Page 7 - Leadership Basics 3

The importance of teams has been developed though organisational paradigms such as flattened
hierarchies, the empowerment of teachers and the importance of collaborative cultures in
transforming learning organisations (Hargreaves & Hopkins, 1991; Hargreaves, 1994; Hargreaves, et al.,
2001, Leithwood & Jantzi, 2003). As Shamir (1999) suggests, “The currently popular terms of
‘self‐directed’ or ‘self managed’ teams imply the transfer of leadership responsibilities from a
designated leader to the entire team”. As far back as Yukl (1989), team leadership was seen to differ
from traditional top‐down leadership in the following ways:
1. Responsibility for group effectiveness is not on the leader's shoulders alone but is shared by the
group.
2. Control over the final decision is not held by the leader but is best left to the group.

3. The importance of one's position and power are deemphasised in team leadership.
4. The leader perceives the group not as a set of individuals but as an interacting and collective
team.
5. The task‐oriented functions of the team are performed not only by the leader but are shared by
the entire group through its new roles.
6. Group maintenance functions are not performed systematically but are emphasised and shared
by the group as a whole.

7. Socio‐emotional processes and interactions, while mostly ignored by leaders in top‐down
settings, are observed closely by team leaders.

8. Expressions of members' needs and feelings are encouraged by team leaders and are dealt with
openly in meetings.

3