Abstract
School leadership has long been focused on one heroic person who is entrusted with a myriad of leadership tasks. The recent ‘new wave’ of leadership research calls for a more distributed form of instructional leadership that is shared among the members of the school community, focuses on leadership practices rather than leaders and suggests a more collective form of instructional leadership. Distributed instructional leadership is thus a fairly recent conceptualization of educational leadership wherein the formal school leadership structures draw strengths from the instructional leadership capabilities of the members of the school community for enhanced effectiveness and resultant educational outcomes. This chapter discusses the conceptual underpinning of distributed instructional leadership and proposes a model comprising five components that could be utilized for its implementation. The five components of this model, called the SHARE model include Steward, Harmonize, Abdicate, Reflect and Empower. Each component of the SHARE model is discussed in detail with strong research-based grounding. It is proposed that if effectively used by the formal leadership structures, the SHARE model could potentially provide a more effective, and distributed form of instructional leadership within any educational institution thereby enhancing the instructional program with better educational outcomes.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Aas M, Brandmo C (2016) Revisiting instructional and transformational leadership: the contemporary Norwegian context of school leadership. J Educ Adm 54(1):92–110. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-08-2014-0105
Adams D, Velarde JM (2021) Leadership in a culturally diverse environment: perspectives from international school leaders in Malaysia. Asia Pac J Educ 41(2):323–335. https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2020.1732295
Adams D, Cheah KSL, Thien LM, Md Yusoff NN (2021a) Leading schools through the COVID-19 crisis in a South-East Asian country. Manag Educ. https://doi.org/10.1177/08920206211037738
Adams D, Thien LM, Chin EYC, Semaadderi P (2021b) The elusive Malayan tiger ‘captured’: a systematic review of research on educational leadership and management in Malaysia. Educ Manag Adm Leadersh. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143221998697
Ali A, Wang H, Johnson RE (2020) Empirical analysis of shared leadership promotion and team creativity: an adaptive leadership perspective. J Organ Behav 41(5):405–423. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2437
Alvesson M, Deetz S (2021) Doing critical research. Sage Publications
Argyris C (1991) Teaching smart people how to learn. Harvard Bus Rev 4(2):4–15. https://hbr.org/1991/05/teaching-smart-people-how-to-learn
Badenhorst JW, Radile RS (2018) Poor performance at TVET colleges: conceptualising a distributed instructional leadership approach as a solution. Afr Educ Rev 15(3):91–112. https://doi.org/10.1080/18146627.2017.1352452
Baird N, Benson AJ (2022) Getting ahead while getting along: followership as a key ingredient for shared leadership and reducing team conflict. Front Psychol 13, Article 923150. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.923150
Bakker AB, Hetland J, Olsen OK, Espevik R (2022) Daily transformational leadership: a source of inspiration for follower performance? Eur Manag J. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2022.04.004
Baxter LP, Southall AE, Gardner F (2021) Trialling critical reflection in education: the benefits for school leaders and teachers. Reflective Pract 22(4):501–514. https://doi.org/10.1080/14623943.2021.1927694
Bennett N, Wise C, Woods PA, Harvey JA (2003) Distributed leadership: a review of literature. National College of School Leadership. http://oro.open.ac.uk/8534/1/bennett-distributed-leadership-full.pdf
Bernhardt VL (2013) The school portfolio: a comprehensive framework for school improvement, 2nd edn. Routledge
Bickmore DL, Davenport LD (2019) Principal transformative learning through mentoring aspiring administrators. Mentoring Tutoring Partnership Learn 27(3):235–250. https://doi.org/10.1080/13611267.2019.1630989
Brown C, MacGregor S, Flood J (2020) Can models of distributed leadership be used to mobilise networked generated innovation in schools? A case study from England. Teach Teach Educ 94, Article 103101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2020.103101
Browne-Ferrigno T, Björk LG (2018) Reflections on education reform and team leadership. Res Educ Adm Leadersh 3(2):339–347. https://doi.org/10.30828/real/2018.2.9
Bush T (2018) Prescribing distributed leadership: is this a contradiction? Educ Manag Adm Leadersh 46(4):535–537. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143218768403
Bush T, Kiggundu E, Mooros P (2011) Preparing new principals in South Africa: the ACE school leadership programme. South Afr J Educ 31(1):31–43. https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v31n1a356
