Pressing societal issues extend beyond the boundaries of single public organizations (Cohen & Cohen, 2023). Frontline professionals, therefore, find themselves increasingly working in inter-organizational settings, collaborating across organizational and professional boundaries. However, structural and relational barriers can hinder collaboration across organizational boundaries (Gittell & Douglas, 2012). Public administration research has mainly focused on structural barriers, studying how collaboration is organized and governed (Wang & Ran, 2023). The relational element of collaboration has received less attention, even though studies from fields such as organization science, health policy, and social policy have demonstrated the importance of taking the relational side into account (Van Staalduinen et al., 2023).

In this study, we aim to fill this gap by introducing the concept of joint problem-solving orientation to public administration. Joint problem-solving orientation is defined as “emphasizing problems as shared and viewing solutions as requiring co-production” (Kerrissey & Novikov, 2024: p. 2), thus focusing on the relational element of collaboration. While originally introduced in the generic management field (Kerrissey, Mayo & Edmondson, 2021), it has been identified as a factor that positively impacts collaborative performance in fields such as the military (Kalkman, 2023), social and community policy (Kerrisey & Singer, 2023), and primary care (Kerrisey et al., 2023).

Studies on leading inter-organizational collaboration mainly focus on external leadership behaviors such as collaborative leadership (Crosby & Bryson, 2005), integrative leadership (Page, 2010), and transversal leadership (Gron et al., 2024). We add to this by focusing on internal processes: we analyze to what extent psychological safety and inclusive leadership foster a joint problem-solving orientation. Both psychological safety and inclusive leadership have well-known effects of fostering collaboration within teams by valuing diverse perspectives and encouraging open dialogue (e.g. Ashikali, Groeneveld & Kuipers, 2021; Edmondson, 1999). However, we expect that their effects will also carry outside the organization and contribute to a joint problem-solving orientation in collaboration across organizational boundaries. Moreover, we expect that their effects positively interact; thus, the highest level of joint problem-solving orientation occurs when teams are both psychologically safe and when team leaders show substantive amounts of inclusive leadership. Our research question, therefore, is:

“To what extent do inclusive leadership and psychological safety affect joint problem-solving orientation in Dutch social support teams?”

We examine these relationships using a multi-source dataset of professional self-reported joint problem-solving orientation and supervisor-reported inclusive leadership intentions. Data is collected among Dutch social care professionals and their supervisors (N=60 teams).

References

Ashikali, T., Groeneveld, S., & Kuipers, B. (2021). The role of inclusive leadership in supporting an inclusive climate in diverse public sector teams. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 41(3), 497-519.

Cohen, G., & Cohen, N. (2023). Understanding street‐level bureaucrats’ informal collaboration: evidence from police officers across the jurisdictional divide. Public Management Review, 25(2), 224-242.

Crosby, B. C., & Bryson, J. M. (2005). A leadership framework for cross-sector collaboration. Public management review, 7(2), 177-201.

Edmondson, A. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative science quarterly, 44(2), 350-383.

Gittell, J. H., & Douglass, A. (2012). Relational bureaucracy: Structuring reciprocal relationships into roles. Academy of management review, 37(4), 709-733.

Grøn, A. B., Hvilsted, L., Ingerslev, K., Jacobsen, C. B., Bech, M., & Holm-Petersen, C. (2024). Can Leadership Improve Interorganizational Collaboration? Field-Experimental Evidence From a Team-Based Leadership Training Intervention. The American Review of Public Administration, 02750740241232681.

Kalkman, J.P. (2023). Radical and Swift Adaptive Organizing in Response to Unexpected Events: Military Relief Operations after Hurricane Dorian. Academy of Management Discoveries, 9(4), 497-524.

Kerrissey, M. J., Mayo, A. T., & Edmondson, A. C. (2021). Joint problem-solving orientation in fluid cross-boundary teams. Academy of Management Discoveries, 7(3), 381-405.

Kerrissey, M., & Novikov, Z. (2024). Joint problem-solving orientation, mutual value recognition, and performance in fluid teamwork environments. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1288904.

Kerrissey, M. J., & Singer, S. J. (2023). Factors affecting collaboration between clinical and community service organizations. Health Care Management Review, 48(2), 130-139.

Kerrissey, M., Novikov, Z., Tietschert, M., Phillips, R., & Singer, S. J. (2023). The ambiguity of “we”: Perceptions of teaming in dynamic environments and their implications. Social Science & Medicine, 320, 115678.

Lee, D., & Hung, C. (2022). Meta-analysis of collaboration and performance: Moderating tests of sectoral differences in collaborative performance. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 32(2), 360-379.

Page, S. (2010). Integrative leadership for collaborative governance: Civic engagement in Seattle. The Leadership Quarterly, 21(2), 246-263.

van Staalduinen, D. J., van den Bekerom, P. E., Groeneveld, S. M., Stiggelbout, A. M., & van den Akker-van, M. E. (2023). Relational coordination in value-based health care. Health care management review, 48(4), 334-341.

Wang, H., & Ran, B. (2023). Network governance and collaborative governance: A thematic analysis on their similarities, differences, and entanglements. Public management review, 25(6), 1187-1211.

Distributed leadership has beneficial functions for both public organizations and employees. For organizations, leadership dispersion among employees contributes to increased innovative behavior, coordination, and learning. For employees, participation in leading the organization supports basic psychological needs, increased motivation, and career promoting job tasks (Currie & Lockett, 2011; Hulpia et al., 2012; Jakobsen et al., 2023). Still, we are in the early phases of understanding distributed leadership behavior in public organizations (Kuipers & Murphy, 2023), and existing literature provides limited knowledge about how various leadership activities are distributed among different individuals, and what public managers can do to support employee participation in leading the organization (Jakobsen et al., 2023).

