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Distributed leadership through the looking glass

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DOI: 10.1177/0892020607085623

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 Management in Education
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Distributed leadership through the looking glass

Alma Harris and James Spillane
Management in Education 2008; 22; 31
DOI: 10.1177/0892020607085623

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Management in Education Copyright © 2008 British Educational Leadership, Management &
Administration Society (BELMAS), Vol 22(1): 31–34.
DOI: 10.1177/0892020607085623
www.sagepublications.com

Distributed leadership through

the looking glass
Alma Harris
University of Warwick, UK

James Spillane
Northwestern University, USA

D
istributed leadership is an idea that is schools has resulted in the expansion of leader-
growing in popularity. There is wide- ship tasks and responsibilities.This has required
spread interest in the notion of distrib- leadership to be actively and purposefully
uting leadership although interpretations of the distributed within the school. The model of the
term vary. A distributed leadership perspective singular, heroic leader is at last being replaced
recognises that there are multiple leaders with leadership that is focused upon teams
(Spillane et al., 2004) and that leadership activ- rather than individuals and places a greater
ities are widely shared within and between emphasis upon teacher, support staff and
organisations (Harris, 2007). A distributed students as leaders (Harris, 2004).
model of leadership focuses upon the interac- The term ‘distributed leadership’ also has
tions, rather than the actions, of those in formal representational power. It represents the alterna-
and informal leadership roles. It is primarily tive approaches to leadership that have arisen
concerned with leadership practice and how lead- because of increased external demands and
ership influences organisational and instruc- pressures on schools. Many schools have
tional improvement (Spillane, 2006). restructured their leadership teams and created
A distributed perspective on leadership new roles to meet the needs of workforce
acknowledges the work of all individuals who remodelling, Every Child Matters and the
contribute to leadership practice, whether or extended schools agenda. As schools reposition
not they are formally designated or defined as and redefine themselves, distributed, extended
leaders. Distributed leadership is also central and shared leadership practices are more
to system reconfiguration and organisational prevalent. As schools engage with complex
redesign which necessitates lateral, flatter collaborative arrangements, distributed forms of
decision-making processes (Hargreaves, 2007). leadership will be required to ‘cross multiple
But if distributed leadership is ‘the idea’ of the types of boundaries and to share ideas and
moment, why such interest? insights’ (Wenger et al., 2002: 123).
In the increasingly complex world of educa-
Why the interest? tion the work of leadership will require diverse
It is suggested that there are three main reasons types of expertise and forms of leadership
for the current popularity of distributed leader- flexible enough to meet changing challenges and
ship. Firstly, distributed leadership has norma- new demands. There is a growing recognition
tive power; it reflects current changes in that the old organisational structures of school-
leadership practice in schools. The growth of ing simply do not fit the requirements of
what Gronn (2003) has termed ‘greedy work’ in learning in the twenty-first century. New models

