Collaboration Opens the Door for Shared Leadership

I believe collaboration within shared leadership creates the perfect environment for individual engagement and reward. When leadership is shared, people feel more deeply motivated, and teams benefit from a wider range of perspectives and talents.

The concept of shared leadership was first introduced back in 1924 by Mary Parker Follett¹, a pioneering management consultant. Follett introduced the Law of the Situation, which suggested that leadership in any given moment should come from whoever is best equipped to handle the task at hand. Pretty radical thinking for her time! Her theory challenged the traditional top-down leadership model from the industrial revolution—one that is still around today.

The modern definition of shared leadership adds an important "Why" to drive successful outcomes: "Shared leadership is a dynamic, interactive influence process among individuals of a group for which the objective is to lead one another to the achievement of the group or organizational goals or both."² Sound familiar? This perfectly describes A/E/C teams and clients who continually strive to work together toward the best project outcomes and rewarding partnerships.

"Collaboration is the New Currency"³ is the #1 trend in A/E/C marketing and business development, according to the SMPS Foundation's 2026 Emerging Trends research. I think this trend shows that leading firms are embracing shared leadership in part because they've discovered something important: when people have ownership and agency, they're more professionally fulfilled—and that leads to better outcomes for everyone.

Our competitive business environment is also pushing this trend forward. Today's projects require not only diverse, in-depth technical skills, but also professionals who can navigate "a landscape marked by economic volatility, political uncertainty, and generational transition."³

Trend #2 from the Foundation's research highlights the Maturation of Marketing and Business Development in A/E/C³. I believe this is the direct result of continuous collaboration within our SMPS community. Throughout 51 years of SMPS leadership, countless individuals have shared their knowledge, expertise, and passion. Together, we've built an impressive body of educational resources and professional development opportunities that have elevated us and what we do. Leading firms are finally recognizing the value we bring!

Christopher Dixon explores what happens for creatives when AI is integrated into workflow as a collaborative resource in "The Unexpected Impact of AI on Creativity". He points out that there is “a concerning psychological phenomenon when creatives are displaced from the creative process.” This is an important factor to overcome as AI is embedded in almost every aspect of our creative industry.

In “Data Management is a Team Sport”, Courtney Kearny and Erica Curtis encourage us to “Make data management a team sport!” They believe “No one person or department can handle every data task for your firm. Instead, every single person at the firm should have a data role.” Collaboration at its best!