Harris Alma

8/13/2019 Harris Alma

1/41

Distributed Leadership: ACase of Theory Following

Practice?

CCEAM ConferenceCyprus

Professor Alma Harris


2/41

Leadership and Organisational

DevelopmentWhat type ofleadership

generates,supports andsustainsorganisational

improvement andchange?


3/41


4/41

But what type of

leadership? Ethical Emotional Spiritual Change

Inclusive Distributed


5/41

But

The empirical base to accompany,these labels, if it does exist, is lessthan robust or convincing.


6/41

Distributed Leadership:

Conceptual Confusion Participative Shared Collaborative Democratic Diffuse


7/41

3 Frames: Different messages

Theoret ical Empirical

Normative

DistributedLeadership


8/41

Two Aims

To look at these framesseparately and to explore whatthey each tell us aboutdistributed leadership.

To identify what forms ofresearch are needed to extendthe knowledge base aboutdistributed leadership practice.


9/41

The Theoretical Frame

Distributed Cognition

Activity Theory


10/41

Resnick,1991.

Cognition is not a matter ofmental capacity because sensemaking and connections areestablished through the situationor the context in which it takes

place (3)


11/41

Cognition in the WildHutchins, 1995:6.

Cognitive unit of analysis from theindividual person to the team.

The team as a computational andcognitive system.


12/41

Cognition in the WildHutchins, 1995:6.

It is possible for a team toorganize its behavior in anappropriate sequence withoutthere being a global script or plananywhere in the system.


13/41

Distributed Leadership implies(Spillane, 2002: 20).

social distribution of multipleleaders

inter-dependency rather thandependency


14/41

Distributed Leadership Theory

(Spillane et al, 2004;28) It offers a new meta

lens for thinkingabout leadership

practice- bymobilizing alanguage and a setof analytical toolsfor reflecting on thatactivity.


15/41

Distributed Leadership Theory (Spillane et al, 2004;28)

We propose the distributedleadership framework as a

sensing device for registeringthe complex practice of schoolleadership.

It is a frame informed bypractice


16/41

AmbiguitySpillane et al 2004: 29

a way of thinking about leadership practice and that it has that it hasno prescriptive power.

it can be used as a diagnosticinstrument that helps practitioners

approach their work in new ways.


17/41

Tensions

Theory borrowing - imposition of a theoryfrom one discipline to another

How far distributed cognition translates into atheory of distributed leadership.

Distributed cognition is a descriptive ratherthan a prescriptive theory.

Education is a discipline that presses fordiagnosis, application and prescription.


18/41

The Empirical Frame

Direct Evidence- relatively limited

Most of it centred on leadershipplus aspect

Disconnected from theory- notlinked to theory buildingstudies

Evidence from other fields ofinvestigation tend to suggestpositive outcomes


19/41

Spillane et al 2001

Our preliminary analysissuggests that the work ofleading and managing the

schoolhouse is indeeddistributed, not only involvingmultiple designated leadersand informal leaders but alsodemonstrated by the

prevalence of the co- performance of work


20/41

Other evidence

Teacher Leadership School Improvement Organisational Development

Business


21/41

Key Findings

Teacher leadership impacts directlyupon the quality of instruction

Collaborative cultures that shareleadership activities are likely toimprove

Both lateral and vertical forms ofleadership are required to maximise organisational growth


22/41

Level 5 Leadership

(Collins 2001; 38)

Leaders who developed otherleaders, distributed leadershipand shared power.


23/41

Lashway (2004)

The research base for distributedleadership is still embryonic. While

there is considerable theory, wehave relatively little empiricalknowledge.


24/41

We dont know

Whether certain patterns ofdistribution are more effective in

schools than others? Whether and how distributed

leadership impacts upon

organisational change anddevelopment?


