Distributed leadership as fashion or fad
Distributed leadership as fashion or fad
Despite frequently expressed reservations concerning its fundamental theoretical weakness, distributed leadership (DL) has grown to become the preferred leadership concept and has acquired taken-for-granted status. This article suggests that the dominance of DL can best be understood as a fashion or fad rather than as a rational choice. It explores the techniques used to privilege DL, where not only logical but also emotional and moral arguments have been brought to bear. It is suggested that ongoing hybridisation of distributed leadership theory serves to deflect criticism, rather as a virus continues to evade attack by changing its form. The article also argues that focusing on distributed leadership is a displacement activity, drawing people's attention away from the core purpose of leadership, which is to address the persistent inequality of chances that children experience in school.
161-167
October 2016
Abstract
Despite frequently expressed reservations concerning its fundamental theoretical weakness, distributed leadership (DL) has grown to become the preferred leadership concept and has acquired taken-for-granted status. This article suggests that the dominance of DL can best be understood as a fashion or fad rather than as a rational choice. It explores the techniques used to privilege DL, where not only logical but also emotional and moral arguments have been brought to bear. It is suggested that ongoing hybridisation of distributed leadership theory serves to deflect criticism, rather as a virus continues to evade attack by changing its form. The article also argues that focusing on distributed leadership is a displacement activity, drawing people's attention away from the core purpose of leadership, which is to address the persistent inequality of chances that children experience in school.
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DL J Lumby MiE art v9.doc
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Accepted/In Press date: 1 July 2016
e-pub ahead of print date: 7 September 2016
Published date: October 2016
Organisations:
University of Southampton
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 405122
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/405122
ISSN: 0892-0206
PURE UUID: 980b5150-6932-46c2-8782-fa2783a0602d
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Date deposited: 27 Jan 2017 11:15
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 04:23
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Author:
Jacky Lumby
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