The collegial model in organizational behaviour (OB) is a framework built on partnership and teamwork, where managers and employees collaborate as colleagues, fostering mutual respect and shared responsibility. Collegial is an adjective describing a work environment where responsibility and authority is shared equally by colleagues. This model encourages a sense of partnership, with managers acting as joint contributors and employees feeling a sense of fulfilment and responsibility, leading to self-discipline and moderate enthusiasm for high-quality work. Managers are called joint contributors because their role involves a blend of individual contributions (their own specific tasks, plans, and expertise) and the collective contribution of the teams they lead. They facilitate the work of others while also making individual, specialized contributions to the organization is an extension of the supportive model and works effectively in dynamic environments like a creative team. 

Samsung has an organizational culture that emphasizes innovation through empowering employees and fostering teamwork. This collegial model utilizes flat hierarchies, shared decision-making, and cross-functional teams to promote collaboration and innovation. The collegial model in organizational behaviour focuses on promoting teamwork and a sense of shared responsibility among colleagues. Samsung incorporates several elements of this model into its operations. Samsung utilizes flatter organizational structures to encourage open communication and reduce status-based conflicts. Managers are encouraged to act as coaches or team members, promoting team performance and ensuring a positive, motivating work environment rather than a strictly hierarchical one.

Collegial models work the best in educational Institutions. Schools and colleges, particularly at the primary level or within specific departments like university faculties like faculty of science, faculty of commerce, management, law etc. They often adopt a collegial approach for policy and curriculum decisions.

Similarly in the non-profit organizations (NGOs) like Goonj, Nanhi Kali, CRY, and the Akshaya Patra Foundation, which rely on volunteerism and shared humanitarian goals, inherently leverage the self-actualization and teamwork principles of the collegial model to drive their initiatives. The most famous examples of universities that primarily use the collegial model of governance are the UK’s ancient institutions, the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge.

Some of key principles of the collegial model are as follows:

Partnership:

The foundation is a partnership between employees and management, where everyone is a “colleague” working towards common goals. In the collegial model, partnership is the foundation where managers and employees work together as colleagues with a shared purpose. This approach emphasizes teamwork and mutual contribution, fostering a collaborative environment where responsibility and decision-making are shared, leading to greater employee motivation and commitment.

Teamwork:

A team-based approach is emphasized, with a focus on collaboration and shared responsibility. This model emphasizes collaboration, shared decision-making, and self-discipline over traditional hierarchical structures, motivating employees by meeting their psychological needs for self-actualization and contribution.

Mutual respect:

The model promotes a culture of mutual respect between managers and employees, breaking down traditional hierarchical barriers. Mutual respect is not merely an optional courtesy but a core, driving force for motivation and a strong, positive organizational culture. Without it, the model struggles to function effectively, as trust and open communication are essential for its success.

Managerial role:

Managers are seen as joint contributors and facilitators, focusing on guiding employees and promoting a sense of participation and cooperation.

Employee orientation:

Employees are oriented toward responsible behaviour and self-discipline, driven by an internal obligation to produce high-quality work.

Psychological result:

Employees experience a sense of fulfilment and self-actualization, which leads to moderate enthusiasm and commitment to the organization’s success. Psychology in organizational behaviour is the application of psychological principles to understand and improve the workplace. It studies how individual, group, and structural factors influence behaviour within organizations, focusing on areas like employee motivation, job satisfaction, productivity, and well-being.

Examples of organization using collegial model:

The Murugappa Group is a Chennai-based Indian conglomerate with diverse businesses in engineering, agriculture, financial services, and manufacturing. Founded in 1900, the group is one of India’s oldest business legacies and is managed by the Murugappa family, with prominent companies including Carborundum Universal, Cholamandalam Investment and Finance, Coromandel International, and Tube Investments of India. Its business interests span a wide range, from abrasives and auto components to bicycles, fertilizers, sugar, and tea.  It is a family-promoted conglomerate with over 125 years of history; the Murugappa Group has grown from a banking and money lending business to a diversified industrial powerhouse. Murugappa group uses the collegial OB model.

Dabur India Ltd operates with a work environment and talent management practices that are described as fostering a culture of collegiality. This approach emphasizes teamwork, mutual trust, and a cohesive work environment rather than strictly following a formal, top-down “collegial model” as a rigid organizational structure. Dabur India Ltd. is a leading Indian multinational consumer goods company, founded in 1884, that specializes in Ayurvedic and natural healthcare products. Headquartered in Ghaziabad, it is one of the world’s largest Ayurvedic and natural healthcare companies and has a vast portfolio of over 250 products across hair care, oral care, health care, and foods. Dabur has a global presence in over 120 countries and is known for its flagship brands like Dabur, Vatika, Hajmola, and Real.  

