Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

This study explores the role of Collective Leadership in shaping Degrowth Businesses with the overarching aim of understanding how we can create a sustainable society for all. An increasingly growing body of research suggests degrowth, meaning scaling down production and consumption and shifting focus toward enhancing wellbeing. Such a society requires a radical shift in how companies operate, meaning strong leadership is crucial in the coming years. The opinions on what type of leadership that drive sustainble development is split. As leadership by a few single leaders has been increasingly questioned, leadership by the many (collective leadership) is suggested.
As such, the aim of this thesis is to increase the understanding of leadership for sustainable development in businesses. More specifically, it looks at collective leadership, and sustainable development to understand the role of collective leadership in shaping degrowth businesses. In order to do so, I have two research questions: (1) What does collective leadership look like in practice?, and (2) What is the role of collective leadership in shaping degrowth business characteristics?.
The theoretical framework encompasses a discussion on views of leadership (Haslam et al., 2024; Alvesson, 2019; Bendell et al., 2017; Metcalf & Benn, 2013), and perspectives on degrowth based on Nesterova (2020), Froese et al. (2023) and Hankammer et al. (2021).
To answer the research questions, interviews were conducted with members of an organization which has adopted collective leadership. Several degrowth business characteristics were found, and the role of collective leadership in shaping them was analyzed. The analysis found that three different mechanisms played a role in shaping degrowth business characteristics: (1) Prioritising workers’ interests , (2) Perspective sharing and critical thinking, and (3) Individual empowerment and freedom.
The study found that the main driving mechanism for shaping degrowth characteristics is prioritising workers’ interests. This is facilitated by the fact that all members are equally invited to lead and shape the direction of the company, rather than just a few with authority who serve the shareholders through hierarchical structures. This mitigates the unsustainability of prioritizing the interests of profit-oriented shareholders, which often is the case in today’s companies.