Governing Cross-Sector Collaboration

Chapter NineLeadership Implications in Cross-Sector Collaboration

Good leadership skills are critical in any organization. However, leading organizations involved in cross-sector collaboration (CSC) require an emphasis in certain skill areas that perhaps are not as critical in more traditional hierarchical organizations. For example, all leaders must be good communicators, a common attribute cited in the leadership literature. But CSCs require more than just good communications; they require the ability to forge a common purpose or aim among actors who have their own organizational agenda. Public and nonprofit managers in CSCs also must see the larger system beyond their organizational niche. This may mean taking on roles not in their traditional ...