Distributed leadership: implications for the role of the principal

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how internationally recognized styles of transactional, instructional, transformational and distributed leadership have emerged in the Japanese education system. Design/methodology/approach National legislation and policy documents in Japan since 1945 were collected by searching for the word “principal” or “head of school.” Then, four types are excluded: those that are unique only to one school type, do not explicitly deal with the role of the principal, are in subordinate laws prescribing contents that essentially overlap with those in superordinate statutes and define procedural roles of the principal. As a result, 17 legal provisions and 35 policy documents remained, each of which was analyzed by using four leadership styles. Findings Despite an increasing focus on instructional, transformational and distributed styles, Japan has not comprehensively articulated attributes and abilities expected of the principal. Additionally, a movement away from instructional leadership in the 2000s contrasts with the recent emphasis on “educational leadership.” Moreover, transformational leadership has centered on the school–family–community collaboration and the expansion of principal autonomy, and distributed leadership has taken the forms of new positions that support the principal, both of which were influenced by the decentralization movement. Research limitations/implications It points to the susceptibility of the role of the principal in Japan and western countries alike to broader structural reforms but with different implications and distinct timing of the advent of leadership styles among them. Additionally, Japan has adopted a modified approach to distributed leadership style, which is somewhat similar to delegation, to make a compromise between the emergent theory and the centrality of the principal in the school hierarchy. Furthermore, instructional leadership seems to be a “late bloomer” in Japan because of its practice-based nature and unsuitability to daily realities of the principal. Originality/value As an arguably unprecedented attempt to apply leadership styles to legislation and policy documents, this study builds a foundation for understanding how school leadership is shaped by education policies. Moreover, while making connections to the western view, it creates a paradigm for future studies of school leadership in Japan and in the field of comparative educational administration.

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The role of the principal in fostering the development of distributed leadership

School Leadership and Management ◽

10.1080/13632430902775699 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 29 (2) ◽

pp. 181-214 ◽

Cited By ~ 57

Author(s):

Joseph Murphy ◽

Mark Smylie ◽

David Mayrowetz ◽

Karen Seashore Louis

Keyword(s):

Distributed Leadership ◽

Role Of The Principal

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Leading Professionals

10.1093/oso/9780198744788.001.0001 ◽

2017 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Laura Empson

Keyword(s):

Mergers And Acquisitions ◽

Distributed Leadership ◽

Investment Banks ◽

Professional Organizations ◽

Power Dynamics ◽

Consulting Firms ◽

Complex Power ◽

Plural Leadership ◽

External Stimuli

This book analyses the complex power dynamics and interpersonal politics that lie at the heart of leadership in professional organizations, such as accounting, law, and consulting firms, investment banks, hospitals, and universities. It is based on scholarly research into many of the world’s leading professional organizations across a range of sectors, including interviews with over 500 senior professionals in sixteen countries. Drawing on the latest academic theory to analyse exactly how professionals in organizations come together to create ‘leadership’, it provides new insights into how leaders lead when there is no traditional hierarchy to support them, their own authority is contingent, and they must constantly renegotiate relationships with relatively autonomous professional peers. It explores how leaders persuade highly intelligent, educated, and opinionated professionals to work together; how change happens within professional organizations; and why leaders so often fail. Part I introduces the concept of plural leadership, analysing how leaders establish and maintain their positions within leadership constellations, and the implications for governance in the context of collective or distributed leadership. Part II examines the complex, challenging relationships between professionals as they seek to influence their organizations, including the phenomena of leadership dyads, insecure overachievers, social control, and the rise of the management professional. Part III examines the shifts in the locus of power as professional organizations grow, adapt, and react to external stimuli such as mergers and acquisitions and economic crises. The conclusion identifies the paradoxes inherent in professional organizations and examines the role of leaders in attempting to reconcile them.

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How Artefacts Do Leadership: A Ventriloquial Analysis

Management Communication Quarterly ◽

10.1177/0893318921998078 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 089331892199807

Author(s):

Jonathan Clifton ◽

Fernando Fachin ◽

François Cooren

Keyword(s):

Organizational Communication ◽

Recent Work ◽

Distributed Leadership ◽

Network Theory ◽

Actor Network Theory ◽

Fine Grained ◽

Naturally Occurring ◽

Human Actors

To date there has been little work that uses fine-grained interactional analyses of the in situ doing of leadership to make visible the role of non-human as well as human actants in this process. Using transcripts of naturally-occurring interaction as data, this study seeks to show how leadership is co-achieved by artefacts as an in-situ accomplishment. To do this we situate this study within recent work on distributed leadership and argue that it is not only distributed across human actors, but also across networks that include both human and non-human actors. Taking a discursive approach to leadership, we draw on Actor Network Theory and adopt a ventriloquial approach to sociomateriality as inspired by the Montreal School of organizational communication. Findings indicate that artefacts “do” leadership when a hybrid presence is made relevant to the interaction and when this presence provides authoritative grounds for influencing others to achieve the group’s goals.

