Shared leadership in teams

TLDR

The study investigates how shared leadership influences student project team processes—coordination, goal commitment, and knowledge sharing—and ultimately team performance. They surveyed 158 graduate and undergraduate students in project teams at a large southwestern university to assess shared leadership and its links to coordination, goal commitment, knowledge sharing, and performance. Shared leadership indirectly improves team performance by enhancing coordination, goal commitment, and knowledge sharing, with these processes mediating the effect; no direct performance impact was observed.

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to examine the effect of shared leadership on student project team processes and outcomes. The authors focused on shared leadership and its association with team processes (coordination, goal commitment and knowledge sharing) and team performance. Design/methodology/approach To examine the shared leadership, team processes and performance model, the authors conducted two separate surveys of 158 graduate and undergraduate students working in project teams at a large southwestern university. Findings Results showed that shared leadership positively affected coordination activities, goal commitment and knowledge sharing, which in turn positively affect team performance. Each team process factor had a mediation effect, although shared leadership had no direct effect on team performance. Research limitations/implications This research adds to the knowledge of important team process factors through which shared leadership indirectly affects team performance. Practical implications Based on the findings, the authors provided implications for students and instructors that shared leadership can facilitate team performance by enabling team members to coordinate activities, commit to goals and share knowledge effectively. Originality/value This study presents an initial understanding of the shared leadership-team performance relationship by introducing influential variables, such as coordination activities, goal commitment and knowledge sharing in a team.