Review from: Carole MacNeil, Ph.D., California State 4-H Youth Development Program Director.

Chrislip, D. and Larson, C. (1994). Collaborative Leadership: How Citizens and Civic Leaders Can Make a Difference. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

This book provides a thoughtful and useful discussion of the theory and practice of collaborative leadership. Underlying the discussion is what the authors refer to as "the collaborative premise," which they describe as:

   "...the belief that if you bring the appropriate people together in constructive ways with good information, they will create authentic visions and strategies for addressing the shared concerns of the organization or community." (p. 14).

Further, they describe collaboration as:

   "a mutually beneficial relationship between two or more parties who work toward common goals by sharing responsibility, authority, and accountability for achieving results...The purpose of collaboration is to create a shared vision and joint strategies to address concerns that go beyond the purview of any particular party." (p. 5).

The focus of the book is on the need for and application of "collaborative leadership" in the context of community or civic engagement (and is based on their study of more than fifty successful collaborative initiatives), but the discussion draws from examples in business, public education, family and children services, and community health care, and is therefore useful in a range of settings.

The authors argue that changing social conditions has meant that traditional forms of leadership are "unable to cope." Collaborative leadership is better equipped to deal with contemporary contexts. Drawing from the examples they studied, the authors identify several critical elements for collaborative leadership to be effective; these include: good timing and clear need; strong stakeholder groups; broad-based involvement; credibility and openness of process; commitment and/ore involvement of high-level, visible leaders; support or acquiescence of "established" authorities or powers; overcoming mistrust and skepticism; strong leadership of process; interim successes; and a shift to broader concerns.

While the book is more practice-oriented than theoretical, the authors make a strong case that is firmly grounded in research and their own empirical evidence. The authors provide one of the most thorough examinations of this approach to leadership, and as a result, they present a model that has application to a wide variety of organizational contexts.