Ian Lightbody

Shared Leadership in Schools: Lessons from an Exploration of Theory and Practice Ian Lightbody

Shared leadership has been identified as a key governance base for the future of government and Catholic schools in Queensland, Australia, the state's two largest providers of school education. Shared leadership values the contributions that many individuals can make through collaboration and teamwork. It claims to improve organisational performance and reduce the increasing pressures faced by principals. However despite these positive features, shared leadership is generally not well understood, not well accepted and not valued by those who practice or study leadership. A collective case study method was chosen, incorporating a series of semi-structured interviews with principals and the use of official school documents. The study has explored the current understanding and practice of shared leadership in four Queensland schools and investigated its potential for use. This book presents the lessons learned about shared leadership, from an exploration of theory and practice, for anyone interested in leadership.