Navigating positions around collective leadership storylines in the shadow of hierarchy

Abstract

Leadership has gained increasing interest in the public sector in recent decades, and it can be argued that there has been a push towards collective leadership (CL) as a strategy to foster participation and engagement vis á vis the co-existence of formal hierarchical structures. This paper takes a discursive approach through the lenses of leadership in interaction and positioning theory. Based on observation of a management meeting the study demonstrates the complexity of formal leaders positioning around a locally constructed CL storyline (ideal), which content and implications are continuously re-negotiated. Based on the study’s findings three potential consequences are discussed: (a) challenges of navigating CL ideals in the shadow of hierarchy (b) the risk of CL ideals contributing to alternative and less transparent hierarchical arrangements (hidden and un-equal power systems) (c) positioning around local CL storylines and ideals being used to legitimize hierarchical leadership. Altogether, the paper highlights that positioning around CL storylines can paradoxically reproduce, rather than diminish, hierarchical dynamics. Furthermore it contributes by pointing at the potential of leadership in interaction as a lens for studying CL positioning, also in the context of formal leaders.