Keywords
shared leadership
development
church
daily manager
senior pastor
co-generative learning
action research
How to Cite
Abstract
Organizational and leadership development is assumed to promote efficiency and improve services. The research question of this article is: How can a leadership development project with co-generative learning promote co-leadership in an organization with two employer lines? The empirical data is drawn from a local development project for senior pastors and general managers in parishes within the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Norway. I conducted a qualitative study using action research and interviews. Theories on leadership development and co-generative learning illuminate the findings. Through joint reflection and experimentation in daily work tasks, a learning leadership community was experienced, with increased awareness of leadership roles and practical culture-building. The study shows that structural coordination is insufficient, and how it needs to be supplemented with relational collaboration between leadership dyads in the form of co-leadership across three distinct arenas within the organization.
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