Cracking the Code of Distributed Leadership: New Insights from a Study of Leader Practitioners

Abstract

The landscape of distributed leadership has become littered with conceptual confusion. Spillane (2006) provided the foundation for a theory of distributed leadership by defining three conceptual forms: Collaborative, collective and coordinated. Despite its widespread intuitive appeal, traditional epistemological methods have hampered efforts to operationalize these distinct forms of leadership in practice. Cluster analysis provides an alternative method of analysis, revealing construct clarity by linking specific leadership and influence behaviors reported by middle-managers to each form of distributed leadership. Several forms of differentiated integration emerged from analysis, revealing more complexity than previously surmised and yielding a Model of Differentiated Leadership Integration.