The power of many: analyzing the impact of shared leadership on project teams

Abstract

Purpose

Shared leadership has received significant empirical and theoretical attention in the project management literature. However, a dearth of studies reveals how shared leadership promotes project performance. Drawing on the theory of conservation of resources, this research proposes a serial mediation model that investigates the relationship between shared leadership and project performance through team failure learning and team resilience.

Design/methodology/approach

A field study was conducted that surveyed 79 project teams in various industries (comprising 380 project team members and 79 project managers) using a multisource, time-lagged survey design.

Findings

Our findings show that shared leadership has a positive impact on project performance. More importantly, team failure learning and team resilience play sequential mediating roles in the relationship between shared leadership and project performance.

Practical implications

This research offers new ways for project managers to manage project performance effectively. Project managers are encouraged to recognize the benefits of shared leadership. To do this, they should facilitate team failure learning and improve team resilience, which serves to boost project performance.

Originality/value

This research provides a novel perspective on how shared leadership influences project performance. To the best of our knowledge, we are among the first to explore the serial mediating effects of team failure learning and team resilience on the relationship between shared leadership and project performance.

Citation

Zhou, Q., Wu, Q., Sun, Y. and Cormican, K. (2025), "The power of many: analyzing the impact of shared leadership on project teams", International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, Vol. 18 No. 1, pp. 53-77. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMPB-05-2024-0132