Exploring shared leadership in a UK public sector programme

Abstract

This thesis considers shared leadership in a UK public sector programme. Many UK public sector change initiatives are delivered through programmes. In recent years, the practice and academic domain of programme management have developed from within the established discipline of project management. The leadership of projects has been widely studied, both conceptually and empirically, but programmes are substantively different. Shared leadership is a relatively new conceptualisation of leadership which may be valuable for the study of leadership of programmes. The thesis uses a case study of one programme to explore shared leadership in this environment, primarily based on 15 interviews and observation of meetings and events. In particular, it focuses on the leadership tasks of setting the vision and establishing and structuring the programme. The study helps to improve the characterisation of the emerging theoretical concept of shared leadership by adding empirical evidence. It supports the conceptualisation of shared leadership as a plural, processual, diagonal and lateral influence-based phenomenon by unpacking the above leadership tasks into their constituent activities and interactions. It provides evidence for the mechanism of “numerical action” through the seamless transfer of leadership and contributes to the discussion on the nature of “concertive action”. It also highlights the propensity of organisational actors to attribute artefacts of leadership to individuals. It supports the conceptualisation of leadership in such an environment as hybrid or integrated, combining traditional vertical with shared leadership. In light of this, it proposes a dual processual and artefactual approach to the study of leadership. It does not support defined, complementary roles and structures as important for effective programme leadership. It provides useful guidance to programme management practitioners and stakeholders from seeing their own experiences and environments through the lens of shared leadership.