How leadership for an ICT reform is distributed within a school

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the process of information communication technology (ICT) reform in a government school in Singapore. The focus is on the distributed leadership actions performed by various individuals, and how the multiple leaders and their leadership practices interacted with one another.

Design/methodology/approach

A naturalistic inquiry approach was adopted, involving the case study of a school in the process of implementing an instructional reform involving the use of ICT.

Findings

It was found that distributed leadership for ICT implementation requires a combination of transformational leadership and instructional leadership to develop teachers’ capacity to enhance their instruction with ICT, emotional leadership to support teachers’ effort to change, and strategic management of resources to sustain teachers’ change efforts. Transformational leadership is performed mainly by senior management (SM). Instructional leadership is performed mainly by middle management (MM). Both senior and middle management provided emotional leadership and strategic resource management. In addition, SM provided second‐order changes leadership, while MM provided first‐order changes leadership.

Originality/value

The paper rectifies the current disproportionate focus on the role of the Principal by uncovering the leadership actions performed by other school members, and how these leadership actions are interrelated. In particular, the paper provides insight into how leadership was distributed in a school reform involving the use of ICT for instruction.

Citation

Ng Foo Seong, D. and Ho, J.M. (2012), "How leadership for an ICT reform is distributed within a school", International Journal of Educational Management, Vol. 26 No. 6, pp. 529-549. https://doi.org/10.1108/09513541211251370