LOCATING DISTRIBUTED LEADERSHIP AT THE INTERSECTION OF FORMAL AND INFORMAL LEADERSHIP
The purpose of this dissertation is to answer the research question whether distributed leadership is located at the intersection of formal and informal leadership at the Zen Law School (ZLS). ZLS is a post graduate vocational law school located in the higher education sector (HE). The staff member...
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| Format: | Dissertation (University of Nottingham only) |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2017
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/48014/ |
| Summary: | The purpose of this dissertation is to answer the research question whether distributed leadership is located at the intersection of formal and informal leadership at the Zen Law School (ZLS).
ZLS is a post graduate vocational law school located in the higher education sector (HE). The staff membership comprise multiple professionals, including the academic staff who are members of the legal profession.
A single case study method is employed to analyse the activities of a homogenous staff group at ZLS engaged in a strategic planning process by looking at the interactions of both formal and informal leaders.
The results indicate that distributed leadership can be said to be located at the intersection of formal and informal leadership. It was considered to represent leadership as a complex concept. Understanding its complexity and linking it to systems thinking helped to identify nuances. It is perhaps best described as ‘hybrid’ leadership, as ‘distributed’ does not adequately articulate the fluidity of the leadership forms.
It is recommended that policy makers and particularly in the HE sector create opportunities to engage broad based leadership. Activities focused around whole organization improvements such as strategic planning provide a basis for many persons to contribute to leadership. |
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