Distributed Leadership: Theory and Practice Dimensions in Systems, Schools, and Communities

Johnson, Greer; Dempster, Neil Colin; Wheeley, Elizabeth

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-28302-9_1

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…In this re-storying of our service in the university, we understand ourselves as “tempered radicals” and recognise the importance of “quiet leaders” (Farquhar and Fitzpatrick, 2016) and aim to disrupt, or intentionally interrupt the “wave of academia [that] may be reinforcing a leadership agenda that is suited to and made explicitly for men” (Haake, 2009, p. 301). Encouragingly, the notion of leadership in line with latest thinking on distributed and lateral leadership (Johnson et al , 2016) is intended to move away from the heroic model of the predominantly male figurehead in charge of a commercial company, to encompass a broader recognition of each individual’s unique role within an organisation which clearly has merit. Yet as Haake’s (2009) study suggests, the current leadership agenda in universities still favours men, an agenda in which much of the distributed leadership practice remains invisible, overshadowed by the highly visible signs of heroic leadership (LeFevre and Farquhar, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Service and leadership in the university: duoethnography as transformation

Fitzpatrick

Farquhar

2018

Journal of Org Ethnography

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to use duoethnography to explore experiences of service as work in the university, an institution increasingly shaped by neoliberal values. The authors trace the shift in emphasis within the university from one of a care-oriented form of service to a highly managerial form of service. The authors first interrogate childhood stories to make sense of the initial response to the role of service in a lecturer position, and then to the increasing organisational demand for leadership within the university. Design/methodology/approach As two women academics the authors see the work in teacher education as a particular form of service—as “our calling”. Findings This duoethnography reveals different histories in relation to service, but similar ways of thinking about the changing nature of service in the university. With particular regard to women in the academy, it reveals the desire for a more transformative approach, recognising the importance of collegial relationships, and valuing an ethics of care, in order to develop inclusive and transformative service and leadership in the academy. Practical implications This paper provides clear links to how changes in the university are understood and approached differently by people. Originality/value This paper argues for the importance of autoethnographic and duoethnographic explorations of the personal stories in the university to better understand wider definitions of service and leadership.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Service and leadership in the university: duoethnography as transformation

Fitzpatrick

Farquhar

2018

Journal of Org Ethnography

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“…In summary, the above studies firstly indicate that effective educational leadership is collaborative and can be viewed as functions of leadership distributed across multiple stakeholders (Spillane, 2006) within the school community. Second, leaders responsive to contextual factors mediate multiple and variable conditions within the school structure in setting direction and structures for teaching and learning (Johnson, Dempster & Wheeley, 2016). Employing the lens of 'leadership for learning' has helped to deconstruct the leadership models that contribute to school improvement and student outcomes.…”

Section: Effectiveness Of Educational Leadershipmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, to avoid any unintended personal biases influencing my recording of the responses during data collection, the one-on-one interviews, participants' interactions during the PLC meetings and focus group meetings with teachers were audio-and video-recorded. This practice enabled me to transcribe participants' responses accurately and helped to reduce the problem of researcher's bias in analysing and interpreting data (Johnson & Christensen, 2012).…”

Section: Credibilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The audit trail included discussing the coding process and initial trends with my supervisors, to enhance the credibility of the process of coding, identifying emerging categories, and interpreting data. Further, a member checking process was undertaken by sending the summary of the pre-and post-interview transcripts to participants for their validation (Johnson & Christensen, 2012). Frequent debriefing sessions with my supervisors provided a forum to discuss data analysis and whether interpretations were in line with the research questions and conceptual framework of collaborative leadership and PLCs.…”

Section: Dependabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Confirmability is defined as "the degree to which findings are determined by the respondents and conditions of the inquiry and not by the biases, motivations, interests or perspectives of the inquirer" (Lincoln & Guba, 1985, p. 290). As an interpretive researcher and acting as a facilitator in this study, I was aware that that my perspectives, experiences, beliefs and values might have influenced the study (Johnson & Christensen, 2012). An active process of reflexivity was integral to increasing the credibility of my findings.…”

Section: Confirmabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Developing collaborative leadership practices in the Singapore early childhood education (ECE) context through professional learning communities (PLCs)

Vijayadevar¹

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<p>Leadership in early childhood education (ECE) has been promoted as a collaborative process in which all teachers, rather than just the positional leader, are involved (Thornton, 2010). Collaborative leadership practices are not well understood within the Singapore ECE context. Beyond mandatory leadership training, little is known how leaders are supported to strengthen their leadership practices and involve others in leadership activities. School-based literature suggests that learning through professional learning communities (PLCs) expands the collective capacity of organisations, however, literature on PLCs in ECE is limited. Located within an interpretive paradigm, this study employed a primarily qualitative approach with a supplementary quantitative strand. This mixed method design, encapsulated within a single embedded exploratory case study, embedded both face-to-face and online PLC processes over a period of 8 months. Qualitative data included both face-to-face and online activities whereas for the quantitative data the study used an adapted version of the PLCA-R survey designed by Olivier, Hipp and Huffman (2010). Participants in two PLCs established as part of this study were six principals from an anchor group childcare provider and five principals from private childcare centres in Singapore. Two teachers working with each of the respective principals were also involved in focus group interviews to ascertain if there were changes in their principals’ leadership practices. Data were collected from PLC meetings, online reflections, pre- and post-PLC interviews with the principals and follow-up focus group discussions with the teachers. Key findings suggest that praxis as a result of participation in their PLC led to some shifts in principals’ thinking about collaborative leadership practices and resulted in changes to their leadership approaches, sharing of practices, distribution of leadership and improved collegiality and collaborative learning for teachers. Principals who participated in the study also indicated that the collaborative learning culture fostered through their PLC reduced their professional isolation and helped them to integrate ideas into practice. The study contributes to an understanding that considering and implementing collaborative leadership practices through PLCs, a collaborative learning model contextualised in Anglo-American settings, in the Singapore ECE context requires sensitivity towards Asian Singapore socio-cultural values related to hierarchy and economic pragmatism.</p>

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Leadership for Learning: Embracing Purpose, People, Pedagogy and Place

Dempster

2019

Instructional Leadership and Leadership for Learning in Schools

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Distributed Leadership: Theory and Practice Dimensions in Systems, Schools, and Communities

Cited by 5 publications

References 58 publications

Service and leadership in the university: duoethnography as transformation

Service and leadership in the university: duoethnography as transformation

Developing collaborative leadership practices in the Singapore early childhood education (ECE) context through professional learning communities (PLCs)

Leadership for Learning: Embracing Purpose, People, Pedagogy and Place

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