadership education in high-potential university women students. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 7(2). https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.3390/joitmc7020138
STUDENT TWO – KELL
Invoking a collaborative leadership model influences systems thinking in organizations. Research has shown that working in successful teams allows people to perform at the top of their abilities (North, 2020, p. 1). The enterprises that will flourish will see to it that every organizational member can do their own work functions and see how those functions connect to the rest of the organization (Raelin, 2006, p. 165). Emergent systems of innovation are marked by participation, collaborative networks, and a balance of essential influences (Rivera, 2015, p. 2). Leadership is one of those words that we use but rarely consider the exact definition (Robinson & Riddell, 2022, p. 2). It is still unclear how leadership happens among individuals in collaborative interorganizational networks (Endres &Weibler, 2020, p. 276). The expectation that effective leadership requires the ability to articulate a compelling, forward-looking vision that engages followers (O’Connor, 2018, p. 199) into thinking as a whole instead of individual parts (p. 200). It is possible that the collaborative leadership style used by women leaders gives credit to the group for visionary thinking and actions, rather than taking individual credit (p. 199). Numerous models of collaboration and stakeholder engagement exist, which range from process-oriented technical approaches to deeper relationship-based approaches (Porteous, 2018, p. 24). Collaborative leadership enables every member of the system to think both individually and as a group.
References
Endres, S., &Weibler, J. (2020). Understanding (non)leadership phenomena in collaborative interorganizational networks and advancing shared leadership theory: An interpretive grounded theory study. Business Research, 13(1), 275-309. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40685-019-0086-6
STUDENT THREE- Invoking and implementing a collaborative leadership model does influence systems thinking as a whole within an organization. One way collaborative leadership influences the system is that it boosts motivation and commitment of the various organizational stakeholders (Piggot-Irvine et al., 2021). When leaders actively pursue greater connection and collaboration with their employees and other stakeholders, dedication to the organization and its goals is established (p. 862). Furthermore, collaborative leadership results in greater knowledge sharing, skill and knowledge acquisition, and increased levels of feedback (p. 861). Fournier et al. (2022) refer to collaborative leadership as distributed leadership and posit that it stimulates greater team performance in complex scenarios. However, they point out that the ability for an organization to transition to collaborative leadership is aided through first utilizing transformational and transactional leadership styles (p. 9). Therefore, while collaborative leadership positively influences organizational systems toward greater employee and stakeholder motivation, commitment, and team performance, it should be pitched and implemented strategically and with enthusiasm from organizational leadership.
References
Fournier, P.-L., Moisan, L., &Lagacé, D. (2022). Seizing the opportunity: The emergence of shared leadership during the deployment of an integrated performance management system. BMC Health Services Research, 22(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-022-07690-3