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of schooling are emerging based on collabora- uted leadership can be located in the general
tion, networking and multi-agency working area of situated and distributed cognition
(federations, partnerships, networked learning (Hutchins, 1995). Here distributed leadership is
communities, extended schools, etc.). These best understood as ‘practice distributed over
new and more complex forms of schooling leaders, followers and their situation’ (Spillane et
require new and more responsive leadership al., 2001: 13). A distributed view of leadership
approaches. New leadership approaches are ‘incorporates the activities of multiple groups of
needed to traverse a very different organisa- individuals in a school who work at guiding and
tional landscape. mobilizing staff in the instructional change
Lastly and most importantly, distributed process’. It implies a social distribution of
leadership has empirical power. There is leadership where the leadership function is
increasing research evidence that distributed stretched over the work of a number of individ-
leadership makes a positive difference to uals where the leadership task is accomplished
organisational outcomes and student learning. through the interaction of multiple leaders
While the evidence base is still relatively new, the (Spillane et al., 2001: 20).
messages are consistent and encouraging.There In a practical or normative sense, the chief
are an increasing number of studies that high- concern is how leadership is distributed, by
light a powerful relationship between distributed whom and with what effect (Harris, 2008). It is
forms of leadership and positive organisational concerned with how we maximise the potential
change (Harris et al., 2007). Most recently of distributed leadership for organisational
research has shown that the patterns of leader- improvement and transformation. The key
ship distribution matter within an organisation questions are whether, how and in what form
and that distributed leadership practice is more distributed leadership contributes to school
likely to equate with improved organisational improvement. Do we have evidence to show
performance and outcomes (Leithwood et al., that lateral, less hierarchical staff structures
2004, 2007). result in notable gains in student performance?
Inevitably, these questions move us very quickly
Limitations and dangers into the realms of prediction, prescription and
While the idea of distributed leadership is application – focusing primarily on how leader-
popular, there are some limitations that are ship is distributed and which patterns of
worth highlighting. A first limitation concerns distribution are the most effective or influential.
the fact that different terms and definitions are If one takes an extreme view it could be
used interchangeably to refer to ‘distributed argued that, in a theoretical sense, distributed
leadership’ resulting in both conceptual confu- leadership offers little more than an abstract way
sion and conceptual overlap. For example, of analysing leadership practice. In a practical
Bennett et al. (2003) talk about ‘distributed or sense, it could be contended that it is nothing
devolved leadership’ while Kets de Vries (1990) more than shared leadership practice. All lead-
defines distributed leadership in terms of ership is inevitably distributed in some way; we
effective teamworking linked to social activity know that, but how leadership is distributed and
theory. with what effect is relatively uncharted territory.
Recently, Leithwood et al. (2004: 59) have The evidence base suggests that there is some-
noted that ‘the concept of distributed leadership thing powerful and important about distributed
overlaps substantially with shared collaborative leadership. It suggests that school redesign is
and participative leadership concepts’. Links unlikely unless patterns of leadership practice
have also been made between distributed lead- are dramatically altered and flattened. It high-
ership and democratic leadership (Woods, lights that multi-agency, multi-school and multi-
2004) and most recently connections have been phase working is simply not possible without the
made to teacher leadership (Harris and Muijs, reconfiguration of leadership as practice rather
2004). This accumulation of allied concepts not than role.
only serves to obscure meaning but also
presents a real danger that distributed leader- How to use it?
ship will simply be used as a ‘catch all’ term to At a theoretical level, distributed leadership is an
describe any form of devolved, shared or analytical frame for understanding leadership
dispersed leadership practice. practice. Spillane et al. (2004) argue that the
A second limitation resides in the implicit distributed perspective can serve as a tool for
tension between the theoretical and practical school leaders by offering a set of constructs that
interpretations. In a theoretical sense, distrib- can be harnessed to frame diagnoses and inform

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the design process. In this respect, distributed effects and influences. Leithwood et al. (2004)
leadership can serve as both a diagnostic and suggest that there is an urgent need to enrich the
design tool that offers a lens on leadership prac- concept with systematic evidence. A number of
tices within schools and between schools. It research projects are currently underway that
offers schools the opportunity to stand back and are gathering this systematic evidence. However,
think about exactly how leadership is distributed if distributed leadership is not to join the large
and the difference made, or not made, by that pile of redundant leadership theories it must
distribution. engage teachers, headteachers, support staff and
The analytical frame galvanises attention other professionals. It must be put to the test of
towards leadership as practice rather than leader- practice. This can only be achieved with the
ship as role; it focuses attention on the complex cooperation of those keen to explore a different
interactions and nuances of leadership in action. world-view of leadership and with the enthusi-
It offers an alternative and potentially illuminat- asm to redesign and reconfigure schooling.
ing way of tracking, analysing and describing Distributed leadership is not a panacea or a
complex patterns of interaction, influence and blueprint or a recipe. It is a way of getting under
agency. the skin of leadership practice, of seeing leader-
Distributed leadership also poses some ship practice differently and illuminating the
critical questions for schools: possibilities for organisational transformation.
This is not without its risks, as it inevitably it
! How is leadership distributed in my school? means holding up the looking glass to schools
! Is this pattern of distribution optimum? and being prepared to abandon old leadership
! How is distributed leadership practice devel- practices. For those genuinely seeking transfor-
oped and enhanced? mation and self-renewal, this is a risk well worth
! How do we extend leadership distribution to taking.
parents, students and the wider community?
! What difference is distributed leadership
making?
References
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Contact
E-mail: [email protected]
perspective’, Journal of Curriculum Studies, 36(1): 3–34.
E-mail: [email protected]
Wenger, E., McDermott, R. & Snyder, W. (2002) Cultivating

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