Creating the Organizational Conditions That Enable and Support a Shared Approach to Leading School Change

• In Event: Leading Change in Schools

Abstract

This paper presents findings from a qualitative research study that explored school leadership teams’ conceptions of shared leadership and examined a framework of seven organizational conditions hypothesized to support a collective approach to leading change. One-on-one and focus group interviews were conducted with leadership team members from four elementary schools in Missouri. Participating schools were purposively selected based on demonstration of increased student achievement and shared leadership capacity over the previous two years. Findings indicated that lived experiences with shared leadership expanded leadership teams’ views of and commitment to shared leadership. Participants perceived the conditions to be mutually reinforcing and found the framework itself to be a useful tool to help them make sense of their lived experiences.

Author

• Danette Parsley, Education Northwest