Distributing positive leadership: The case of team counseling

The concept of distributed leadership is widely used, but the ways whereby it becomes positive when distributed from the principal through the school counselor, still call for further clarification. The present study aims to illuminate this subject by analyzing the work of the principal and the counselors in five successful Israeli schools. Using an instrumental multi-case study method, it was found that the main distribution practice was team counseling, a counselor-led practice wherein at any time a student’s need arises, the counselor forms an ad hoc team to work together until the problem is solved, at which time the team is disbanded. By working within the school’s structure, respecting participants’ trust and expertise, and enabling information flow, the principal and the counselor facilitate distribution of positive leadership for the benefit of students and the school. Further theoretical and practical implications are discussed.