Chan TC, Chandler M, Morris R, Rebisz S, Turan S, Shu Z, Kpeglo S (2019) School principals’ self-perceptions of their roles and responsibilities in six countries. New Waves Educ Res Dev 22(2):37–61. https://www.viethconsulting.com/members/proposals/view_file.php?md=VIEW&file_id=1501517
Chrispeels JH (2004) Learning to lead together: the promise and challenge of sharing leadership. Sage Publications
Chrispeels JH, Burke PH, Johnson P, Daly AJ (2008) Aligning mental models of district and school leadership teams for reform coherence. Educ Urban Soc 40(6):730–750. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013124508319582
Churchill A, Barney B, Hazel A, Kelsall D, Mouch S, Verdun D (n.d.) What is stewardship, and should all great leaders practice it? The New York Times in Education. https://nytimesineducation.com/spotlight/what-is-stewardship-and-should-all-great-leaders-practice-it/
Cobanoglu N (2021) The relationship between shared leadership, employee empowerment and innovativeness in primary schools: a structural equation modeling. Eur J Educ Res 10(1):327–339. https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.10.1.327
Covey SR, Covey S, Summers M, Hatch DK (2014) The leader in me: how schools around the world are inspiring greatness, one child at a time. FranklinCovey
Day C, Sammons P, Gorgen K (2020) Successful school leadership. Education Development Trust. https://www.educationdevelopmenttrust.com/EducationDevelopmentTrust/files/ce/ce5195c9-e647-4efc-b43b-f6ddd0bacca4.pdf
DuFour R, Marzano RJ (2011) Leaders of learning: how district, school, and classroom leaders improve student achievement. Solution Tree Press
Dulude E, Milley P (2021) Institutional complexity and multiple accountability tensions: a conceptual framework for analyzing school leaders’ interpretation of competing demands. Policy Futures Educ 19(1):84–96. https://doi.org/10.1177/1478210320940134
Dwangu AM, Mahlangu VP (2021) Accountability in the financial management practices of school principals. Int J Educ Manag 35(7):1504–1524. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEM-06-2021-0243
Edmonds RR (1981) Making public schools effective. Social Policy 12(2):56–60
Edmondson AC (2003) Speaking up in the operating room: how team leaders promote learning in interdisciplinary action teams. J Manag Stud 40(6):1419–1452. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6486.00386
Evans L (2022) Is educational leadership (still) worth studying? An epistemic worthiness-informed analysis. Educ Manag Adm Leadersh 50(2):325–348. https://doi.org/10.1177/17411432211066273
Fleming K, Millar C, Culpin V (2018) From hollow hero to expert empathiser: leadership in transition. J Manag Dev 37(8):606–612. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-07-2018-0209
García-Carreño IV (2021) Distributed leadership: a bibliometric analysis using Scopus database (1981–2020). Eur Educ Res 4(2):227–249. https://doi.org/10.31757/euer.426
Gedik S, Bellibas MS (2015) Examining schools’ distributed instructional leadership capacity: comparison of elementary and secondary schools. J Educ Training Stud 3(6):101–110. https://doi.org/10.11114/jets.v3i6.1056
Glaés-Coutts L (2021) The principal as the instructional leader in school-age educare. Leadersh Policy Sch. https://doi.org/10.1080/15700763.2021.2019792
Goldring E, Grissom JA, Neumerski CM, Murphy J, Blissett R, Porter A (2015) Making time for instructional leadership. The Wallace Foundation. http://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledgecenter/Pages/Making-Time-for-Instructional-Leadership.aspx
Grinshtain Y, Gibton D (2018) Responsibility, authority, and accountability in school-based and non-school-based management: principals’ coping strategies. J Educ Adm 56(1):2–17. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-01-2017-0005
Grissom JA, Condon L (2021) Leading schools and districts in times of crisis. Educ Res 50(5):315–324. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X211023112
Gumus S, Bellibas MS, Esen M, Gumus E (2018) A systematic review of studies on leadership models in educational research from 1980 to 2014. Educ Manag Adm Leadersh 46(1):25–48. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143216659296
Hallinger P (2003) Leading educational change: reflections on the practice of instructional and transformational leadership. Camb J Educ 33(3):329–352. https://doi.org/10.1080/0305764032000122005
Hallinger P, Lee M (2013) Exploring principal capacity to lead reform of teaching and learning quality in Thailand. Int J Educ Dev 33(4):305–315. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2012.03.002
Hallinger P, Murphy J (1985) Assessing the instructional management behavior of principals. Elem Sch J 86(2):217–247. https://doi.org/10.1086/461445
