Distributed leadership in organizations: A review of theory and research

The aim of this paper is to review conceptual and empirical literature on the concept of distributed leadership (DL) in order to identify its origins, key arguments, and areas for further work. Consideration is given to the similarities and differences between DL and related concepts including ‘shared’, ‘collective’, ‘collaborative’, ‘emergent’, ‘co-‘ and ‘democratic’ leadership. Findings indicate that whilst there are some common theoretical bases, the relative usage of these concepts varies over time, between countries and between sectors. In particular, DL is a notion that has seen a rapid growth in interest since the year 2000 but research remains largely restricted to the field of school education and of proportionally more interest to UK than US-based academics. Several scholars are increasingly going to lengths to indicate that in order to be ‘distributed’ leadership need not necessarily be widely ‘shared’ or ‘democratic’ and in order to be effective there is a need to balance different ‘hybrid configurations’ of practice. The article highlights a number of areas for further attention, including three factors relating to the context of much work on DL (power and influence; organisational boundaries and context; and ethics and diversity), and three methodological and developmental challenges (ontology; research methods; and leadership development, reward and recognition). It is concluded that descriptive and normative perspectives that dominate the literature should be supplemented by more critical accounts that recognise the rhetorical and discursive significance of DL in (re)constructing leader-follower identities, mobilising collective engagement and challenging or reinforcing traditional forms of organisation

THE CASE BRIEF A Model For Case Analysis, Writing And Discussion

The session addresses a common problem in undergraduate case discussion and writing—the tendency for students to reiterate lengthy lists and discussions of facts of the case without effec-tively identifying key facts while failing to adequately addressing their implications. The case brief, using the basic problem-solving model, provides a carefully structured approach for the student to more precisely define key facts, identify valid strategic problems, and more pointedly define, discuss and recommend relevant courses of action. In addition to describing the model used in the brief, the session will interactively demonstrate an exploration of a short case using the case brief format

Simulation Performance and Forecast Accuracy -- Is That All?

This study evaluated the proposition that there is a correlation between forecasting accuracy and total enterprise simulation performance. Using Mean Absolute Deviation (MAD) over the periods of play as a measure of forecasting accuracy (predicting unit sales), three significant correlations were found for the five course sections studied. The study found, therefore, that there is a general correlation between forecasting accuracy over the periods of play and simulation standing. Additionally examined were simulation performance compared to a pre-play knowledge-based examination and an applied knowledge final course examination. Not surprisingly, no relationships were found for these latter evaluations. The paper contends that finding a correlation between forecasting accuracy and simulation performance is to be expected and of limited use in assessing what can and should be gained from simulation participation

Simplifying and Enhancing Financial Analysis in Cases and Simulations

In 20 years of teaching business policy courses and using total enterprise simulations, i have been continuously unimpressed with the ability of many business students to intelligently discuss and use financial data as contained in formal financial statements. Except for accounting and some finance majors, accounting and corporate finance courses seem to have been “take, endure, and forget” courses. While many of these students may have some knowledge of standard financial ratios, their use and interpretation of these measures seems alchemical. In requiring students to analyze and discuss financial data, i became frustrated to the point of deciding to take action. However, rather than rehash standard approaches to financial analysis, i have tried to develop a more common sense approach focusing on essentials but not getting buried in technical issues. This paper presents my approach to reviewing those essentials

Learning to Differentiate Leadership from Managerial Position

This paper describes a rationale for the development of individual leadership abilities and skills in manners contrary to traditional approaches to instruction in leadership theory. Traditional leadership perspectives reflect mechanistic and bureaucratic concepts that portray the organization as an authority hierarchy with influence flowing down from the top. Leadership is thus an executive function and prerogative. Although individual leadership theories often say, in passing, that anyone can be a leader, preoccupation is with authority-figure performance. However, educators need to become concerned with teaching students and members of organizations how to recognize and act on opportunities and responsibilities to exert influence without the benefit of managerial position. The paper also discusses an attempt to use these concepts at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater during the Spring, 1996 semester. Analysis of student performance indicated that teaching people to comprehend and experience leadership from a non-positional perspective may not be done easily for some types of individuals

Personality Characteristics and Group Performance In Total Enterprise Simulations

This study was designed to test the proposition, advanced by Patz and others, that teams dominated by Myers-Briggs Type Indicator “thinking” and “intuiting” styles perform better in total enterprise simulation games. This study found no relation between such factors and simulation performance of groups of undergraduate business seniors

The Relationship between Attitudes Toward the Organization and Administration of Parish Education Programs and the Presence of Parish Boards of Education

The fall semester of 1973 presented a Marquette University graduate student in educational administration with two important challenges, One of these was a course which required students to devise instruments for evidence quantification, and the other, another course, focused on the development of dissertation proposals, As that student, I responded, hopefully well, to those challenges by commencing a study effort aimed at assessing the attitudinal impact of parish boards of education, During that semester, I was able to develop an attitude scale survey instrument, complete a pilot study in two Milwaukee parishes, and put together the essence of the proposal that has led to the study detailed in this dissertation, In addition to the motivational impact of the two courses, my own interest in lay participation in parishes and my discovery of that rapidly expanding phenomenon, the board movement in Catholic education, helped me formulate the question, Do Boards of Education make a difference in parishes? It seemed appropriate to attempt to answer that question, at least in part, by examining and comparing attitudes of people in various parish groups, While this study has by no means exhausted inquiry into the question, it has at least investigated whether or not there exists some degree of consonance between attitudes toward parish education programs and the presence of boards

Antecedents of Learning in the Simulation: A Replication

This study replicated a study undertaken in 1997. It was exploratory, and its purpose was to find out why some participants learn more than others in TE simulations. Put another way, the purpose was to identify which variables are associated with greater learning in the simulation environment

Correlates of Learning in Simulations

This study attempted to identify variables that correlate with learning in simulations. The researchers explored whether simulation learning varied with (1) simulation performance, (2) the degree to which players were struggling with the simulation, (3) type of simulation goals, and (4) common sense variables often associated with learning such as confidence. The subjects were college seniors; the simulation lasted eleven quarters; learning was measured by Instructor designed instruments; other variables were measured by questionnaire. The results were that students who expressed game related financial goals, such as to maximize profits, early in game learned more and that those that perceived the game to be understandable and simple early in the game also learned more. Learning did not correlate with performance and the degree of struggle