Developing a Collective Capacity for Leadership

This chapter takes a more collective level of analysis (e.g., group, team, organization) with a focus on leadership development rather than individual leader development. Although the focus is different in terms of level and scope, the development of leaders and the development of collective capacity for leadership are not mutually exclusive endeavors. Whereas leader development is mainly about human capital development, leadership development focuses on social capital as the relevant outcome. Instead of focusing on the intrapersonal development of an individual leader as enhancing the potential for leadership, a collective focus recognizes that leadership is found in the interpersonal connections among individuals engaged in shared work. Rather than a systems input, leadership is conceptualized as an output shaped by systems structure and processes. Much less is known about collective forms of leadership development than those pertaining to individual leader development; however, there has been some notable work in recent years that will be summarized in this chapter. As with leader development, time is an important consideration. Proximal and distal outcomes of leadership development—leading and lagging indicators—are presented and explained.