SaMnet
Science & Mathematics network
of Australian university educators
Distributed Leadership Influences Template
Context (TRUST)
Create an environment or context
for academics and others to fulfil
their potential. Combines external
(government) and internal
(executive) influences for change.
Culture (RESPECT)
Accommodation of the academic
culture of autonomy achieved by
encouraging participants to selfselect for the project based on
their interest and expertise rather
than their formal leadership
positions.
Change (Recognition)
Integration of change and
development achieved through a
process that involved multi-level
engagement of senior leaders,
committee members and informal
experts from both academic and
professional departments.
Relationships (Collaboration)
Importance of relationships;
importance of relationship
management to build a collaborative
culture.
People are
involved
Expertise of individuals is used to
inform decisions – invitation to
participate in decision making based
on expertise not formal positions.
Individuals participate in decision
making – Criterion referenced
agreement by participants to share
information.
All levels and functions have input
into policy development – criterion
referenced agreement by
participants to encourage a diversity
of contributions from academics,
professional and administrative staff.
Processes are
supportive
Leadership is implemented as a
shared process not just a position leadership is based on shared
expertise, informal leadership is
recognised
Decentralised groups engage in
decision making – Acceptance that
additional time taken for how
decision making is counterbalanced
against shorter time for
implementation
DL is a component of leadership
Mentoring for distributed
training – distributed leadership is
leadership is provided – experts
used to build leadership capacity –
provide mentoring in DL for
training includes a component on DL. participants
All levels and functions have input
into policy implementation –
Institute wide support for processes
that recognise the need for complex
solutions that are not constrained by
discipline silos
Leaders at all levels proactively
encourage distributed leadership –
Leaders encourage collaboration for
innovation.
Expertise of individuals contributes
to collective decision making –
criterion referenced recognition of
the need for reflective processes to
encourage organic growth of
collaboration rather than a response
to a pre-organised decision.
Communities of practice are
modelled – encouraging CoP
Theory
Professional
Development
is provided
Resources are
available
Space, time and finance for
collaboration are available –
unrestricted access to data and
information is provided.
Collaboration is facilitated consultative processes explained and
encouraged
Leadership contribution is
Flexibility is built into infrastructure Opportunities for regular
recognised and rewarded –
and systems – continuous
networking are provided –
contribution to participative
improvement process acknowledges consultative processes encouraged
process is included as criteria for
circular feedback process
across the institution.
promotion and awards.
Adapted for use in SaMnet projects from the Action Framework of distributed leadership found at www.emedia.rmit.edu.au/distributedleadership/
SAMNET INFLUENCES
Possible
SaMnet
Influences
(Circle Y or N)
“SaMnet
has...”
Comments on
SaMnet
Influences
Context (TRUST)
Culture (RESPECT)
Included Project Team
Encouraged Team encouraged
members from different
to consult experts to get opinions
academic positions
on theory, data or conclusions.
Encouraged an Innovative
Name of expert: ___________
Academic to take leadership in
Assisted the project through
the team
particular expertise of Critical
Notified Dean at start of
friend. Name of CF : ___________
project
Allowed time for teams to plan
Sent project update to
and make decisions without
dean with leadership
SaMnet pressure to begin activities
comment on team members
Encouraged full participation
Accepted the project as a
from team members in decision
SaMnet project (= Recognition
making
of leadership)
Held SaMnet LeadershipCommunicated to the team
Development workshops on
a recognition of the team’s
leadership attended by team
leadership
Trained the team indistributed
Held Leadershipleadership through conversations
Development workshops on
with critical friend
leadership attended by the
Run a workshop attended by
team
team where scholarly output in
Given advice to the team
education was linked with
to make space and time to
promotion criteria
meet and work together
Encouraged the team to seek
recognition for achievements
Change (Recognition)
Facilitated connections
with professional or
administrative staff
Provided administrative
assistance from SaMnet H!
Assisted the team in bring
about change in practice or
policy
Encouraged distributed
leadership in the team
Encouraged others in the
institution to support
distributed leadership
Encouraged reflection on
practices
Supportedthe teams desire
for changes to project
implementation decided upon
reflection
Relationships (Collaboration)
Promoted team
collaboration
Promoted individual team
expertise to work together to
make decisions
Held topic based skypes as
communities of practice
attended by team
Provided networking
opportunities to facilitate a
Community of Practice
Encouraged connections
within the institution
Encouraged connections
outside the institution
Held workshops on
collaboration attended by
team
Made a connection with
another team in the SaMnet
newsletter
Regularly communicated
with team (HQ)
Regularly communicated
with team (Critical Friend)
Possible
Institutional
Influences
(Circle Y or N)
“The
Institution
has...”
