Distributed Leadership According to Harris

Distributed Leadership

According to Harris and Spillane (2008, p. 31), distributed leadership means that the responsibility of leadership is shared among all parties involved in an organization. As such, it focuses on the interactions rather than the actions of all the leadership roles inherent in the organization. Furthermore, the purpose of leadership is at the forefront of this model, where the influence and result of leadership for the improvement of instruction are concerned. Today in schools, the model of leadership has gradually changed, like it has in many companies, where schools now operate under the leadership of teams rather than individuals. In terms of definition, distributed leadership therefore refers to a model of leadership that is not focused upon individuals or even individual entities, but rather on groups and networks, where these interact to create an optimal paradigm of operations throughout a company or system. In the educational setting, this means that all types of leaders at al levels should function in an integrated and interactional way to improve the curriculum for recipients of the educational service.

Burniske and Barlow (2004) provide practical models of shared leadership to address the challenges faced by school principals today. In the traditional model of focused leadership, the school principal is faced with many duties, including ensuring an appropriate standard of education across the school, handling parent grievances, liaising with the Department of Education, working with learners themselves, and so on. This creates job stress and the likelihood of burnout, which in turn creates a problem for the school in general. Possible models of shared leadership offered by the authors then include: co-principalship, partnering with parents, and sharing leadership across the school system.

In the co-principalship model, the principals share all functions of leadership, including working with teachers, parents, and students. The system does have challenges, such as requiring extensive coordination and a focus on effective distribution. Furthermore each principal's strengths and weaknesses should be taken into account when implementing the model to ensure that it functions effectively. There should also be appropriate systems for conflict management, since two or more principals at the same level of management may experience occasional differences of opinion that should be handled appropriately for the most effective management of the school. With the appropriate implementation, however, this model can lead to greater support for both parents and teachers.

The second suggested model involves parents and teacher in a closer partnership capacity. Groups of parents and teachers work as partners with the principal to further the processes that support excellence in education. The leadership team then receives a well-defined task to implement or complete. A school improvement plan is one example of such a task. When the specific task is completed, the specific team then integrates with others to further develop the task or implement its results.