Distributed leadership construct

What is it about?

Distributed leadership has grown in importance over the years. It is a good response to the rising volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA) pervading all manners of life, including schools. It has been considered to improve instruction, teacher capacity for instruction, school climate and environment, and student outcomes. However, the claims on distributed leadership outstrips the empirical evidence supporting the claims. Hence, the need for more empirical studies to support (or dispute) the claims. In this paper, we argue for a sharper interpretation to what we mean by distributed leadership before any research results can become meaningful. Using an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) from survey data, we have found four dimensions in the construct of distributed leadership: (1) Bounded empowerment, (2) Developing leadership, (3) Shared decisions, and (4) Collective engagement. We therefore propose investigations on these aspects of distributed leadership in relation to its effects on school improvement processes and outcomes.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

The need for greater clarity and agreement on the definition of distributed leadership is necessary for three reasons. First, it gives clear distinctions to what distributed leadership is and is not. We do not want to investigate something that is totally unrelated to what we really want to investigate. There are already so many adjectives being used as prefixes to the term leadership (e.g., pedagogical, instructional, ethical, moral), and giving greater clarity will do a lot in terms of advancing research work. Second, its gives a sound basis for researchers to work on in terms of data collection. The clarity in the definition helps researchers to construct questionnaire items, interview questions, and observation schedules. Finally, the clarity would support researchers to work in concert with one another so as to gain a deeper understanding of distributed leadership.

Perspectives