Influence of Team Leadership on Collaborative Value within Ashoka Fellows' Organizations in Africa

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine the influence of team leadership on collaborative value within Ashoka Fellows' Organizations in Africa. This was guided by key research questions: What is the influence of team goal-setting on collaborative value within Ashoka Fellows' Organizations in Africa? To what extent does team learning influence collaborative value within Ashoka Fellows' Organizations in Africa? How does team coaching influence collaborative value within Ashoka Fellows' Organizations in Africa? To what extent do team conflicts influence collaborative value within Ashoka Fellows' organizations in Africa? What is the level of influence of team negotiations on collaborative value within Ashoka Fellows‘ Organizations in Africa? What is the influence of team information sharing on collaborative value within Ashoka Fellows' Organizations in Africa? And lastly, To what extent does intra-organizational social capital mediate the relationship between team leadership and collaborative value among Ashoka Fellows‘ Organizations in Africa? The Hills team leadership model and functional team leadership theory guided the study. The study applied pragmatism philosophy to offer several ways to bridge dichotomies in mixed methods approaches to social science. Explanatory sequential mixed-method research design consisting of two distinct phases, namely quantitative and qualitative, was adopted. Both qualitative and quantitative study methods were adopted. In the quantitative study, the target population constituted all the 154 Ashoka Fellows' Organizations working in 19 countries in Africa. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire administered online to the founders (Ashoka Fellows) or the Ashoka Fellows' Organizations' CEOs. One hundred responded by filling out the questionnaire, which translated to a 64.9% response rate. Additionally, qualitative data applied purposive sampling and selected six Ashoka regional team leaders in Africa for in-depth interviews. They all were available for the interviews translating to a 100% response rate. Data analysis techniques combined descriptive and inferential statistics. Statistical Package for Social Sciences and SmartPLS 3 software were used to analyze the collected data. According to study findings, Team Goal Setting has a significant influence on collaborative value with an R2 = 0.086, chi-square X2 (10, N=100) = 175.992, p<.05, SRMR =0.108, Rms-theta =0.292 and NFI =0.773. The null hypothesis was rejected. Team Learning has a significant influence on collaborative value with an R2 = 0.209, chi-square X2 (10, N=100) = 73.361, p<.05, SRMR=0.092, Rms-theta =1.236 and NFI=0.782. The null hypothesis was rejected. Team Coaching has a significant influence on collaborative value with an R2 = 0.29.2, chi-square X2 (10, N=100) = 60.984, p<.05, SRMR=0.095, Rms-theta=1.221, and NFI=0.754. The null hypothesis was rejected.Team Conflicts have a significant influence on collaborative value with an R2 = 0.238, chi-square X2 (10, N=100) = 80.581, p<.05, SRMR=0.103, Rms-theta=0.236 and NFI=0.732. The null hypothesis was rejected. Team Negotiations have a significant influence on collaborative value with an R2 = 0.214, chi-square X2 (10, N=100) = 72.319, p<.05, SRMR=0.090, Rms-theta=0.234, and NFI=0.773. The null hypothesis was rejected. Team Information Sharing has a significant influence on collaborative value with an R2 = 0.300, chi-square X2 (10, N=100) = 63.010, p<.05, SRMR=0.088, Rms-theta=0.224 and NFI=0.805. The null hypothesis was rejected. Intra-organizational Social Capital (IOSC) mediates the relationship between team leadership and collaborative value. Before IOSC mediation, team leadership accounted for 34.1% of collaborative value, with an R2 = 0.341, chi-square X2 (10, N=100) = 99.274, p<.05, SRMR=0.096, Rms-theta = 0.227, and NFI=0.745. After IOSC mediation team leadership accounted for 37.1% of collaborative value, with an R2 = 0.371, chi-square X2 (10, N=100) = 152.934, p<.05, SRMR=0.100. Rms-theta = 0.207 and NFI= 0.707. The null hypothesis was rejected. The study concludes that for team goal-setting to influence collaborative value, the teams should have goal clarity, should be committed to the goals, and have the capacity to meet the team goals. Team Learning influences collaborative value when team members are open and willing to learn and share knowledge. Team coaching unleashes the team's potential and builds teams relations resulting in collaborative value. During team conflicts, different opinions should be embraced as well as finding the organization's best alternative as team conflicts can negatively influence collaborative value. Negotiating team's processes embrace consensus decisions on the step of action and evaluation of alternative ways of dealing with the problem objectively, resulting in collaborative value. High quality of information exchange, sharing of new facts, insights, and ideas, quick and accurate communication of new knowledge, and regular sharing of information with key stakeholders influence collaborative value. Finally, teams should embrace social capital as it positively affects the team members' learning culture factors, which impresses upon the team learning culture, creates a safe space, and contributes to the free flow of information, giving rise to new ways to create value. The study offers insights and presents Ashoka, scholars, practitioners, and policymakers evidence that team leadership significantly influences collaborative value within organizations. The study recommends that organizations should ensure there is a consensus between team members and the team's collaborative goals; teams should be convinced that the goals are achievable and that they have the potential to achieve them. For learning teams to achieve collaborative value, periodic training of team members should be facilitated, and team members should learn to function and thrive in collaboration by focusing on the relationships and types of knowledge creation and absorption between different teams. Team coaching should be encouraged in order to unleash teams' potential to solve problems and form alignment between how they work, deliver, and their continued development over time. Task-oriented conflicts should be exploited by teams seeking high creativity levels as they may lead to innovative solutions. Relational conflicts should be downplayed, and emphasis should instead be on incorporating teams' different opinions. Negotiating teams should look for objective alternative ways of dealing with the problem before finding a solution that team members feel comfortable with. A critical phase of team negotiations is preparation- teams should know as much as possible about the other side of the negotiation. The quality of teams' information sharing should go beyond necessary factual information to a point where team members transfer their unique understanding and willingly engage in sharing to build on each other's interpretations and collectively make sense. Teams should also embrace timely information sharing, which can be aided through investment in technology. The study also recommends that teams should embrace social capital (SC) as it positively affects the team members' learning culture factors, which affects the team learning ethos, creates a safe space, and contributes to the free flow of information, giving rise to new ways to create value. SC encourages members to share experiences of positive feelings and emotional encouragement to enhance enthusiasm in work‐related issues.