In the world of education and business, there is a disconnect between
stakeholders, their roles and responsibilities in guiding and leading
organizations in a shared leadership model. Currently, leaders have a
conceptual understanding of shared leadership but lack the tools to
effectively guide their staff in enacting the dynamic exchange of ideas
and voice among all members of the organization to promote the
development of a strategic plan focused on best outcomes.
There is a disconnect between the perceived and actual value of shared
leadership on affecting change in an organization / educational
institution. In The Value of Voice in Shared Leadership and
Organizational Behavior Jamey Long and Joseph Pisani demonstrate that
the members of an organization or educational institution at any level
do not possess sufficient understanding or resources related to the
dynamic of shared leadership and the value of voice (VoV) in determining
what is known, what the plan will be and the action(s) step(s) each is
responsible for completing to form a symbiotic relationship within all
levels of the organization/ educational institution.
The VoV Model will build on previous models but will improve the process
by creating a duality of flow of understanding and actionable steps to
create for the organization/institution its best outcomes. Previously,
business and education models or structures primarily focused on a
top-down leadership approach. The VoV drives the Know, Plan, Act of
shared leadership in a way where the leaders can share with their staff
while allowing the Know, Plan, Act of the staff to symbiotically
interface through the learning of roles with all the leaders. Therefore,
leaders/administration and staff/employees must learn their roles to
create an enclosing symbiotic organization. Finally, the cornerstone
principle of the VoV is to build a strong foundation of shared
leadership and voice within the organization/institution so that all
stakeholders (including students, workforce, outside businesses) can
benefit from a higher quality resource due to the new cohesive mission
and vision.
