Leading Across Boundaries: Creating Collaborative Agencies in a Networked World

Collaborative Leadership Works in Hierarchical Settings as Well

The five characteristics of collaborative leaders aren’t only about peer leadership; they can be equally effective in most hierarchical positions. Leadership scholars Zenger and Folkman (2009) studied 11,000 360-degree reviews of business leaders, in an effort to learn what led to poor performance in the corporate world. These reviews brought together survey responses from the leaders’ peers, direct reports, and supervisors. For the 10 percent who were least effective, one of the top five mistakes was their lack of collaboration. Svara (2008) came up with similar conclusions in his study of mayors in small, medium-sized, andlarge cities. Mayors who provide a sense of direction ...