An Organizational Perspective of Distributed Leadership: A Portrait of a Middle School

Abstract

Interest in the concept of distributed leadership has increased as evidenced in the recent literature. While there has been much discussion, there has been scant empirical evidence of distributed leadership in practice. This research study examines one middle school where educators practiced distributed leadership daily. Approached from an organizational perspective, the researcher gathered data from administrator and teacher interviews, organization context, and student outcome records. Findings from this qualitative case study form the basis for a model of distributed leadership. Organizational preconditions include: (a) leadership practice as support for organizational structure, (b) trust as strengthening organizational culture, and (c) relationships as the foundation for organizational affiliation. Organizational constructs of organizational structure, organizational culture, and organizational affiliation, in turn, lead to the organizational outcomes of (a) efficacy, (b) increased trust, (c) job satisfaction, and (d) teacher intent to stay.

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