When shared leadership is not enough to improve team performance: The case of temporary dispersed teams with subgroups

To accelerate innovation and performance, many organizations now leverage geographically dispersed teams with subgroups (DTSGs) that operate under intense time constraints, often through hackathons, rapid-cycle creativity sessions, and similar initiatives. These temporary teams face challenges stemming from limited face-to-face interaction, reliance on digital communication, unfamiliarity, and tight deadlines. Using data from 58 DTSGs participating in a hackathon, the study shows that shared leadership alone does not guarantee high performance; rather, the configuration of leadership is crucial. Four shared leadership configurations were identified, distinguished by factors such as the number of leaders, their geographic dispersion, and the extent to which leadership is either coordinated or fragmented. Results indicate that centralized leadership can outperform fragmented shared leadership when leaders are geographically dispersed. However, when leadership is coordinated, leader location becomes less relevant. The study presents the Leadership Playbook as a resource for facilitators and organizers seeking to cultivate effective leadership within DTSGs participating in hackathons, datathons, design sprints, and other intensive innovation workshops commonly encountered in the digital era.