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Color-Neutral Disaggregation? Principals’ Practices Around Disaggregating Data From Three School Districts

Educational Administration Quarterly ◽

10.1177/0013161x18769052 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 54 (4) ◽

pp. 559-588

Author(s):

Rachel Roegman ◽

Ala Samarapungavan ◽

Yukiko Maeda ◽

Gary Johns

Keyword(s):

School Districts ◽

Leadership Practice ◽

Policy Practice ◽

Data Practices ◽

Semistructured Interviews ◽

Disaggregated Data ◽

Disaggregate Data ◽

Low Performance ◽

Role Of The Principal

Purpose: We explored the practices and understandings around using disaggregated data to inform instruction of 18 principals from three Midwestern school districts. Research Method: This qualitative study used one-on-one semistructured interviews with the principals focusing on how they disaggregate data in practice. The protocol included general questions about principals’ data practices as well as specific questions around disaggregation. Initial inductive coding began with principals’ direct responses to specific questions around disaggregation, and then emerging themes were used to analyze the entire transcripts. Findings: Participants were more likely to talk about disaggregation in relation to performance (by teacher, by grade level, etc.) than by subgroup (by race/ethnicity, by gender, etc.). Further analysis highlighted principals’ purposes for disaggregating data that focused on identifying low performance on standards-based assessments, as well as the challenges they faced, particularly in terms of technical skills and software. Implications for Research and Practice: We conclude with a discussion of how disaggregation could support or challenge equity-focused leadership, with implications for policy, practice, and preparation. We consider the role of the principal in identifying inequitable patterns versus focusing on individual students, and different ways that equity can become part of regular leadership practice.

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The organizational culture of innovative schools: The role of the Principal

Journal of Educational Sciences ◽

10.35923/jes.2020.2.02 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 42 (2) ◽

pp. 21-37

Author(s):

Juan Carlos Riveras-León ◽

Marina Tomàs-Folch

Keyword(s):

Organizational Culture ◽

Innovative Schools ◽

Role Of The Principal

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The role of principal academic supervision in improving the professionalism of teachers of state junior high schools

JPGI (Jurnal Penelitian Guru Indonesia) ◽

10.29210/021074jpgi0005 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 478

Author(s):

Joko Winarno ◽

Happy Fitria ◽

Yessi Fitriani

Keyword(s):

Junior High School ◽

Professional Competence ◽

Junior High ◽

Teacher Professionalism ◽

Reduction Techniques ◽

Role Of Principal ◽

Qualitative Descriptive ◽

Using Data ◽

Role Of The Principal

This study aims to describe the role of the principal in the implementation of academic supervision, the results and obstacles of academic supervision in improving the professionalism of teachers of SMP Negeri in MuaraTelang, Banyuasin District. This research uses qualitative research with a qualitative descriptive approach. The location of this research is SMP Negeri in MuaraTelangBanyuasin District. Data collection was carried out using observation, interviews and documentation. Data analysis using data reduction techniques, data presentation and drawing conclusions. Checking the validity of the findings is done by observing persistence, triangulation and reference adequacy. The results of this study explain the positive and significant role of principal academic supervision in improving the professionalism of teachers of SMP Negeri in MuaraTelang District, Banyuasin. Through discussion of the implementation of academic supervision, the results of academic supervision, and the inhibiting factors for academic supervision of school principals. The results of the supervision carried out by the principal of the State Junior High School in MuaraTelangBanyuasin District were able to improve teacher professionalism in pedagogic competence, personality competence, professional competence and social competence.

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Proses dan Teknik Supervisi Pendidikan

10.31219/osf.io/c2v68 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Dharmala Febriyanti

Keyword(s):

Work Performance ◽

Organizational Goals ◽

Effective Learning ◽

Organizational Work ◽

Common Goals ◽

Main Activity ◽

Teaching Programs ◽

Role Of The Principal ◽

Human Awareness

One effort to increase effective learning in schools is the role of the principal in supervising learning, because the success or failure of teaching programs in schools is largely determined by the principal as a leader. Leadership is a very important factor in influencing organizational work performance, because leadership is the main activity where organizational goals can be achieved (Nuchiyah: 2007). According to Muhani (2016: 1465) leadership is one of the problems that arise along with human awareness of the importance of living in groups to achieve common goals.

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