Instructional designers (ID) in higher education are the nominative leaders of ID teams consisting of IDs, faculty, and sometimes other creative and media professionals. ID practice is complex because it involves the application of many different theories, concepts, and procedures in the development and design of instructional courses and interventions. The purpose of this study was to examine ID practice from the perspective of IDs working in higher education. The study was intended to provide recommendations on how IDs can improve their leadership of collaborative teams. The researcher employed a phenomenological methodology in which 15 IDs from seven different higher educational institutions were interviewed to gather their experiences with ID practice. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. The results of the analysis revealed three main themes: relationship building, leading collaboration, and leading without authority. The solution involves the formation of communities of practice (CoP), adaptive leadership, flexible application of instructional theories and concepts, and leadership development for IDs. This study has implications for how IDs lead ID teams, as well as how they apply theory to practice. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]