Distributed leadership for integration of information and communication technology (ICT) in schools

Abstract

This study investigated the distributed leadership practices and system differentiation strategy in technology integration among three Singapore schools. These schools have achieved different levels of technology-related outcomes and are embarking on ICT integration of different scale and complexity. Luhmann's (1995) system theory was adopted to characterise the leadership distribution and differentiation strategies among the schools. Our findings showed that one school adopted a top-down leadership approach while the other two schools demonstrated leadership distribution. These two schools differed in their organisational differentiation strategy: one adopted segmentation differentiation while the other demonstrated functional differentiation. These variations in leadership practices seemed to be associated with the scale and complexity of ICT integration in the schools. We offered a preliminary explanation for the plausible relationship that exists between the level of complexity of ICT integration and the type of system differentiation.