25/41

Two Studies

Distributing Leadership toMake Schools Smarter

(Leithwood et al, 2006) Distributed Leadership and

School Improvement:

Exploring the Relationship(Harris and Muijs, 2006)


26/41

Leithwood et al

(2006)

School leadership has a greaterinfluence on schools and pupilswhen it is widely distributed

Some patterns of distribution aremore effective than others

Effects of Different patterns of


27/41

Effects of Different patterns ofLeadership Distribution

(Leithwood et al 2006 )

Schools in the highest quintile ofstudent achievement attributedrelatively high levels of influenceto all sources of leadership (i.e.school teams, parents andstudents).


28/41

Harris and Muijs (2004;2006)

Extended Enhanced Emerging Restricted

Principles of Distributed Leadership


29/41

Principles of Distributed Leadership

(Harris and Muijs 2004:6)

Continual Emergence: distributed leadership is characterized bythe constant appearance and/or emergence of leaders, which are notnecessarily in a single location, but instead, are dispersed in time andgeographical space.

Participation based on contingent status: Participation by teammembers hinges on organizational need. Teams and communities ofpractice are open and inclusive, rather than rigid.

Formally neutral: The individuals are task-oriented but have noformal status.

Instrumental autonomy: Team members are able to act withautonomy when their actions are perceived to help bring theorganization to the realization of its goals.

Capacity Building Individuals may assume leadership for the timethat their specific skills, talents, or other attributes are needed, andthen may relinquish leadership when that moment of need is over.


30/41

Characteristics of an Organizationwith Distributed Leadership

(Harris and Muijs 2004:6) Individuals perceive themselves as stakeholders :

All individual team members are willing and able to assumeleadership positions, when needed.

The organizational goals are disaggregated :The tasks needed to achieve the mission can be broken downinto component parts and distributed to the teams best ableto achieve the tasks.

Distributed roles and tasks: They take place in different time zones, places, and underwidely divergent conditions.


31/41

Characteristics of an Organizationwith Distributed Leadership

(Harris and Muijs 2004:6) Leaders have expert rather than formal authority

Leadership shifts according to need; the leader role generally resideswith the person who has expert authority for the designated task.

Vision is a unifying force A clearly articulated vision which is equally shared among all membersexerts incredible cohesive force. It is what allows progress to be madewithout diverging or going off course.

Collaborative teams formed for specific purposes The teams have fluid membership, which changes according to thetask, the roles, and the requisite talent.

Communities of practice emerge Although collaborative activities tend to disband, the communities of practice maintain their affiliation long after the task, and often connectwith each other in order to brainstorm about future needs and

potential collaborative configurations.


32/41

Normative Frame

Changing structure of schooling

Increased workload on formalleaders

Complexity of the leadership task


33/41

Paradox 1(Harris and Muijs, 2004)

Without stable, consistentleadership in schools distributed

leadership will be incrediblyfragile.


34/41

Paradox 2(Leithwood et al, 2006)

Distributing leadership to othersdoes not seem to result in less

demand for leadership from thosein formal leadership positions


35/41

Challenges

No generalisable practices

No distinction between good orbad practices

Theory has no predictive power


36/41

Closing the gap


37/41

Theory Development

We urgently need empiricalstudies of distributed leadership

practice to test, refine and developthe theory.


38/41

Methodological Issues

Which actors constitute leadershipwhen it is distributed?

What aspects of leadership constitutedistributed leadership?

What form should the collection ofevidence take?

How do we trace the relationshipbetween distributed leadership andorganisational/student outcomes?


39/41

The Long Haul: TwoVital Tests

Has DistributedLeadership Theorymoved on?

Can we predict theimpact of different formsof distribution on

organisational outcomes?


40/41

Optimism


41/41

[email protected]

Harris, A. (2005) Leading orMisleading: Distributed Leadershipand School ImprovementJournal ofCurriculum Studies Volume 37 No3 p255-267 ISSN 0022-0272

Harris, A. (2006) Opening up the

Black Box of Leadership Practice:Taking a Distributed PerspectiveInternational Journal ofEducational Administration

Documents

Harris Alma