Abstract
This chapter contributes to the existing evidence on the constructs of shared leadership, social, and emotional capitals to demonstrate their significant galvanizing effect on team and organizational performance through trust. This study aimed to ascertain how leadership self-efficacy might influence shared leadership team, trust, and performance in this IT Company. Managers with self-reported ratings for the self-efficacy attributes cluster of leadership demonstrate greater probability of improving both perceived and actual employee performance. The emerging results concur with the aforementioned premise because these appear to emphasize the leadership self-efficacy attributes cluster of problem solving. These results may have a positive impact on the team and organizational performance as a whole.
TopThe Shared Leadership Construct
Shared leadership is considered as group-oriented leadership. The construct of shared leadership may have developed from Gibb’s (1954) distributed leadership view which emphasizes the importance of leadership that is shared between members of a group, instead of continuing to be focused on one specific group member (Carson, Tesluk & Marrone, 2007). Pearce and Sims (2002) corroborate that shared leadership is multi-dimensional, namely, it entails four distinct dimensions impacting on the practice of shared leadership as a whole (i.e., joint completion of tasks, mutual skill development, decentralized interaction among personnel, and emotional support). On the other hand, literature reveals this shared leadership construct has existed since ancient times. Sally (2002, p. 84) posits that “(r)epublican Rome had a successful system of co-leadership that lasted for over four centuries. This structure of co-leadership was so effective that it extended from the lower levels of the Roman magistracy to the very top position, that of consul”.
According to O’Toole, Galbraith, and Lawler III (2002, p. 66), “for most people, shared leadership is counterintuitive: leadership is obviously and manifestly an individual trait and activity”, [and] the identities of American corporations are often viewed as mere reflections of the personalities of their leaders: entire organizations are portrayed as shadows of the ‘Great Men’ who sit in the chief executive chairs”. Leadership is not merely an individual attribute, but is also an institutional characteristic. Avolio, Walumbwa, and Weber (2009) examine that shared leadership is acquiring much importance in organizations as team-based structures replace hierarchical structures. Moreover, O’Toole et al. (2002, p. 67) affirm, “the trend over the last half-century has been away from concentration of power in one person and toward expanding the capacity for leadership at the top levels of corporations”. Yukl (2006, p. 4) acknowledges that those who support shared leadership approaches are mindful that “important decisions about what to do and how to do it are made through the use of an interactive process involving many different people who influence each other.”
Key Terms in this Chapter
Leadership Self-Efficacy: This term is considered as a value judgment on the quality of an individual’s performance whilst carrying out actions in given situations. An individual’s past performance influences self-efficacy. It is a key strategic element in achieving high levels of performance and the essential ingredient for structured organizational learning. This can be regarded as a capacity to share complex knowledge and therefore self-efficacy may well provide useful information on how people can share tacit knowledge.
SMEs: This concept is associated with small and medium-sized enterprises that usually represent a large percentage of business in the global world with the capability to make a notable change to the economy through job creation.
Performance: This term is related both to individual ability expertise talent that is influenced both by environmental and individual factors. This term is also associated with the organization’s potential to achieve its full capability.
Shared Leadership: Group-oriented, applied in organizations that are team-based structures as these have replaced hierarchical structures. It is multi-dimensional, impacting on the practice of shared leadership as a whole (joint completion of tasks, mutual skill development, decentralized interaction among personnel, and emotional support). This construct existed since ancient time.
Trust: This construct is considered an asset to encourage self-efficacy development; trust is essentially dependent on relationships and not on explicit knowledge. This construct is an integral component for knowledge sharing to occur in teams as trust is reliant on elements of commitment, confidence, and responsibility.