DISTRIBUTIVE LEADERSHIP

The Expansion of Leadership roles in schools, beyond those in formal leadership or administrative roles.

Put leadership practice at Centre stage as opposed to being with the principal (Spillance).

Allows others to assume leadership either by design or default.

Creates a learning culture (West Burnham), Embedding a shares culture (Busher; Sergiovanni)

Distributed leadership (DL) is defined as the role of leadership is distributed from the formal leader (principal) to school stake holders (administrators, teachers and parents).

Distributed is NOT delegating leadership. DL focuses on collaboration, shared purpose, responsibility, and recognition of leadership irrespective of role and position.

Distributed leadership is the sharing of leadership between two or more individuals. Distributed leadership also primarily concerned with mobilising leadership at all levels in the organisation not just relying on leadership from the top.

Principal needs to perform peer reviews all the time. They teach each other to work and hold each other accountable. Principal need to simply place the right teachers in the right jobs.

The Characteristic of the Principal in Distributed Leadership

Empowerment School administrators cannot be everywhere at one time.

Principal distribute the leadership power between two administrators, while other schools involve teachers and parents, creating a group where there is no central leader in charge.

Right person for the right job

Promote people ready to take responsibility, ready to exercise micro-leaderships that guide, motivate and induce changes on projects and innovations

Distributing the leadership allows administrators to focus on a few areas and really make an impact.

They do a better job in a few areas than if they were over numerous activities, administrative duties, and student and teacher responsibilities.

In return, administrators tend to find their jobs more fulfilling and feel like they are actually making a difference

Three key principles to distributed leadership – autonomy, capacity and accountability to leadership

Difference of DL to other leadership

-Increase in leadership as everyone is a leader

-Leadership practice is a product of interaction between leaders, subordinates and situation. 

Justification of DL practice in schools;

Increase in leadership work load warrant ‘sole’ leader to team leadership involving teachers, students and parents.

Increase in leadership work and pressure DL leads to leaders with multiple skills and flexibility.

DL is empirically related to organizational improvement.

DIMENSIONS OF DISTRIBUTED LEADERSHIP

Vision, mission and objective, School Culture, Shared Responsibility, Leadership Practice (Distributed Leadership Readiness Scale (Elmore, 2000))

Vision, Mission and Objective

Principals work with teachers a shared vision, mission and objective for school that serves to drive school. Vision, mission and objective is central to professional learning community. Leadership teams work for the shared vision, mission and objective. Shared vision, mission and objective improves teacher’s motivation and commitment.

School Culture

Encourage positive school learning culture. Encourage school culture that support teacher and student growth. There is team work, shared decision making, involvement in professional and leadership development among teachers. Delegation of power to teachers for policy making, curriculum, training and financial management by developing a conducive school culture through high commitment.

Shared responsibility

Leadership activities being shared among many in school: formal and non formal leaders (teachers, students and parents). Shared leadership through professional development in which individual learn and developed and become effective (to pupils learning). Increases individual capacities collectively to successful and effective in discharging responsibilities.

Leadership practice

DL- a product of interaction between leaders, subordinates and situation. Leadership practice explains how school leaders define and involves others interaction in leadership. Provides knowledge and guide for action. Practice becomes a school routine.

What is Distributive & Empowering Leadership?

The “sharing” of leadership with others, or sharing the “power of influence” which comes with leadership. Many different words are often used to describe a similar concept: shared leadership, collaborative leadership, empowering leadership. Distributive leadership is not necessarily the “act” of distributing power, but the mindset (or perspective) a given leader takes about how to operate within a given organization (Spillane, 2006).

Research on Distributive & Empowering Leadership Reveals…

Research is becoming very clear, that leadership and the appropriate “sharing ” or distributing of power associated with leadership makes a difference (Leithwood, Mascall, & Straus, 2009; Marzano & Waters, 2009; Reeves, 2006).

Leadership acts as a “driver ” in building a school ’s academic capacity, and research has found that a more team-oriented and collaborative approach to school leadership is directly linked with improved teaching and learning (Hallinger & Heck, 2010).

However, it important to note that shared leadership is only “indirectly” related to student achievement.