While the potential impact of vertical leaders on shared leadership has been considered previously
(Bennis & Nanus, 1985; Diaz-Saenz, 2011), no attention has been paid to the influence of shared
leadership on the role and practices of formally appointed leaders. Moreover, the conceptual and
methodological traditions of this research stream is largely embedded within the broader tradition of
leadership research that emphasizes almost exclusively variance models and quantitative methods
(Fitzsimons et al., 2011). A more qualitative-oriented analysis, examining in finer detail the nature of
shared leadership (Mehra et al., 2006) in organizations and the processes associated with its
emergence and development, requires further research.
In short, this dissertation has introduced a new strategic leadership model, stretching the traditional
leadership ontology by means of including an external orientation and allowing for a more horizontal
(shared) leadership answer. A model which fits the contemporary challenges, which has been
validated and has shown its theoretical and practical value. The research findings enhance further
endeavors on the identified research avenues, with the aim to publish the results in articles and
ultimately to further the debate on strategic leadership in theory and in practice together with other
leadership researchers and practitioners.