Hallinger P, Murphy J (1987) Instructional leadership in the school context. In: Greenfield W (ed) Instructional leadership: concepts, issues, and controversies. Allyn and Bacon, pp 56–73
Hallinger P, Murphy JF (2013) Running on empty? Finding the time and capacity to lead learning. NASSP Bull 97(1):5–21. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192636512469288
Hallinger P, Wang W-C (2015) Assessing instructional leadership with the principal instructional management rating scale. Springer
Hallinger P, Hosseingholizadeh R, Hashemi N, Kouhsari M (2018) Do beliefs make a difference? Exploring how principal self-efficacy and instructional leadership impact teacher efficacy and commitment in Iran. Educ Manag Adm Leadersh 46(5):800–819. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143217700283
Hallinger P, Gümüş S, Bellibaş MS (2020) ‘Are principals instructional leaders yet?’ A science map of the knowledge base on instructional leadership, 1940–2018. Scientometrics 122(3):1629–1650. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-020-03360-5
Halverson R, Clifford M (2013) Distributed instructional leadership in high schools. J School Leadersh 23(2):389–419. https://doi.org/10.1177/105268461302300207
Harris A (2003) Teacher leadership and school improvement. In: Harris A, Day C, Hadfield M, Hopkins D, Hargreaves A, Chapman C (eds) Effective leadership for school improvement. RoutledgeFalmer, pp 72–83
Harris A (2012) Distributed leadership: implications for the role of the principal. J Manag Dev 31(1):7–17. https://doi.org/10.1108/02621711211190961
Harris A (2013) Distributed leadership: friend or foe? Educ Manag Adm Leadersh 41(5):545–554. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143213497635
Harris A, DeFlaminis J (2016) Distributed leadership in practice: evidence, misconceptions, and possibilities. Manag Educ 30(4):141–146. https://doi.org/10.1177/0892020616656734
Hauseman C (2020) How workload influences the emotional aspects of principals’ work. J Educ Leadersh Action 6(2), Article 3. https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/ela/vol6/iss2/3
Hauseman DC, Pollock K, Wang F (2017) Inconvenient, but essential: impact and influence of school-community involvement on principals’ work and workload. School Commun J 27(1):83–105. https://www.adi.org/journal/2017ss/HausemanPollockWangSpring2017.pdf
Hernandez M (2008) Promoting stewardship behavior in organizations: a leadership model. J Bus Ethics 80(1):121–128. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-007-9440-2
Hickey N, Flaherty A, McNamara PM (2022) Distributed leadership: a scoping review mapping current empirical research. Societies 12(1), Article 15. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc12010015
Hitt DH, Tucker PD (2016) Systematic review of key leader practices found to influence student achievement: a unified framework. Rev Educ Res 86(2):531–569. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654315614911
Ho J, Ng D (2017) Tensions in distributed leadership. Educ Adm Q 53(2):223–254. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X16681630
Huang T, Beachum FD, White GP, Kaimal G, FitzGerald AM, Reed P (2012) Preparing urban school leaders: what works? Plann Changing 43(1/2):72–95. https://education.illinoisstate.edu/planning/articles/vol43.php
Katzenmeyer M, Moller G (2009) Awakening the sleeping giant: helping teachers develop as leaders, 3rd edn. Corwin Press
Kramer MW, Crespy DA (2011) Communicating collaborative leadership. Leadersh Q 22(5):1024–1037. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2011.07.021
Kukenberger MR, D’Innocenzo L (2020) The building blocks of shared leadership: the interactive effects of diversity types, team climate, and time. Pers Psychol 73(1):125–150. https://doi.org/10.1111/peps.12318
Lee M, Hallinger P, Walker A (2012) A distributed perspective on instructional leadership in International Baccalaureate (IB) schools. Educ Adm Q 48(4):664–698. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X11436271
Leithwood K (1994) Leadership for school restructuring. Educ Adm Q 30(4):498–518. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X94030004006
Leithwood K, Jantzi D (2009) A review of empirical evidence about school size effects: a policy perspective. Rev Educ Res 79(1):464–490. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654308326158
Leithwood K, Harris A, Hopkins D (2020) Seven strong claims about successful school leadership revisited. School Leadersh Manag 40(1):5–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2019.1596077
Levine TH (2011) Experienced teachers and school reform: exploring how two different professional communities facilitated and complicated change. Improv Sch 14(1):30–47. https://doi.org/10.1177/1365480211398233
Lewis J, Asberry J, DeJarnett G, King G (2016) The best practices for shaping school culture for instructional leaders. Alabama J Educ Leadersh 3:57–63
