Hosted by Emanuele Quintarelli and Shruthi Prakash, this session brought together a panel of industry veterans including Céline Schillinger, author of Dare to Unlead and founder of We Need Social, Michele Zanini, co-author of Humanocracy, Paul Lambert, founding director of Living Work Consulting, and Sergio Caredda, Senior HR Director at Campari Group.

The conversation centered around how platform organizations can thrive by rethinking leadership, moving away from the traditional, top-down models to embrace a decentralized, and ecosystemic approach. This discussion explored how leadership must evolve to empower individuals and teams to innovate and take ownership within platform-based ecosystems.

 

Watch it here. 

 

 

Leadership as Stewardship

Emanuele set the base by introducing the notion that platform organizations represent a unique organizational challenge. These organizations often support multiple products, clients, and business models simultaneously, creating a highly dynamic environment. This complexity demands leadership that can cope with decentralized decision-making and high levels of autonomy for teams.

Céline initiated the conversation by advocating for a shift from traditional leadership based on authority to one that fosters collective effort. She stressed the importance of systems thinking and viewing leadership as an emergent, networked function rather than something confined to individuals at the top of the hierarchy. 

“Leaders today must be excellent aggregators, enabling the collective nature of work,” – Celine.

Michele pointed out that the surge in the use of the term “leadership” began in the 1980s when it became a brand upgrade from “management.” He critiqued this trend, arguing that many organizations focus on leadership as a position tied to power rather than as a practice of mobilizing collective effort. 

“We need to make this flip and think about leadership less about maximizing control and more about unleashing talent, and in a relational sense where you are leading with others and mobilizing others.” – Michele

Paul then shared a compelling thought on the evolution of leadership in ecosystems, emphasizing the shift from directing efforts and allocating resources to inspiring a movement. He drew parallels between leadership in organizations and the dynamics of social movements, suggesting that leaders in platform ecosystems should focus less on control and more on creating a sense of purpose. 

“In ecosystemic organizations, leadership is about inspiring a shared purpose and enabling the organization to grow organically,” Paul 

Sergio also shared an important insight: distinguishing between coherence and congruence within platform organizations. He argued that while traditional organizations strive for coherence—rigid structures and rules that guide behavior—platform organizations must embrace congruence, thereby enabling stewardship rather than leadership. 

“It’s not about creating a rulebook for replication. It’s about fostering dialogue and continuously building relationships that allow for alignment in an ever-changing environment.” – Sergio

 

 

Evolving Leadership 

In the latter part of the conversation, the panel delved into the evolving nature of leadership within platform organizations. The discussion emphasized that platform leadership should not rely on traditional hierarchical structures but instead foster a sense of collective ownership, where leadership emerges as a shared responsibility across the organization. The focus was on multiplying capacity rather than centralizing control, encouraging autonomy and empowerment at all levels. They further emphasized the importance of decentralization, where teams and individuals are empowered to innovate and lead within their domains.

In closing, the panel also explored the role of resistance in organizational change, focusing on how resistance often arises when people are not involved from the outset. Resistance was reframed as a valuable force, serving as healthy pushback to refine and improve strategies. 

Overall, the webinar offered a deep dive into the evolving nature of leadership—a new paradigm essential to navigating the complex, dynamic environments in which platform organizations operate.

Boundaryless conducted its last webinar for the Summer Of Platform Organizations Series, so don’t miss out. We assure you that it was the most engaging one yet.

• Webinar #4: Effective Team Dynamics to Support Platform Organization Strategies

 

Watch Here.

 

The below program is for those interested in exploring these concepts further and learning the principles behind developing an entrepreneurial ecosystemic organization. 

 

 

3EO/Rendanheyi Masterclass – Pre Registrations

Learn the principles behind Haier’s unique organizational model: RenDanHeYi

In partnership with Haier Model Research Institute, Boundaryless-Platform Design Toolkit is offering a 16hrs online training course to learn about Haier’s award-winning, revolutionary Rendanheyi organizational model to learn the basics and a practical approach for adopting the world-leading organizational model pioneered by Haier Group.

 

RenDanHeYi’s inspiration has the potential to help organizations develop an Entrepreneurial Ecosystemic Organizational strategy in every industry or business context.

 

 

>>Pre-Registrations Open Now<<