This qualitative, empirical phenomenological study examined and compared general ideas, themes, concepts, and understandings of the phenomenon of shared leadership in self-managed work teams. Twenty leaders from one magnet hospital and one telecommunications company were interviewed to assess their lived experiences of shared leadership. Horizonalization, reduction, and imaginative variation techniques, as well as textural and structural descriptions, were applied to produce clear common and non-common themes. Six major themes emerged: (a) empowerment, (b) collaboration, (c) decision-making, (d) knowledge sharing, (e) increase team efficiency, and (f) improve team productivity. Other common themes that emerged from the study and have applicability for future research included (a) environment of trust, (b) sense of ownership, (c) corporate culture, (d) employee satisfaction, and (e) communication. Two non-common themes were (a) morale and (b) advancement opportunities. The study revealed that shared leadership provided teams with certain levels of empowerment, collaboration, and decision-making, and this can promote self-managed work team effectiveness. The study also revealed that lack of trust and culture could impact shared leadership and the effectiveness of self-managed work teams.
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