Distributing Leadership in an Urban Charter School: Blending Network Analysis With Complexity Theory

• In Event: Assessing Leadership for Adaptive Change Through the Lens of Complexity Theory

Abstract

Objectives
Blending the lens of network analysis (Daly, 2010) with that of complexity theory (Stacey, 1996) this paper describes efforts by a charter school principal to enact ideals promoted by the Lynch Leadership Academy at Boston College as a means to distribute leadership responsibilities across his school. To focus analysis, this paper examines the following questions:
• What outcomes emerge when school leadership is distributed through teacher networks?
• What are the relational linkages within the teacher networks?
• What analytic insights are gained by looking at teacher networks as complex adaptive systems?

Theoretical Framework
To assess the leadership activities of academic departments in this charter school, I rely upon network analysis and complexity theory. Regarding network analysis, I contrast the highly centralized structure generated by the Math Department with the decentralized network enacted through the Humanities Department. Drawing on aspects of complexity theory—particularly, the analytic notions of self-organization, adaptive change, and systems transformation—I delineate process-related factors linked to the contrasting outcomes. In essence, complexity theory posits an orientation in which relationships are valued and rich interactions allow for innovation leading to adaptive change and transformation (Lewin & Regine, 1999). Collectively, individuals can change their environment (Goldstein, Hazy, & Lichtenstein, 2010): “The whole becomes, in a very real sense, more than the sum of its parts” (Mason, 2008, p. 33).

Research Methods & Data Sources
The study represents an embedded case study design (Yin, 2014). The primary unit of analysis involves the principal’s efforts at distributing leadership school-wide; the interactions of teacher networks constitute sub-units of analysis. Data sources include: interviews with the principal and teachers in the two departments; observations of department meetings; and archival data, such as standardized exam scores and meeting agendas. Data analysis entailed open coding of interview and observational data using a constant comparative method (Glaser & Strauss, 1967). After generating within-case themes, I conducted cross-case analyses to uncover broader trends and patterns (Creswell, 2012).

Findings
Outcomes for the academic departments differed notably. For the Math Department, operating as a decentralized network (Davis & Sumara, 2006), disequilibrium conditions (Nadler, 1993), generated largely by its shared authority, created opportunities for teachers to self-organize for adaptive change. This entailed initiating school-wide standards-based grading, enacting problem solving strategies for mathematical understanding, and utilizing case study frameworks for incorporating real-world experiences into their lessons. In contrast, operating under a structure of “contrived collegiality” (Hargreaves, 1994) that reflected a lack of trust, influence, and shared purpose, the Humanities team constituted a highly centralized network whereas authority rested largely with one individual, thereby inhibiting self-organization for adaptive change (Davis, Sumara, & D’Amour , 2012).

Scholarly Significance
To enact change of the nature demanded by current conditions in urban schools (Hemmings, 2012), leadership cannot be the sole purview of principals. To meet the challenges of urban schooling in the twenty-first century, principals need to embrace a distributed perspective on leadership. As Waldrop (1992) observed, adaptive transformation only occurs if interactions among individuals are rich and diverse, allowing the system to spontaneously self-organize.

Author

• Valerie Spencer, Boston College