Distributed Leadership in the Management of Moscow School Educational Organizations: Experience of Empirical Research

The phenomenon of distributed, or shared, leadership is examined in the article as a new conceptual approach in the management of school educational organizations, in which managerial authority can be distributed among all participants. Development of this type of leadership is facilitated by the project-matrix structure of a school organization. Participants in the authors’ research on skills and abilities related to the manifestation of distributed leadership mentioned such characteristics as: emotional intelligence, communication skills, ability not only to motivate but also to inspire employees, manage time and resources. The authors propose a new approach to analyzing the situation and identifying leadership competencies based on the use of a combined research methodology that allows to make not only an actual cross-section of a particular situation, but also to identify hidden factors for the formation of distributed leadership environment. Currently, in Moscow schools, distributed leadership is not represented as a distinct form of activity but rather as individual procedures used in the daily practices of educational organizations. The processes identified in the course of the study allow diagnosing the gradual incorporation of distributed leadership competencies into the existing management practices of educational institutions.