From vertical to horizontal leadership: changing leadership structure schemas through experiential learning

Purpose Leadership is often understood as enacted within hierarchical structures, yet modern organizations increasingly rely on plural leadership. A critical but underexplored question is whether individuals’ leadership structure schemas (LSS) – the cognitive templates about how leadership is organized – are malleable. This study aims to investigate whether experiential learning can shift those schemas from vertical to more horizontal. Design/methodology/approach We conducted a quasi-experimental longitudinal field study using a repeated pretest–posttest design with nonequivalent cohorts. Master of Business Administration students (N = 115; three cohorts) participated in a case-based experiential session. LSS was measured at four waves. Analyses examined within-person change and leveraged the cohorts’ staggered timing to provide nonequivalent comparisons. Findings Results show within-person shifts toward more horizontal LSS immediately after the session that remained three months later. Between-cohort analyses indicated that the earlier intervention cohort displayed significantly stronger schema change than the comparison cohorts, which showed no change. Change magnitude was also associated with higher perceived case quality, consistent with the role of engaging, discrepant information in schema revision. Practical implications When organizations implement horizontal leadership structures, experiential learning can help prepare employees by supporting changes in their LSS. Originality/value We provide field evidence of LSS malleability and demonstrate how experiential case-based learning can cultivate receptivity to horizontal leadership.