(Colorado Springs, CO, April 12, 2006) - Leading effectively is no longer a solo act, according to a groundbreaking study of how leadership is changing. The nonprofit Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) surveyed more than 300 mid- to upper-level managers globally and uncovered a rising trend toward collaborative leadership.
"We are seeing the demise of the hero leader and a rise in collaboration," says study author and CCL senior associate André Martin. "Because the challenges leaders face are becoming more complex and therefore more difficult to solve," he explains, "collaborative leadership is necessary."
In fact, the research shows that even though leaders consider challenges facing their organization to be within their problem-solving expertise; most are taking more than six months to solve them.
Other results of the three-year study:
- More than 84% of the participants believe that the definition of effective leadership has changed over the past five year
- More than 60% agree that leaders face challenges that go beyond their individual capabilities
- 58% acknowledge that interdependent work is the foundation of effective leadership
The myriad challenges facing leaders are giving rise to a new leadership skill set, one that emphasizes "soft skills" and teamwork, according to Martin´s research. Participative management, building and mending relationships, and change management are top individual leadership skills of the future, Martin says. These qualities are replacing decisiveness and doing whatever it takes as characteristics of a strong leader.
And with foreign organizations on the cutting edge of this trend, the U.S. has some catching up to do.
In organizations outside the U.S., the findings show an already significant jump from individual to collective leadership approaches. In the future, global organizations expect to have fewer boundaries and to rely more on emergent strategy when compared to U.S. organizations.
In the years to come, more changes will be seen in the reward and recognition systems within organizations as well. There is a trend toward teamwork, and work environments where employees contribute to a leaders´ success and are rewarded as such.
"All of these factors add up to a significant shift in the way organizations of the future will be led, how decisions will be made and ultimately how successful these organizations will be," Martin says.
For more information or a copy of this study, please contact Cathy Lloyd, RMA Public Relations, 336.333.6418 or cathy[at]rma-pr.com.
About the Center for Creative Leadership
Founded in 1970, The Center for Creative Leadership is a nonprofit, educational institution with international reach. Ranked among the world´s top institutions for executive education by the Financial Times, the Center annually serves leaders from more than 2,000 organizations - both public and private, including two-thirds of the Fortune 500. Headquartered in Greensboro, NC, the Center also has locations in Colorado Springs, Colorado; San Diego, California; Brussels, Belgium and Singapore.