Lezotte LW (n.d.) Revolutionary and evolutionary: the effective schools movement. The Effective Schools. http://www.effectiveschools.com/downloads/RevEv.pdf
Liang JG, Sandmann LR (2015) Leadership for community engagement—a distributed leadership perspective. J High Educ Outreach Engagement 19(1):35–63. https://openjournals.libs.uga.edu/jheoe/article/view/1184/1182
Liu Y (2020) Focusing on the practice of distributed leadership: the international evidence from the 2013 TALIS. Educ Adm Q 56(5):779–818. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X20907128
Liu Y, Bellibaş MŞ, Gümüş S (2021) The effect of instructional leadership and distributed leadership on teacher self-efficacy and job satisfaction: mediating roles of supportive school culture and teacher collaboration. Educ Manag Adm Leadersh 49(3):430–453. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143220910438
Lumby J (2013) Distributed leadership: the uses and abuses of power. Educ Manag Adm Leadersh 41(5):581–597. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143213489288
MacBeath J, Oduro GKT, Waterhouse J (2004) Distributed leadership in action: a study of current practice in schools. National College for School Leadership. https://dera.ioe.ac.uk/2052/1/download%3Fid=17152&filename=distributed-leadership-in-action-full-report.pdf
Marks HM, Printy SM (2003) Principal leadership and school performance: an integration of transformational and instructional leadership. Educ Adm Q 39(3):370–397. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X03253412
Mitchell C, Castle JB (2005) The instructional role of elementary school principals. Can J Educ 28(3):409–433. https://doi.org/10.2307/4126477
Msila V (2021) Rethinking education leadership through self-reflection: examining the TURNS model. Res Educ Adm Leadersh 6(3):662–690. https://doi.org/10.30828/real/2021.3.5
Munna AS (2023) Instructional leadership and role of module leaders. Int J Educ Reform 32(1):38–54. https://doi.org/10.1177/10567879211042321
Murphy G, Brennan T (2022) Enacting distributed leadership in the Republic of Ireland: assessing primary school principals’ developmental needs using constructive developmental theory. Educ Manag Adm Leadersh. https://doi.org/10.1177/17411432221086850
Murphy J, Neumerski CM, Goldring E, Grissom J, Porter A (2016) Bottling fog? The quest for instructional management. Camb J Educ 46(4):455–471. https://doi.org/10.1080/0305764X.2015.1064096
Nazarpoori A (2017) A survey of the effect of leader’s social intelligence on employee’s perception of interpersonal justice: the mediating role of shared leadership. Int J Leadersh Educ 20(5):618–631. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603124.2017.1283063
Neumerski CM, Grissom JA, Goldring E, Rubin M, Cannata M, Schuermann P, Drake TA (2018) Restructuring instructional leadership: how multiple-measure teacher evaluation systems are redefining the role of the school principal. Elem Sch J 119(2):270–297. https://doi.org/10.1086/700597
Noonan B, Renihan P (2006) Demystifying assessment leadership. Can J Educ Adm Policy 56:1–21. https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/cjeap/article/view/42737
Oplatka I (2017) Principal workload: components, determinants and coping strategies in an era of standardization and accountability. J Educ Adm 55(5):552–568. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-06-2016-0071
Pollock K, Hauseman DC (2019) The use of e-mail and principals’ work: a double-edged sword. Leadersh Policy Sch 18(3):382–393. https://doi.org/10.1080/15700763.2017.1398338
Pollock K, Wang F (2019) Principals’ work in Ontario’s French-language education systems. Association of Principals and Deputy Principals of Franco-Ontarian Schools. https://www.edu.uwo.ca/faculty-profiles/docs/other/pollock/pollock-ADFO-EnglishReport-Final-V10.pdf
Pollock K, Wang F (2020) School principals’ work and well-being in Ontario: what they say and why it matters. Western University. https://www.edu.uwo.ca/faculty-profiles/docs/other/pollock/July%202020%20ON%20Report%20-%20School%20Principals%20Work%20and%20Well-Being%20in%20Ontario.pdf
Pollock K, Wang F, Hauseman DC (2015) Complexity and volume: an inquiry into factors that drive principals’ work. Societies 5(2):537–565. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc5020537
Pont B (2020) A literature review of school leadership policy reforms. Eur J Educ Res Dev Policy 55(2):154–168. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.12398
Printy S, Liu Y (2021) Distributed leadership globally: the interactive nature of principal and teacher leadership in 32 countries. Educ Adm Q 57(2):290–325. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X20926548
Reardon R, Fite K, Boone M, Sullivan S (2019) Critically reflective leadership: defining successful growth. Int J Whole Child 4(1):20–32. https://libjournals.mtsu.edu/index.php/ijwc/article/view/1367/967
