ABSTRACT
This chapter covers distributed leadership. Distributed leadership emphasizes the sharing of functions through empowerment mechanisms such as participation and delegation. The distributed leadership approach has been divided into seven theoretical frameworks: informal leadership, followership, substitutes for leadership, superleadership, self-leadership, team leadership, and network leadership. Informal leadership acknowledges the reality that formal leaders do not have all the power and that sometimes leaders without hierarchical authority are nonetheless critical decision-makers. Followership recognizes that leadership is a process involving many people, not just the actions of an individual. Network leadership theory explores situations in which leadership is shared among organizations or in and among communities. The diffusion of responsibilities requires different structures and attitudes in order for leadership to be effective. The chapter provides some examples to accompany the discussion of the various types of distributed leadership.
