Distributed leadership in action: Different manifestations and what they require from school leaders

Abstract Distributed leadership is currently the most studied leadership model in education. This study posits that there is not a single best model or blueprint for distributed leadership, but that schools should foster manifestations of distributed leadership to support professional development and school improvement. The school leader can support distributed leadership. In this study we examined dimensions of distributed leadership when teachers collaborate in two Dutch schools, which were selected after an elaborate selection process—quantitatively through an online survey and a benchmark method and qualitatively through additional focus group interviews. Within these schools, which were considered as critical cases, data were collected through semi‐structured interviews with teachers (14) and school leaders (three), focus groups with teachers and school leaders (three) and observation of teachers collaborating (four). Data were analysed by inductively labelling and thematising relevant fragments. This was checked by a second researcher, ensuring the validity of the findings. Based on our findings we propose four manifestations of distributed leadership in teacher collaboration and discuss the role of the school leader in supporting these manifestations. This role is larger than one might expect. Depending on the situation, school leaders can either formally manage structurally designed manifestations of distributed leadership, which requires transactional leadership, or facilitate relational manifestations of distributed leadership, which requires transformational leadership.