Benchmarking distributed leadership

The benchmarking instrument is based on the six Tenets of distributed leadership for learning and teaching.  These tenets are that distributed leadership:

• Engages a broad range of formal and informal leaders and experts from all relevant functions, disciplines, groups and level, in action research cycles of change to build leadership capacity 
•  Is Enabled through a context of trust and a culture of respect coupled with effecting change through collaborative relationships.
• Is Enacted by the involvement of people, the design of processes, the provision of support and the implementation of systems.
• Is best Evaluated using evidence of examples of increased engagement in learning and teaching, collaboration and growth in leadership capacity.
• Is an Emergent sustainable process through cycles of action research built on a  Participative Action Research methodology
•  Is Encouraged through actions that include raising awareness and scaffolding learning about a distributed leadership to leadership through professional development, mentoring, facilitation of networks, communities of practice, time, space and finance for collaboration and recognition of, and reward, for contribution.

The first five of the  Tenets form the basis of the  Domains of the benchmarking instrument. The  remaining Tenet (Encouraged) provides the basis for a good practice descriptor for the benchmarking Domains.  Each of the Domains has an associated Scoping statement and consists of a number of Elements.