Shared leadership arrangements for creativity and innovation

Organizational creativity and innovation present a set of complex cognitive and social leadership demands that often extend beyond the skillsets of individual leaders. To overcome the limitations of individual leadership, shared leadership structures enable groups and teams to flexibly coordinate tasks and foster social contexts conducive to generating and implementing creative ideas. As such, this chapter discusses how and when forms of shared leadership—including dual leadership, a unique case of partly centralized shared leadership—can help teams manage the many paradoxical demands within the innovative process. Additionally, this chapter identifies potential challenges with sharing leadership and concludes with guidance for selecting the most appropriate leadership pathway for innovative endeavors.