The Library
The institutionalization of distributed leadership: A 'Catch-22' in English public services
Tools
Currie, Graeme, Lockett, Andy and Suhomlinova, Olga (2009) The institutionalization of distributed leadership: A 'Catch-22' in English public services. Human Relations, Vol.62 (No.11). pp. 1735-1761. doi:10.1177/0018726709346378 ISSN 0018-7267.
Research output not available from this repository.
Request-a-Copy directly from author or use local Library Get it For Me service.
Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0018726709346378
Abstract
Distributed leadership is promoted as being well suited to public service organizations because of their multiple goals, less pronounced managerial authority and presence of powerful professional groups. Drawing on qualitative evidence we analyse the complex process of the institutionalization of distributed leadership in English schools. Our analysis suggests that competing institutional forces simultaneously foster and stymie the adoption of distributed leadership. Consequently, the school principals find themselves in a classic Catch-22 situation, which they resolve by enacting a weak form of distributed leadership. Ironically, the implementation of distributed leadership is the most difficult in the schools located in socially deprived areas, that is, the very context where policy-makers expect distributed leadership to make the most impact. Moving beyond our specific case, we argue that distributed leadership, and leadership more generally, cannot be divorced from its institutional context and that the relative influence of divergent institutional forces depends upon the immediate organizational environment.
Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Subjects: | H Social Sciences > HJ Public Finance | ||||
Divisions: | Faculty of Social Sciences > Warwick Business School > Centre for Small & Medium-Sized Enterprises Faculty of Social Sciences > Warwick Business School > Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Management Faculty of Social Sciences > Warwick Business School > International Centre for Governance & Public Management Faculty of Social Sciences > Warwick Business School |
||||
Journal or Publication Title: | Human Relations | ||||
Publisher: | Sage Publications Ltd. | ||||
ISSN: | 0018-7267 | ||||
Official Date: | 2009 | ||||
Dates: |
|
||||
Volume: | Vol.62 | ||||
Number: | No.11 | ||||
Number of Pages: | 27 | ||||
Page Range: | pp. 1735-1761 | ||||
DOI: | 10.1177/0018726709346378 | ||||
Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||
Publication Status: | Published | ||||
Access rights to Published version: | Restricted or Subscription Access |
Request changes or add full text files to a record
Repository staff actions (login required)
View Item |