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Writer's pictureTati

Why the Future of Leadership is Collective


collective leadership meditaction - flocking

The task of leadership is to create an alignment of strengths, making a system’s weaknesses irrelevant.” – Peter Drucker

Hello everyone and welcome back to our blog. 😊


Throughout the last month of October, the skies over Geneva unveiled a mesmerizing and awe-inspiring spectacle. Frequently, as daylight waned, hundreds upon hundreds of birds gracefully waltzed in unison, demonstrating the mesmerizing phenomenon known to scientists as "flocking".🕊️


Flocking is defined as a collective motion by a group of self-propelled entities. This can be manifested when an emergent behaviour arises from simple rules followed by individuals and does not involve any central coordination. Interestengily, when researching about this, I found out that it is a collective animal behaviour that is not only exhibitied by birds, but by many other species of animals, such as fish, bacteria and insects.


In simple terms, as a good friend pointed out to me this weekend while we were discussing the latest events in the sky, we can say that this is a perfect collective alignment of beings who act together without a leader.

If birds, fish and even bacteria can do this, are we, human beings, capable of doing the same ?

Individual Leadership vs Collective Leadership

Conventional (and in our opinion, outdated) perspectives on leadership revolve around the characteristics of a single leader. Frequently, notable figures like Bill Gates from Microsoft, Steve Jobs from Apple, Jeff Bezos from Amazon, or Elon Musk from Tesla/X are hailed in our society, as exemplars of successful leadership. While these individuals undeniably achieved remarkable success, it's essential to recognize that numerous others have not fared as well.


This prevailing leadership model, where an exceptional, larger-than-life individual leads the organisation, and others follow suit, is often characterized as a 'heroic' style and remains the predominant paradigm in many organizations to this day.


We believe this model is not only outdated but also nurtures the false belief that organizational leadership is predominantly about the individual leader, rather than the collective contributions of a group of engaged human beings.


The premise that there can be only one leader, responsible for making all the challenging decisions and bearing the consequences, will increase disproportionate compensation for that individual. This belief often leads to the formulation of divisional and functional strategies without significant consultation or consideration for colleagues in other parts of the organization. These strategies are often shortsighted, fixated on optimizing short-term outcomes with little regard for the long-term prospects of the organization as a whole.


Consequently, the organization ends up with not one unified strategy but multiple divergent strategies, each striving to achieve disparate outcomes. In the best-case scenario, there may be some degree of alignment, but at worst, these strategies clash, tugging the organization in conflicting directions.


Rarely does the best strategy for an organization emerge as the sum of various individual strategies. It is rather an alignment of collective human strengths, ideas, perspectives and skills.


And we believe this is valid not only in the corporate world but also in politics, non-governmental organizations and any other collective groups of people working together.

Collective Leadership: Alignment of Forces for Better Collective Results


Picture a company where every individual, from the CEO to the most recent intern, arrives with great clarity about their daily tasks, even on those unpredictable days when plans go awry and crises emerge. It's a workplace where everyone collaboratively steps in to support one another, even in the face of mistakes across different departments. Here, you won't find blame or internal conflicts; instead, there's a constant and healthy agreement on decision-making, resource allocation, and priority setting.


This is not an utopia.


This state of cohesion and harmony within an organization or a group of people has been sought and is already being practiced in several different fields. In the ecovillage movement some call it alignment or attunement. In the organizational world, new models such as Sociocracy, Halocracy or Dynamic Self-Governance have been developed to help companies and organizations work more effectively and collaboratively. In technology, the blockchain revolution is paving the way for a decentralized, mass-collaborative future, powered by collective interactions and transactions.


There is nothing fundamentally wrong with individual leadership. On the contrary, it serves as a vital foundation for collective leadership. First we need to learn how to improve ourselves and become better role models, so that others can be inspired and positively influence. And to learn how to be those role models and improve ourselves, we also need the help of others who are already leaders themselves. It is a dynamic, enhancing and constructive dance that beautifies life and fosters our evolution.


It is also essential to understand that collective leadership is not a substitute for individual leadership; rather, it represents a natural evolution of leadership that extends individual influence to the collective sphere. We believe enhanced collective leadership assumes paramount significance in today's ever more volatile, uncertain and complex environment. Without collective leadership, the formulation of a cohesive, shared future for humanity becomes elusive.


Final Thoughts


With the presence of collective leadership, the world's organizations and humanity at large, have a significant opportunity to successfully change our trajectory towards a brighter future for all.


We are at a crossroads, and the decision of embracing collective leadership can be made by each and every one of us.


You too can be a leader, in a world of leaders (or in a leaderless world, depending on the perspective!), where each one offers their best talents and skills to the world. You too can contribute, collaborate and synergize with others to help build a better world for future generations.


Have you already started ? 🙂


Love,

💛

Tati



1 commentaire


Dea Esmeralda
Dea Esmeralda
05 déc. 2023

Very good point! "We believe this model is not only outdated but also nurtures the false belief that organizational leadership is predominantly about the individual leader, rather than the collective contributions of a group of engaged human beings."

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