Reimagining School Leadership: A Qualitative Study on How Distributed Leadership Models Influence Innovation Culture in Semi-Government Schools in Pakistan
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| Title: | Reimagining School Leadership: A Qualitative Study on How Distributed Leadership Models Influence Innovation Culture in Semi-Government Schools in Pakistan |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Muhammad Abdullah Farooq Jav (ORCID |
| Source: | British Educational Research Journal. 2026 52(2):930-951. |
| Availability: | Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 22 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | School Administration, Leadership Styles, Foreign Countries, Government School Relationship, Educational Innovation, Models, School Culture, Instructional Leadership |
| Geographic Terms: | Pakistan (Karachi) |
| DOI: | 10.1002/berj.70016 |
| ISSN: | 0141-1926 1469-3518 |
| Abstract: | This qualitative multiple case study investigates how distributed leadership influences innovation culture in two semi-government schools in Karachi, Pakistan. Drawing on interviews, observations and document analysis, the study explores how leadership is understood, enacted and experienced in contrasting school environments; one innovation-oriented and the other traditionally hierarchical. The findings reveal that distributed leadership fosters innovation by empowering teachers, promoting experimentation and nurturing a sense of shared responsibility, and that meaningful innovation emerges not solely from formal structures but through relational flattening, where leadership hierarchies are softened to promote trust, psychological safety and shared agency. The study contributes to distributed leadership theory by foregrounding relational dynamics, rather than positional structures, as key enablers of innovation in low-resource, culturally hierarchical settings. It also challenges the assumption that distributed leadership automatically translates across contexts, instead offering empirical evidence of how relational leadership practices shape school-level change. The study offers practical and theoretical insights for education reform in the Global South. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1502553 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | This qualitative multiple case study investigates how distributed leadership influences innovation culture in two semi-government schools in Karachi, Pakistan. Drawing on interviews, observations and document analysis, the study explores how leadership is understood, enacted and experienced in contrasting school environments; one innovation-oriented and the other traditionally hierarchical. The findings reveal that distributed leadership fosters innovation by empowering teachers, promoting experimentation and nurturing a sense of shared responsibility, and that meaningful innovation emerges not solely from formal structures but through relational flattening, where leadership hierarchies are softened to promote trust, psychological safety and shared agency. The study contributes to distributed leadership theory by foregrounding relational dynamics, rather than positional structures, as key enablers of innovation in low-resource, culturally hierarchical settings. It also challenges the assumption that distributed leadership automatically translates across contexts, instead offering empirical evidence of how relational leadership practices shape school-level change. The study offers practical and theoretical insights for education reform in the Global South. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0141-1926 1469-3518 |
| DOI: | 10.1002/berj.70016 |
