Is distributed leadership key to a just and collaborative school culture? A mediation analysis

Abstract

Purpose Although theoretical approaches widely recognize that leadership can shape school culture, empirical research on how culture is associated with the emergence and functioning of distributed leadership and how this form of leadership contributes to organizational justice remains limited. However, in school contexts, cultural dynamics are directly associated with how leadership is experienced and how justice is perceived. By challenging prevailing assumptions in the literature, this research seeks to provide empirical insight into how cultural dynamics distribute leadership practices and, in turn, are associated with perceptions of justice within school settings. Design/methodology/approach The study employed a temporal cross-sectional design to investigate the mediating relationship among school culture, organizational justice and distributed leadership variables. The final data consisted of three scales administered to 391 teachers in Gaziantep, Türkiye. Findings The results indicated that distributed leadership mediated the relationship between school culture and organizational justice, and this mediation remained robust after controlling for gender, school type and socioeconomic context. These results contribute to empirical testing of the relationship between school culture and leadership and of the role of distributed leadership as an organizational property. Practical implications Considering that leadership practices are a key factor in the transmission of culture, focusing on understanding culture within leadership-based in-service training programs could be a strategic step for policymakers to positively influence employees’ perceptions of the organization and, consequently, organizational behaviour. Social implications Integrating efforts to understand and strengthen school culture into professional development courses may facilitate the positioning of distributed leadership in schools and contribute to improving organizational outcomes. Originality/value To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first of its kind to use school culture as a root metaphor in line with the anthropological approach to the culture-leadership relationship and to treat distributed leadership as a mediating variable. Leadership cannot directly manipulate school culture; rather, culture evolves through shared practices and meanings. Hence, it significantly contributes to the educational leadership and management literature. In addition, this study is essential in that its results confirm Schein’s culture leadership model.