Collaborating and distributing leading: mosaics of leading practices

Abstract

<p>A mosaic approach to leading practices leverages collaboration and makes it possible to renew the social fabric of a school. In this article, the authors use the notion of a 'mosaic of leading <i>practices’</i> to unsettle top-down, hierarchical, positional conceptions of leader<i>ship</i> that focus on <i>participants</i>. The latter invites questions about participants' responsibilities for leadership" the former invites questions about what leaders <i>do</i> (their practices) in and for an organisation. We report on research conducted with Aotearoa New Zealand school leaders that explored perceptions of leading practices that support or constrain communities of learning. Drawing on interviews with leaders and teachers who were working to build Communities of Learning |Kāhui Ako (CoL) in their schools and across school communities, the article re-imagines sites of collaboration by viewing them through the lens of <i>practices</i>, not just <i>participants</i>. A theoretical framework is proposed to illustrate mosaics of leading. Patterns of leadership and the concepts of connective enactment and collective accomplishment highlight diferent degrees of educator collaboration. The article re-imagines sites of collaboration as a means to foster a grassroots approach to culture and community building, rather than as a means for the delivery of school improvement alone.</p>