ERIC Number: EJ1428293
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Jul
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1741-1432
EISSN: EISSN-1741-1440
Available Date: N/A
Importance of Clarity, Hierarchy, and Trust in Implementing Distributed Leadership in Higher Education
Amanda Lizier; Fiona Brooks; Lewis Bizo
Educational Management Administration & Leadership, v52 n4 p901-915 2024
University leaders are increasingly focused on management tasks and metrics, and distributed leadership has been broadly adopted as a way for leaders to navigate corporate management demands while also maintaining the collegial and communitarian character of the academy. This article discusses the findings of an indicative case study within a Faculty of an Australian University exploring the experiences of academic leaders in adopting distributed leadership. The findings highlight how a lack of agreed definitions, aims, and goals of distributed leadership constrained its adoption. The case study also contributes to understanding the roles of trust and hierarchy in how distributed leadership is experienced and their role in enabling or constraining distributed leadership. In the Faculty, academic leaders within Schools experienced distributed leadership as an exercise in delegating duties. In contrast, Faculty leaders were likely to perceive leadership as distributed although with varying degrees of success, with trust playing a key role in both groups. In highlighting the importance of clarity, hierarchy, and trust, the case study shows that there must be clarity around what distributed leadership is, what is being distributed, how it will be distributed, and trust in the implementation process and colleagues.
Descriptors: Leadership Styles, Trust (Psychology), Power Structure, Higher Education, Educational Administration, Foreign Countries, Universities, Educational Practices, Instructional Leadership, Administrator Attitudes, Objectives, Barriers, Affordances
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A