The definition of partnership as per Wikipedia is: an arrangement where parties, known as partners, agree to cooperate for developing their mutual interests. The partners in a partnership may be individuals, business organizations, schools, governments, NGOs, universities, etc. Sometimes it can be combinations of some of these. Well, there is partnership in crime too. In crime, people come together; someone plans the plot and others assist in plot. A partner in crime is a person who regularly helps someone else to plan a crime. A bank robber might tell the partner in crime to wait outside in the getaway car. The phrase partner in crime means accomplice – anyone who assists with the plotting or actual committing of a criminal act. So in crime mafias, syndicates, criminal groups come together.

 Partnerships usually have the following characteristics:

• All the parties involved have some sort of personal stake in the partnership.
• All the partners work towards a common aim.
• The partners have a similar ethos or system of beliefs. So, in good deeds such as philanthropy, education, social service people who want to do good work will come together. And, in crime people who want to do bad, harm the society or some individuals will come together.
• The partners work together over a reasonable period of time till goals are achieved.
• There is agreement amongst the partners that a partnership is necessary.
• There is an understanding of who is going to contribute what.
• There is respect and trust between the different partners.

In Business: two or more companies join forces in form of a joint venture or a consortium to work on a project which would be too heavy or too risky for a single entity. They join forces to have a stronger position in the market, or to comply with specific regulation. The alliance may be structured in a process comparable to a merger or an acquisition.

In Politics or geopolitics: An alliance is formed between governments for partnering or to achieve their national interests, sometimes against allied governments holding contrary interests, sometimes joins hands in a cold war sort of situation.

In Knowledge: In education institutions partner with business organizations, with government agencies, with NGOs to impart contemporary knowledge of business, they partner with foreign universities in exchange programs to augment the quality of teaching-learning process and quality of their syllabus with local or international peers and a variety of other entities across societal sectors.

In public–private partnership: which called PPP, 3P or P3 is a cooperative arrangement between two or more public and private sectors, typically of a long-term nature. Governments have used such a mix of public and private endeavors throughout history. The past decade saw a clear trend towards governments across the globe making greater use of various PPP arrangements.

The first point made in this article is that it is difficult to measure contribution made by individuals and people in an organization, a society or a movement. One of the biggest reasons people leave their organization, group, and project is because they feel unappreciated. They don’t get their due.

My dear friends, successful partnership allows a person to recognize his/her own weaknesses, and draw on a partner’s strengths, without feeling uncomfortable, without feeling vulnerable. And, that comfort, as Warren Buffett says, comes from a complete lack of envy in a partnership. Partners must value trust, they must discover how to keep their ego in check, and they must put emphasize on not just brains, but human decency. If we are in an age where loss of integrity is an ever growing concern, therefore  partnerships must counter that.

Single hero-worship: Perhaps the greatest challenge in allowing harmonizing partnerships is the breaking of the stereotype of long-held fascination for single heroes in social movements and businesses. For generations, we are used to doing hero-worship; we give credit to single heroes for progress in society, progress in science, in industry we respect and admire individual figures. In fact even the media tells you story of one person’s success. We have never cared for the team behind the success story. We have never cared for group effort and that’s our drawback.   So, youngsters want to become the next Andrew Carnegie, the next J.P. Morgan, the next Mukesh Ambani, the next Mahatma Gandhi, next Indira Gandhi, Next Narendra Modi, next Rupert Murdoch, and next Jack Welch. We miss the reality that their aspirations were/and are shared with many others who have struggled a lot in helping these icons in achieving their dreams. Each of these iconic figures had/have strong partnerships. The myth of the individual above all is a dangerous myth.

There are plenty of success stories in product inventions, in movie making, in defense wars, in business organizations that have been enjoyed by people who worked in teams with someone else. Like in any successful marriage, partners or members in team find ways to get around the dilemmas and the disagreements, in all ventures members of the team get around to solve dilemmas. Partnerships thrive on synergy. The adage that “one plus one is a lot more than two” is so accurate because to build up any venture, company, to achieve missions, to win wars, to innovate and rise above in a world team spirit has helped – no single individual could achieve success single handedly, all success stories are dominated by people and teams. Partnerships make people happy, and happier than they’d be if they worked alone.