This book argues that the educational environment in many countries has shifted so dramatically and so permanently that we urgently need to re-consider what we understand by educational leadership and educational leadership practice. It focuses on distributed leadership and draws on the emerging evidence about the possibilities and shortcomings of this form of leadership and draws upon the latest empirical findings from studies in different countries that have focused on the relationship between distributed forms of leadership and organizational change. The main aim is to offer contemporary, comparative and challenging accounts of distributed leadership practice.

Distributed Leadership - Different Perspectives outlines current understandings, findings and limitations of the concept of distributed leadership. It brings together different international perspectives on distributed leadership as well as looking at distributed leadership through three major lenses - the empirical, the interpretive and the critical. Leading writers in the field offer contemporary analysis and reflection on the theme and also consider the future issues, challenges and directions for distributed leadership.

Zusammenfassung
Alma Harris The ?eld of school leadership is currently preoccupied with the idea of distributed leadership. Few ideas, it seems, have provoked as much attention, debate and c- troversy. Whatever your position on distributed leadership, and you cannot fail to have one, it is irrefutable that distributed leadership has become the leadership idea of the moment. Yet, it is an idea that can be traced back as far as the mid 20s and possibly earlier. So why the interest? Part of the answer can be found in a move away from theorizing and empirical enquiry focused on the single leader. This shift has undoubtedly been fuelled by structural changes, within schools and across school systems that have resulted in - ternative models or forms of leadership practice. Evidence highlights how those - cupying formal leadership positions are increasingly recognizing the limitations of existing structural arrangements to secure organizational growth and transformation (Fullan et al. , 2007; Harris et al. , 2008; Chapman et al. , 2008). As a consequence, many heads and principals are actively restructuring, realigning and redesigning leadership practice in their school (Harris, 2008). While the terminology to describe such changes varies, the core principle is one of extending or sharing leadership practice. While scholars have long argued for the need to move beyond those at the top of organizations in order to examine leadership (Barnard, 1968; Katz and Kahn, 1966) until relatively recently, much of the school leadership literature has tended tofocusupontheheadortheprincipal.

Inhalt
Setting the Scene.- Distributed Leadership: What We Know.- Empirical Perspectives.- Investigating Connections Between Distributed Leadership and Instructional Change.- Taking a Distributed Perspective in Studying School Leadership and Management: The Challenge of Study Operations.- The Relationship Between Distributed Leadership and Teachers' Academic Optimism.- Distributed Leadership in Schools: Does System Policy Make a Difference?.- Practical Perspective.- Capacity Building Through Layered Leadership: Sustaining the Turnaround.- The Relationship Between Distributed Leadership and Action Learning in Schools: A Case Study.- Conceptual Theoretical.- The Role of Sensemaking and Trust in Developing Distributed Leadership.- Distributed Leadership: Democracy or Delivery?.- Future Perspectives.- From Distributed to Hybrid Leadership Practice.- Fit for Purpose: An Educationally Relevant Account of Distributed Leadership.- Coda.