This paper contributes to this research agenda by 1) disaggregating the concept of distributed leadership into specific leadership activities, 2) identifying which employees engage in these different leadership activities, and 3) exploring whether inclusive leadership (Ashikali et al., 2021; Randel et al., 2018) can support employee participation in distributed leadership. Based on insights from generic leadership literature (Van Roekel, 2023; Yukl, 2002) and studies of employee gender roles in preferences for leadership behaviors (e.g., Eagly & Johannesen-Schmidt, 2001), we argue that employees with longer organizational tenure participate more in distributed leadership activities and that male employees participate more in change- and task-oriented activities, whereas female employees participate more in relations-oriented activities. Furthermore, because inclusive leadership focuses on supporting the full participation of all employees in organizational processes by stimulating exchange, discussion, and integration of employees’ diverse perspectives and backgrounds (Ashikali et al., 2021, p. 502), we argue that leaders’ execution of this type of leadership behavior likely makes all employees feel more encouraged to participate in distributed leadership activities.

Relying on a cross-sectional survey among upper secondary school teachers in Denmark (N = 1,113), our results confirm patterns of distributed leadership characterized by female teachers doing more leadership activities focused on relational aspects, while male teachers do more leadership activities focused on administrative aspects. Across all types of distributed leadership activities, higher organizational tenure is positively associated with employee participation in leading the organization. Yet, we also confirm that inclusive leadership is relevant to support distribution of leadership among all employees. These findings are discussed in light of potential individual and organizational benefits of distributed leadership, and we highlight how inclusive leadership may contribute to diverse employee participation in leading public organizations ensuring that they utilize their pool of human resources.

Upward voice, or employee’s view on work-related issues towards higher hierarchical levels, is important for linking the professional knowledge of lower layers with strategic organizational insights of higher levels (Satterstrom et al., 2021). However, sometimes professionals find it hard to share their knowledge as they may feel uncomfortable communicating to their bosses about possible organizational issues they face (Milliken et al., 2003; Morrison, 2023).

To understand what might promote or discourage professionals in communicating upwards, more research is necessary about the daily context in which public professionals work. Previous research has already examined organizational characteristics, such as centralization (Milliken et al., 2003) and employee characteristics such as gender and status (Morrison, 2014) that influence professionals expressing their voice, but has neglected individual perception of professionals about their daily team environment. This study aims to fill this gap by examining the role of a psychological safety and inclusive leadership, on professionals upwarding their voice to higher hierarchical levels.

Psychological safety refers to a climate of interpersonal trust and mutual respect where employees feel comfortable to take a risk (Edmondson, 1999). Inclusive leadership is aimed at facilitating a safe environment in which all team members have the opportunity to be themselves (Nembhard & Edmondson, 2006; Randel et al., 2018).

We expect that professionals’ upward voice is especially relevant when professionals experience that the current rules and procedures are not in line with their purpose to help the greater good and thereby not contribute to meaningful work (Tummers & Bekkers, 2014). Therefore, we examine these events of ‘meaninglessness’ as triggers for upward voice. When meaninglessness occurs, we study to what extent psychological safety and inclusive leadership facilitate professionals in actually speaking up. Our central question is: To what extent do psychological safety and inclusive leadership influence professionals upward voice when experiencing meaninglessness?

Empirically, this study uses a daily diary research design with executing professionals from the municipality of The Hague, the Netherlands. This approach uncovers the within-person variation in experiences with psychological safety, inclusive leadership and professionals’ upward voice, when experiencing meaninglessness. This allows us to examine the importance of individual perceptions of the team environment for professionals speaking up. Data collection is currently ongoing and expected to finish June 2024.

Reference List

Edmondson, A. (1999). Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350-383. https://doi.org/10.2307/2666999

Milliken, F. J., Morrison, E. W., & Hewlin, P. F. (2003). An Exploratory Study of Employee Silence: Issues that Employees Don’t Communicate Upward and Why*. Journal of Management Studies, 40(6), 1453-1476. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6486.00387

Morrison, E. W. (2014). Employee Voice and Silence. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 1(1), 173-197. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-031413-091328

Morrison, E. W. (2023). Employee Voice and Silence: Taking Stock a Decade Later. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 10(Volume 10, 2023), 79-107. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-120920-054654

Nembhard, I. M., & Edmondson, A. C. (2006). Making it safe: The effects of leader inclusiveness and professional status on psychological safety and improvement efforts in health care teams. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 27(7), 941-966. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.413

Randel, A. E., Galvin, B. M., Shore, L. M., Ehrhart, K. H., Chung, B. G., Dean, M. A., & Kedharnath, U. (2018). Inclusive leadership: Realizing positive outcomes through belongingness and being valued for uniqueness. Human Resource Management Review, 28(2), 190-203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2017.07.002

Satterstrom, P., Kerrissey, M., & DiBenigno, J. (2021). The Voice Cultivation Process: How Team Members Can Help Upward Voice Live on to Implementation. Administrative Science Quarterly, 66(2), 380-425. https://doi.org/10.1177/0001839220962795

Tummers, L., & Bekkers, V. (2014). Policy Implementation, Street-level Bureaucracy, and the Importance of Discretion. Public Management Review, 16(4), 527-547. https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2013.841978