Collaboration

Collaboration in leadership extends beyond teamwork; it is a competency that shapes client outcomes, team functioning, and organizational culture. In increasingly complex and specialized healthcare systems, effective collaboration requires intentional communication, role clarity, shared decision-making, and mutual trust across disciplines. This topic explores collaborative leadership as a dynamic and relational process—one that moves beyond individual authority to shared influence and collective responsibility. Students will examine barriers to collaboration, including territorial behavior and structural constraints, while exploring evidence-based strategies that foster trust, plural leadership, and integrated, occupation-centered care.

Watch:

Watch this 5:51-minute video, Collaboration as Leadership, to explore how occupational therapy leaders enact influence, build trust, and shape shared decision-making within interprofessional teams.

Optional:

Read this article by Thompson et al. to examine how plural leadership is enacted in interprofessional practice and to identify practical strategies for fostering familiarity, shared responsibility, and collaborative influence within healthcare teams.