Comments on
Institutional
Influences
Context (TRUST)
Invited experts to make
decisions regardless of formal
position
Encouraged team
members to contribute their
expertise to changes in the
school
Participated in the
leadership aspect of the
SaMnet project (recognised
the leadership of the team)
Replied to SaMnet’s
advocacy of the team’s
leadership? (Dean)
Provided professional
development on distributed
leadership?
Provided space for the
project to run
Allowed project to collect
and use data
Provided funding for the
project
INSTITUTIONAL INFLUENCES
Culture (RESPECT)
Change (Recognition)
Enabled the team to access
Existing connections with
required information to make
other departments/areas to
decisions
assist with group projects (IT,
Enabled the team to share
other teaching academics,
recommendations with institution
learning and teaching units)
Given time for team decisions
Grants available to project
to be made by the team not the
teams to work with groups eg.
individual
eLearning, IT
Offered training in distributed
Existing Cross-discipline
leadership
learning and teaching links
Formal Criteria in place which
Learning and Teaching type
recognises participation in SaMnet
units with an active role.
project
Shown support publically
Formal Criteria in place relating
for the project by the
to achievement in education
administration (head of
research
school, DVC, Dean)
Enabled Team members to
Recognised the team’s
apply for promotions including
work in university publications
SaMnet participation as criteria
or newsletters
Promoted team members using
Encouraged reflection (as
SaMnet participation as criteria.
opposed to output being the
focus)
Flexibility in deadlines set.
Relationships (Collaboration)
Looked to develop team
members as leaders
Encouraged feedback from
team members on institutional
decisions
Organised Communities of
Practice for areas related to
research in education
Organised collaborative
events within faculties
Mentored team members
Systems for regular
communication such as skype,
other online interaction
Physical spaces for
meetings and collaborative
work in the university
Possible
Individual/
Team
Influences
(Circle Y or N)
“The
team*
has...”
*or members
of the team
Comments on
Individual/
Team
Influences
Sought to share ideas in
their area of expertise for
institutional decisions
Sought to share ideas with
those in superior roles
Seen themselves as leaders
in the institution
Recognised others who
don’t have formal leadership
positions as leaders if they
show leadership
Participated in distributed
leadership professional
development (at institution or
SaMnet
Made time to do the
SaMnet project in the
schedule/programs they are
involved in.
Sought information that
was gathered by others to use
in the project or have sought
assistance in gathering data
INDIVIDUAL/TEAM INFLUENCES
Sought access to institutional
Connected with
data to make decisions and
professional staff to assist with
recommendations on practices
aspects of the project (IT,
Awaited input from multiple
Admin staff)
members of the team in the
Connected with academics
process of decision making
in other disciplines/education
Sought input from various nonEncouraged others not in
team members on project
the project team as informal
decisions
leaders
Participated in mentoring in
Encouraged others in the
distributed leadership with a
project team as informal
critical friend
leaders
Participated in mentoring in
Had intentional team
distributed leadership at SaMnet
meetings to reflect on project
workshops
progress
Used leadership experience
Made changes to the
with SaMnet as evidence for
project plan based on
promotion or awards
reflection
Used leadership experience
other than SaMnet as evidence for
promotion or awards
Made decisions as a team
Engaged with Communities
of Practice established
through SaMnet
Engaged with Communities
of Practice established
through the institution
Established their own
gatherings to form a
Community of Practice
Had regular meetings
involving most of the team
members
Often CCd all team
members on team emails
Followed up on SaMnet
recommendation for a
connection to another project
team
Shared
information/challenges/results
with others in the institution
to get feedback
General
Comments
Do the team members see
Have the team members felt
themselves as leaders? Why is this? empowered to do their work with
recognition from the institution or
SaMnet?
Has there been change or much
reflection during the project?
Has there been change in the
institution as a result of the
project?
How often has the team
collaborated on their work? What
is the preferred means of
communication?
Activities (STRATEGIC):
Activity assumes a shared purpose through cycles of change. It is essential that participants in distributed leadership are encouraged to become involved by planning
activities following a process that facilitates participants’ engagement in action research through cycles of planning, acting, observing and reflecting.
What are the key steps or phases that have been undertaken for this action learning project
Key:
People are involved - Processes are supportive - Professional Development is provided - Resources are available