Beyond Distributed Leadership: Collaboration, Interaction, and Emergent Reciprocal Influence

Abstract

Distributed leadership has joined the current pantheon of educational buzzwords. This represents a shift from a past that focused on positions and individuals as the keys to leadership. Unfortunately, the distributed perspective itself fails to capture much of the leadership activity that takes place in organizations. Specifically, activity that is inherently collaborative, interactive, and reciprocal is difficult to isolate and identify within the context of contemporary lenses of leadership, including distributed leadership. This article explores this conceptual terrain, through a review of scholarship and a discussion of empirical findings. It concludes that the lens of distributed leadership needs further conceptual development to effectively capture the dynamic nature of leadership in today's schools. The framework of emergent reciprocal influence is offered as an initial means of conceptualizing the complex and interactive forms of leadership that emerge within the context of collaborative activity in organizations.