JOC CLARK, Ph.D.
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Ph.D. Dissertation completed in 2008
Developing Collaborative Leadership: A Study of Organizational Change Toward
Greater Collaboration and Shared Leadership
Ally (def.): collaborator, teammate, colleague,
supporter, partner, associate
Abstract

Implicit in leadership behavior is the ability to work with others, to be in relationship,
and to collaborate.  Contemporary theories about leadership have shifted from a
focus on the individual “leader” toward the collective act of “leadership.”  A concrete
understanding of collaborative leadership remains somewhat underdeveloped in the
literature and theoretically.  This dissertation is a case study of organization’s efforts
to change from autocratic organizational leadership to a more collaborative working
environment.  Taking the form of a literary portrait, the study analyzes an example of
action learning about collaborative leadership. The portrait will be of the agency’s
change, with special attention given to the issues facing the leadership team as it
wrestles to change from top-down to collaborative leadership practice. The primary
research question is: In today’s shifting landscape, what practices and conditions will
optimize the development of a collaborative working environment?  Findings were that
the development of a collaborative working environment can be optimized through the
careful cultivation of the ten themes that emerged from the study: (1) on-going
learning and continuous development, (2) flexibility, (3) trust, (4) respect/esteem/
positive regard, (5) willingness/commitment, (6) facilitative process (establishment of
norms, ground rules/agreements, inclusivity, process capability/tacit knowledge of
functional group process), (7) realistic optimism/positive
personality/resilience/solution/strength/future focus, (8) communication skills, (9)
social intelligence (ability to transcend the ego and to self-organize and motivate) and
(10) an appropriate level of technical competence.  

The full electronic version of this dissertation is available at the Ohiolink ETD Center:
http://etd.ohiolink.edu/view.cgi?acc_num=antioch1229720750