Rechsteiner B, Compagnoni M, Wullschleger A, Schäfer LM, Rickenbacher A, Maag Merki K (2022) Teachers involved in school improvement: analyzing mediating mechanisms of teachers’ boundary-crossing activities between leadership perception and teacher involvement. Teach Teach Educ 116, Article 103774. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2022.103774
Reid JW, Hardee AB, Criswell BA, Elrod M, Berryhill SB Jr, Rushton GT (2022) Empowering teacher leaders: the role of research in changing teacher leaders’ sense of themselves as professionals. Int J Leadersh Educ. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603124.2022.2045629
Robinson VMJ, Lloyd CA, Rowe KJ (2008) The impact of leadership on student outcomes: an analysis of the differential effects of leadership types. Educ Adm Q 44(5):635–674. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X08321509
Rosenholtz SJ (1985) Effective schools: interpreting the evidence. Am J Educ 93(3):352–388. https://doi.org/10.1086/443805
Schweiger S, Müller B, Güttel WH (2020) Barriers to leadership development: why is it so difficult to abandon the hero? Leadership 16(4):411–433. https://doi.org/10.1177/1742715020935742
Sebastian J, Allensworth E (2012) The influence of principal leadership on classroom instruction and student learning: a study of mediated pathways to learning. Educ Adm Q 48(4):626–663. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X11436273
Senge PM (1990) The fifth discipline: the art & practice of the learning organization. Doubleday/Currency
Shaked H (2018) Why principals sidestep instructional leadership: the disregarded question of schools’ primary objective. J School Leadersh 28(4):517–538. https://doi.org/10.1177/105268461802800404
Skaalvik C (2020) Emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction among Norwegian school principals: relations with perceived job demands and job resources. Int J Leadersh Educ. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603124.2020.1791964
Spillane JP, Louis KS (2002) School improvement processes and practices: professional learning for building instructional capacity. Teach Coll Rec 104(9):83–104. https://doi.org/10.1177/016146810210400905
Tariq A (2022) School principals’ distributed leadership style, teachers’ job satisfaction and organizational commitment in a low income and underdeveloped country. J Contemp Issues Bus Gov 28(4):138–169. https://cibgp.com/article_18399_522.html
Torrance D (2013) Distributed leadership: challenging five generally held assumptions. School Leadersh Manag 33(4):354–372. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2013.813463
Tyack D, Hansot E (1982) Managers of virtue: public school leadership in America, 1820–1980. Basic Books
Vlachadi M, Ferla M (2013) Differentiation of teachers’ and principals’ engagement in distributed leadership according to their demographic characteristics. J Educ Learn 2(4):19–30. https://doi.org/10.5539/jel.v2n4p19
Walker AR (2019) The impact of principals’ work on their well-being. Can J Educ Adm Policy 190:57–63. https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/cjeap/article/view/61706
Wang F, Pollock K (2020) School principals’ work and well-being in British Columbia: what they say and why it matters. The University of British Columbia. https://edst-educ.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2014/07/Understanding-School-Principals-Work-and-Well-Being-BC-Final-Report-August-6-2020.pdf
Wassenaar CL, Pearce CL (2012) The nature of shared leadership. In: Day DV, Antonakis J (eds) The nature of leadership, 2nd edn. Sage Publications, pp 363–389
Weber G (1971, Oct) Inner-city children can be taught to read: four successful schools. CBE occasional papers, no. 18. Council for Basic Education
Westberry LA (2022) Learning opportunities for principals: methods for meeting the needs of today’s administrators. Rowman & Littlefield
Wieczorek D, Manard C (2018) Instructional leadership challenges and practices of novice principals in rural schools. J Res Rural Educ 34(2):1–21. https://jrre.psu.edu/sites/default/files/2019-06/34-2_0.pdf
Ylimaki RM, Brunderman LA (2022) Evidence-based school development in changing demographic contexts. Springer
Zhu H, Li L, Li H (2020) How school leadership influences Chinese students’ reading literacy: a test of the rational, emotions, and organizational paths in rural schools. Child Youth Serv Rev 119, Article 105534. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105534
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Noman, M. (2023). Distributed Instructional Leadership: The SHARE Model. In: Adams, D. (eds) Educational Leadership. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-8494-7_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-8494-7_3
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-99-8493-0
Online ISBN: 978-981-99-8494-7
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)