A Systematic Literature Review of Shared Leadership

Abstract

A Comprehensive and Systematic Review of shared leadership, an increasingly relevant
leadership approach in contemporary organizations. Shared Leading is an emergent concept in
leadership that brings collective decision-making and accountability distribution within teams or
organizations. This review includes a systematic content analysis of existing studies on shared
leadership in terms of its theoretical underpinnings, salient features, and general outcomes. As
a result, the review scrutinizes results from various academic disciplines and fields, such as
organizational behavior, management, and psychology, to understand how shared leadership
plays itself across different context and how it affects team performance, innovation, and
employee satisfaction. The identification of lacunae in current research efforts can help deepen
understanding of the real-world dimensions of shared leadership and pave the way toward
enhancing collaborative work environments. Besides, the review discusses measurement issues
concerning shared leadership and suggests potential research as well as future research
questions on shared leadership mechanisms, antecedents, and consequences.
Keywords: shared leadership, team leadership, leadership, team performance