This paper develops an understanding of how shared leadership emerges in social network interactions. On the basis of a qualitative research design (grounded theory methodology – GTM) our study in two interorganizational networks offers insights into the interplay between structures, individuals, and the collective for the emergence of shared network leadership (SNL). The network-specific Gestalt of SNL appears as a pattern of collective and individual leadership activities unified under the roof of a highly developed learning conversation. More importantly, our findings support the idea that individual network leadership would not emerge without embeddedness in certain high-quality collective processes of relating and dialogue. Both theoretical and practical implications of this original network leadership perspective are discussed.
