Skip to main content

Let it go, leadership that is!

For many years now in schools we have struggled with the vexed question of distributed leadership. Generally, this is seen as a good thing, and desirable, and encourages us to flatten the hierarchies of leadership control that have traditionally existed in schools across the globe. No longer should leadership reside with one or two visionary people who's job titles and remits expressly describe leadership as a key function. e.g. Headteacher, deputy-headteacher, principal teacher, etc. For many years various education systems have encouraged school leaders to see leadership as a responsibility of all, and that we need to provide the conditions that enable all staff to step up to the plate and lead on various whole-school developments. 'After all, everyone is a leader of learning in their own class' is the often used repost when some question whether everyone wants to, or can lead, in a school. Personally, I have believed for a long time that the qualities that one looks for in high performing leaders are very similar, if not the same, as those you would look for in high performing teachers. In that case, we should look to support teachers who wish to lead outwith their immediate classrooms as there are benefits within them as well. I benefitted from school leaders who gave me the opportunity to not only develop my teaching practice and understanding, but to also contribute to whole-school developments, so that I could gain more experience, well before I had any formal leadership role. As a result, I have always sought to provide similar opportunities for staff when I became a school leader. To me, it has always been a win/win situation with benefits for individual teachers, the school and, further down the line, other schools. Myself, and others, have never really liked the term 'distributed leadership' as it still smacks of a school leader who distributes tasks to those he/she favours, and the tasks they don't want to do themselves. I much prefer Clive Dimmock's 'dispersed leadership' term as this more reflects my own approach which seeks to support staff throughout the the school to identify how, why and when they are able to lead, by working collaboratively with others. Dispersed leadership is a bit more natural and spontaneous in nature and is not dependent on the largesse of the school leader. 

Move on a few years and we start to get the call for 'system leadership', from Michael Fullan, Michael Barber and others. In this, we are looking for school leaders, and those with expertise, to recognise how they can contribute to the development of the system through collaboration and support outwith their own schools. This can be seen as 'distributed' or 'dispersed' leadership on a larger macro scale, and builds on the work of many that support and promote the development of teacher agency and adaptive expertise by all in the system, then extends this out into the system as a whole. The drive is to produce the 'self-improving' and developing system, where individuals recognise how they can work to improve the system as a whole from within, rather than being driven from the top down. In system leadership we are not waiting for a formal role, but recognise our responsibility to all learners within the system, and see how we can support and develop the system by collaborating and using our experience and expertise. In times of fiscal austerity, system leadership and the self-improving system becomes even more desirable as support from out side schools diminishes or disappears. I look at system leadership as just an extension of the adaptive expertise I am am looking to develop in staff but at that macro level. Again, system leadership is something I have bought into for some time and the rationale is one that makes complete sense to me, and many others in the system.

However, with dispersed and system leadership, there is an issue that we need to consider. That is, for either to work effectively they are dependent on formal leaders, in both micro and macro systems, to be willing to let go and support each approach. For school leaders to really embrace and benefit from dispersed leadership within their schools they have to develop a culture that supports and encourages staff to step forward and have a go. They have to let go of some of the reins of control they have traditionally employed to get the benefits for all. They need to be prepared for mistakes to be made and they need to encourage innovation and new thinking, as long as it is based on sound principles and evidence. So it is with system leadership. For system leadership to really take hold and become embedded, those who have traditionally led within the system have to be prepared to let go too. How else are those within the system going to be encouraged to collaborate and develop new ways of working? Such practice and thinking will soon die on the vine if they come up against formal system leaders who still insist on micro-managing and directing all those below them in the hierarchies that still exist within the system. There has to be some changing in mindsets, and how people see their roles, at all levels, for system leadership to grow into the organic self-developing and improving system practice we seek. If area and district managers are not prepared to let go, system leadership will only get so far. Everyone seems to talk the talk, the proof of the pudding will be in their preparedness to really walk the walk. Watch this space!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Six Qualities of Educational Leadership

I wrote a post a few weeks ago (The six tasks of leadership 12/12/15) following an article about Sir Tim Brighouse, who had identified what he thought were the six key tasks for school leaders. My own list was a bit different to Tim's but it also set me thinking about what might be the qualities you would look for in high performing school leaders. I give you my six as a stimulus for discussion and perhaps your own consideration of what qualities we should look for in school leaders. The first is authenticity. I believe all school leaders need to be authentic and to really walk the walk of their talk. There can be nothing so dispiriting for school community members than being led by a leader who says one thing but does another. Remember to say what you mean and mean what you say. I think the highest performing leaders possess emotional awareness. They know themselves well and they know the people they lead well too. They understand the importance of relationships and how to ta

Evaluation: a process, not an event

Throughout my time as a school leader, and since, I have wrestled with the challenge of evaluation, in terms of measuring the impact of change, in a way which is meaningful and useful . Early in my career, such evaluation was very much viewed as an event, or events, that happened towards the end of a project, or piece of work, usually occurring towards the end of a school year. This was often a time filled with lots of scrabbling around looking for 'evidence' that could be put into some sort of report aimed at different different audiences. It felt stressful, concocted at times and often disconnected from the whole change agenda. Evaluation was a thing to be endured at the end of something else, with its main purpose consisting of proving you had been doing something to different people. Some of these would take what you gave them, and put that into their own 'evaluation report' for a cluster of schools, a local authority, or even a national system. A major issue with

Some thoughts for new student teachers

  Having gained a host of new followers on Twitter, who are either completing PGDE, or other student teacher qualifications, got me thinking about the advice, thoughts, comments I would give to those embarking on their own professional learning journey.   It is heart-warming to see, and hear, the enthusiasm of new entrants into the profession. They are passionate about their career path, and are constantly enthusing about the high quality input they are receiving from lecturers, professors of education and practitioners. My first piece of advice would to use those feelings as a touchstone, to go back to and revisit, throughout your career, but especially when you are facing challenges. Teaching is one of the most satisfying and rewarding professions to be involved in, but throughout your career you will encounter a myriad of challenges, and during these times it is often worth your while reminding yourself of why you came into the profession, and re-consider your early enthusiasms.   W